Trump news: President rips off his mask as soon as he arrives back at White House after walking out of hospital

Follow the latest updates

Donald Trump says he will visit supporters despite coronavirus infection

Donald Trump has been discharged from Walter Reed Medical Centre after his doctors declined to reveal key details about his condition and said he wasn't "out of the wood".

Trump didn’t respond to questions as he left the hospital, saying only “thank you” before ignoring a reporter asking how many White House staff were infected and if he was a super spreader of coronavirus.

On arriving at the White House, Trump took off his mask to salute and pose for photos in front of American flags as Marine One took flight.

The president's return to the White House came after he earlier told America not to be afraid of Covid-19 as the country's death toll climbed over 210,000 and the number of positive cases among the president's inner circle reached 16.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and pastor Greg Laurie, who was at the Scotus Rose Garden event, were the two latest to announce a positive diagnosis on Monday.

As he prepared to end his 72-hour hospital stay, Trump began his morning furiously tweeting from his sick bed after attracting widespread condemnation over his “irresponsible” drive-by of supporters on Sunday evening.  

"RUDE!!!", the president called it. But the criticisms even came from within the president's circle, with Donald Trump Jr reported by Vanity Fair to want an intervention over the "crazy" motorcade stunt and tweet storm.

The Trump campaign, meanwhile, said their intention is for the president to make the second presidential debate on 15 October, which Joe Biden has also agreed, calling on the president listens to the science and make a nationwide mask rule.

Key Points

• Trump takes off mask and give double-thumbs up as he enters White House
• Thumbs up and double fist pump - Trump leaves hospital
• Backlash as Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for coronavirus
• Trump motorcade stunt labelled ‘irresponsible’ by Walter Reed physician
• President tweets in all caps from hospital about abortion, space and tax

[5 October 2020 21:53 · Justin Vallejo]

BREAKING: Biden tells Trump to 'listen to the scientists' and calls for nationwide mask rule to prevent coronavirus spread

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden offered his continued “prayers” for the recovery of Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, but admonished the president to “listen to the scientists” and “support masks” to help stem the tide of coronavirus in the US.

Griffin Connolly is following Biden’s event in Miami today.

[5 October 2020 22:02 · Justin Vallejo]

Watch the key moment from Biden’s campaign rally in Miami today

[5 October 2020 22:10 · Justin Vallejo]

Donald Trump Jr reportedly thinks president dad is ‘acting crazy’, wants to stage an intervention

Further to reports that Melania Trump hasn’t visited her husband in hospital to avoid risk to staff, Vanity Fair has a fascinating missive from the inner-sanctum of the Trump family apparently split over the president’s hospital drive-by. 

Here is the key passage:

According to sources, Don Jr. has told friends that he tried lobbying Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and Jared Kushner to convince the president that he needs to stop acting unstable. “Don Jr. has said he wants to stage an intervention, but Jared and Ivanka keep telling Trump how great he’s doing,” a source said. Don Jr. is said to be reluctant to confront his father alone. “Don said, ‘I’m not going to be the only one to tell him he’s acting crazy,’” the source added.

Vanity Fair

[5 October 2020 22:21 · Justin Vallejo]

White House has begun indicating to reporters that the second debate is on

The latest comes from Trump campaign spox Tim Murtaugh, via Washington correspondent Ryan Nobles: "It is the president’s intention to debate.”

[5 October 2020 22:25 · Justin Vallejo]

'I don't want to really go there’: Fauci refuses to comment on safety of Trump’s Walter Reed hospital drive-by

Dr Anthony Fauci was a little more reservered than Don Jr when asked to comment on president Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Walter Reed Medical Centre briefly on Sunday to wave at supporters from a car, amid his treatment for Covid-19.

James Crump reports.

[5 October 2020 22:34 · Justin Vallejo]

Trump to make grand exit 

We’re getting reports that Trump is looking to make a dramatic exit from Walter Reed Medical Centre, with plans to walk through the golden doors to appear before the cameras. We’re getting serious Trump Tower campaign announcement vibes from 2015. 

[5 October 2020 22:40 · Justin Vallejo]

Greg Laurie joins the cast of Trumpworld characters to announce he’s Covid positive

The pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship tested positive on Friday after attending the White House Rose Garden ceremony for Trump’s Scotus pick, he said in a tweet on Monday.

[5 October 2020 22:55 · Justin Vallejo]

Coronavirus spreads through West Wing, revealing Trump team’s disregard for rules

As the Covid tally ticks up in the White House, Washington Bureau Chief John T Bennett the rules simply don’t apply to those at the centre of Trump World.

Read the full piece at Independent Premium.

[5 October 2020 23:09 · Justin Vallejo]

Trump shares some quote thunder from Down Under

This comes courtesy of Australian opinion columnist Miranda Devine published in the New York Post.

(Miranda writes for News Corp’s Australian publications that share the same parent company as the Post.)

[5 October 2020 23:10 · Justin Vallejo]

‘Ranting teacher scolds 10-year-old for saying he admires Trump’

From that headline of this video going viral today, one could be forgiven for expecting an absolute disaster scenario with presidential debate-levels of screaming.

But the conversation between a teacher and the mother of a 10-year-old student, who supported Donald Trump in a class project, is remarkably reserved and respectful from both speakers.

These two should be drafted for debate prep ahead of the Trump-Biden town hall on 15 October.