Just a week after his release from the hospital, US President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail on Monday for the first time since contracting the coronavirus.
“It’s great to be back in my home state, Florida, to make my official return to the campaign trail,” Trump declared in front of a crowd of thousands of supporters, according to The Associated Press.
Trump said he is feeling great and glad he no longer needs to be concerned about infection because he’s now “immune.”
“I feel so powerful,” said Trump, displaying no obvious signs of lingering infection. “I’ll walk into that audience. I’ll walk in there, I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women ... everybody. I’ll just give ya a big fat kiss.”
The rally in Florida took place hours after Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, said he had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days.
Trump announced on October 2 that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was later taken to the Walter Reed Medical Center where he spent three days receiving treatment before being discharged.
Trump’s rally in Sanford was his first stop in a busy week that will include events in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Trump held his first public event since his diagnosis on Saturday, though in that one he addressed a crowd of hundreds of people on the South Lawn from a White House balcony.