US President Donald Trump with a bandage on the back of his hand. Photo / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump with a bandage on the back of his hand. Photo / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump has claimed coronavirus is "disappearing" as he appeared maskless before hundreds of supporters for his first public event since contracting COVID-19.
Appearing from the White House balcony at the event on Saturday, billed as a "peaceful protest", Trump declared, "I am feeling great."
Trump sported a bandage on his right hand, prompting more questions about the nature of his recovery from coronavirus and whether he is still on medication.
President Donald Trump gestures while speaking, with two bandages on his hand, from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters. Photo / AP
"I want you to know our nation is going to defeat this terrible China virus," Trump told the cheering crowd of hundreds below, most wearing masks but with very little social distancing at the outdoor event.
"It's going to disappear, it is disappearing," Trump said of the virus, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans and severely dented his chances of winning a second term on November 3.
It's not the first time Trump has made these claims, telling Fox Business back in July the virus would disappear "like a miracle" and there would be a vaccine "very soon".
Photo / Getty Images
"Get out and vote – and I love you," Trump told the crowd – a sea of red "MAGA" hats – who chanted back "four more years" throughout his 18-minute, law-and-order themed speech.
"We support you, we honour you, it's a dangerous profession," he said of law enforcement, which have been heavily criticised by the Black Lives Matter movement.
"They've been doing an incredible job and I just want to thank them on behalf of everyone here today because that's why we're safe."
TRUMP'S NEXT MOVE 'RECKLESS'
Pulled off the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID-19 nine days ago, Trump has been counting the days until he can get back out.
Saturday's campaign-style event at the White House set the stage for his first rally Monday in the critical swing state of Florida – an event slammed as "reckless" by Joe Biden, in light of concerns the president might still be contagious.
Undeterred, the Trump campaign announced two more rallies next week, in battleground Pennsylvania Tuesday and in Iowa on Wednesday.
Trump's biggest liability – overwhelming public dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic – has returned as the headline issue of the campaign thanks to his own infection, with cases again on the rise nationwide.
Trailing his Democratic rival by close to 10 points in national polls, Trump insists the pollsters are wrong, and is seeking to reboot his campaign less than four weeks from Election Day.
