President Donald Trump has resumed working from the Oval Office and his staff is wearing personal protective equipment to protect them against a coronavirus infection.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday morning Trump’s staff will wear gowns, gloves, masks and eye protection.
Trump returned to the White House on Monday after a three-day hospitalization for coronavirus treatment.
Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley said Trump had “a restful night” on his first night back and “overall continues to do well.”
Earlier Tuesday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, as well as several other members are quarantining after a top U.S. Coast Guard general tested positive for the coronavirus.
On Tuesday morning, the president resumed his Twitter barrage with attacks on Democratic opponent Joe Biden, the man who hopes to ascend to the Oval Office in less than a month.
On Monday night, Trump tweeted a new video taped after he returned to the White House in which he told the American public not to be afraid of COVID-19, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the U.S. and more than a million worldwide.
In the message, Trump said he has “learned so much” about the virus he contracted. And he said: “Don’t let it dominate. Don’t let it take over your lives.”
Even though he is not yet cleared by doctors to return to the campaign trail, Trump launched another round of social media attacks on Democrats.
Trump was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by a team of some of the country’s best doctors and received an experimental drug not readily available to the public.
Trump also again defended his decision to continue traveling and holding events before he got sick, saying he “knew there’s danger to it, but I had to do it. I stood out front. I led.”
Trump’s tweet angered numerous pandemic survivors.
“I’m so glad that he appears to be doing well, that he has doctors who can give him experimental drugs that aren’t available to the masses,” said Scott Sedlacek, 64, of Seattle. “For the rest of us, who are trying to protect ourselves, that behavior is an embarrassment.”
Marc Papaj, a Seneca Nation member who lives in Orchard Park, New York, lost his mother, grandmother and aunt to COVID-19. He was finding it tough to follow the president’s advice not to let the virus “dominate your life.”
“The loss of my dearest family members will forever dominate my life in every way for all of my days,” Papaj said, adding this about Trump: “He does not care about any of us — he’s feeling good.”
Dr. Tien Vo, who has administered more than 40,000 coronavirus tests at his clinics in California’s Imperial County, had this to say: “Oh, my Lord. That’s a very bad recommendation from the president.”
Candy Boyd, the owner of Boyd Funeral Home in Los Angeles, which serves many Black families, said Trump’s comments were infuriating and an “example of him not living in reality.” The funeral home receives fewer virus victims now than it did in the spring, when it was several a day, but people continue to die, she said.
Marine One landed at the White House just before 7 p.m. Monday just as the sun was setting.
Trump then walked upstairs to the South Portico balcony, took off his mask and stuffed it in his pocket, and flashed a double thumbs-up to the cameras. He saluted as he watched the helicopter lift back off. He walked into the White House without putting his mask back on.
Trump’s doctors said he would continue his recovery from the White House, where he will be cared for 24/7 by a team of doctors and nurses.
Trump’s doctor, Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, told reporters earlier Monday that Trump remains contagious.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
