Share
Washington, Oct 14 (PTI): US President Donald Trump has said that he felt like a "Superman" after his experimental Covid-19 treatment and boasted about his new immunity to the disease which has claimed the lives of 216,000 Americans.
Trump, who tested positive for Covid-19 on October 1 and was admitted to a military hospital for three nights and four days, declared himself cured after he was treated with an experimental antibody drug cocktail.
White House doctors have now cleared him for holding election rallies.
Holding his second rally since contracting coronavirus, Trump told a crowd of his supporters packed onto an airport tarmac in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that he felt like "Superman" after the treatment.
Trump was briefly forced to pause his re-election campaign after he tested positive for Covid-19 and he returned to the campaign trail from the battleground State of Florida on Monday.
Addressing his supporters in Pennsylvania, another battleground State, Trump, 74, thanked the doctors that treated him.
All I know is I took something, whatever the hell it was, I felt good very quickly. I don't know what it was, antibodies, antibodies. I don't know. I took it, I said I felt like superman, Trump said.
Then I said, let me at 'em. Nah, and I could've been here four or five days ago. It's great, we have great doctors. I want to thank the doctors at Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins, and--great doctors, he said.
Trump said, that "one great thing about being president, if you're not feeling 100 per cent you have more doctors than you thought existed in the world. I was surrounded with like 14 of them. Where are you from? I'm from this one. Where are you from? I'm from Johns Hopkins, I'm from Walter Reed. But what great, talented people. They did a great job."
Boasting about his new immunity to the disease, Trump said he can kiss everyone in the audience.
And now I'm immune they tell me. I'm immune. I could come down and start kissing everybody. I'll kiss every guy--man and woman. Man and woman. Look at that guy how handsome he is. I'll kiss him. Not with a lot of enjoyment but that's okay, the president joked.
Trump also did an informal poll of the crowd and asked his supporters who has had the virus. A lot of people, a lot of people, Trump said, and added those people are now immune.
Trump said he could have stayed in the basement of the White House or maybe the top floor of the White House.
I could have done that. But I'm the president of the US. I can't do that. I gotta get out and I have to meet people and I have to see people. And I know it's risky to do that. But you have to do what you have to do. I'm the president. I can't sit in the basement and say let's wait this thing out. I'm not gonna do that, he said.
Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been "erratic" just like his presidency, his Democratic challenger Joe Biden has said, terming the US president's leadership as "chaotic and divisive" that has cost Americans far too much.
The former vice president said Trump was playing games with people's lives and the only senior Donald Trump seems to care about is himself.
"His handling of this pandemic has been erratic just like his presidency. And it has prevented Florida seniors and people all across the country from getting the relief that they need, Biden said at a campaign event in Florida on Tuesday.
Florida is a battleground State which was won by Trump in the 2016 elections.
According to Real Clear Politics, which tracks major opinion polls, Biden is leading the state by 3.7 percentage points. However, Trump has been attracting thousands of people to his election rallies in Florida, despite coronavirus social distancing measures in place.
Biden claimed that Trump just hasn't been willing to do the work.
I think it's beyond that, I'm not sure he cares about delivering any real help. I think it's both. People say he's not willing to do the work. Well, I don't think he cares much about it, he said.
"While you're losing precious time with your loved one's, he's been stuck in a sand trap on one of his golf courses. When he does decide to lift a finger, it isn't to help you. It's to propose new tax cuts for billionaires. That's not hyperbole. 100 wealthiest billionaires in America are expected to get another USD 30 billion tax cut he's proposing, he said.
"We know what happened the last time a tax cut was passed when he came into office. Pharmaceutical companies got billions of dollars in tax breaks. Then they turned around and raised prices for medicines that you rely on to stay healthy. And they're still doing it even during the pandemic. Quite frankly, it's unconscionable, Biden said.
But Trump does not really care about lowering the healthcare cost because he's beholden to health insurance companies and the drug companies, he said.
"After all, he's asking the United States Supreme Court as I speak, he's asking right now to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act which would eliminate seniors' ability--everyone--most of you are on Medicare--but it would eliminate your ability--and that act we passed, Biden said.
"I was able help put in place, was that you'd have preventative services, and annual checkups and mammograms for free under Medicare. If it gets struck down, that gets wiped out as well," he said, adding that the rise in prescription drug prices for millions of seniors has put Medicare trust funds at risk.
Biden accused Trump of wanting to terminate the tax that finances Social Security.
All Trump knows how to do is play games with people's lives, he said, adding that the president turned his back on educators and school children, and on workers whose jobs have not come back.
"He thinks he's still on his game show, Biden said of Trump's different positions on the next stimulus package and attempts to give seniors a prescription drug discount before the election.
"Donald Trump's chaotic and divisive leadership has cost us far too much," he alleged.
Biden said he prayed for Trump's recovery when the president got Covid-19 but Trump has doubled down on misinformation."
He was talking about you. He was talking about your family, Biden said of Trump's comment that COVID "affects virtually nobody."
You're expendable. You're virtually nobody .That's how he sees you, he said.
Biden said the Trump campaign deliberately lied by putting Anthony Fauci in an ad in a way that implies Fauci was praising Trump.
"How many empty chairs are around the dining room table tonight because of his negligence? Biden said of Trump.
While the president throws super spreader events at the White House, how many of you haven't been able to see your grandchildren? he asked.
The only senior Trump cares about is senior Donald Trump, he said.