WASHINGTON (a news agency, REUTERS)President Donald Trump appeared maskless before hundreds of supporters on Saturday (Oct 10) for his first public event since contracting Covid-19, declaring from the White House balcony: "I'm feeling great."
"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's disappearing," he said of the virus, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans and severely dented his chances of winning another term on Nov 3.
Speaking without hesitation, Trump appeared to be back to his usual rallying form, boasting about his record and hurling unsubstantiated allegations against his opponents as a packed crowd of supporters chanted, "We love you."
It was the first public event Trump has held since he was released from the hospital on Monday, when some observers watching his return to the White House said he appeared at times to be short of breath.
The White House has released videos and Trump has called into television shows since then, but this was the public's first chance to see the president live.
The White House has not released the results of Trump's latest Covid-19 test, and has declined to say when he last tested negative.
A White House spokeswoman said on Friday that Trump would be tested for Covid-19 and would not go out in public if it was determined he could still spread the virus.
Scott Atlas, the doctor advising Trump, declined to comment on Trump's last test when approached by Reuters outside the event cordon. He was not wearing a mask.
Trump, who has campaigned on a law-and-order theme during recent months of sometimes violent protests for racial justice, told Saturday's gathering that the Republican Party had the support of America's police forces.
"We've law enforcement watching," he said. "We're on the side of right."
Trump's efforts to portray himself as tough on crime have had little impact on his standing in national opinion polls, which show him trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits.
But the gap between both candidates is narrower in the battleground states that may determine who wins the White House.