Patient Zero: Maybe I’m immune
Patient Zero: Maybe I’m immune
The president returns to the White House, October 5, 2020
TRUMP: I just left Walter Reed Medical Center, and it’s really something very special. The doctors, the nurses, the first responders, and I learned so much about coronavirus. One thing that’s for certain, don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it. We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines, all developed recently, and you’re going to beat it. I went, I didn’t feel so good. And two days ago, I could have left two days ago. Two days ago, I felt great. Like, better than I have in a long time. I said just recently, better than 20 years ago. Don’t let it dominate. Don’t let it take over your lives. Don’t let that happen.
We have the greatest country in the world. We’re going back. We’re going back to work. We’re going to be out front. As your leader, I had to do that. I knew there’s danger to it, but I had to do it. I stood out front. I led. Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did. And I know there’s a risk. There’s a danger. But that’s okay, and now I’m better. Maybe I’m immune. I don’t know. But don’t let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful. We have the best medicines in the world, and they’re all happened very shortly, and they’re all getting approved. And the vaccines are coming momentarily. Thank you very much. And Walter Reed, what a group of people. Thank you very much.
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ACOSTA: They’ll try to ask [Trump] some questions as he comes into the White House. But keep in mind this is not just the president returning to the White House. This may be patient zero. This is the virus coming back to the White House. And I will tell you, Wolf, having been here all day, it is eerily quiet and empty inside the corridors of the West Wing, with Kayleigh McEnany testing positive and two press assistants testing positive for the virus. They evacuated much of the West Wing earlier today – it’s awful. Just about all of those staffers have gone home. Forget about the ’emperor has no clothes.’ The emperor has no staff tonight and they’re going to have to ramp that back up, Wolf, to get this White House up to speed for the return of the president. I mean, it is sort of extraordinary to think about and I will tell you, there are members of the press corps who are concerned about this.
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GINGRICH: He’s become sort of a first responder. He has lived through it and been in the hospital. And he’s fearless. We are not the land of the timid and the home of the scaredy cats.
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WHITE HOUSE STAFFER: It’s insane that he would return to the White House and jeopardize his staff’s health when we are still learning of new cases among senior staff. This place is a cesspool.