Trump 'not on medication', says Covid-19 sapped his energy

WASHINGTON • US President Donald Trump said he was "medication-free" and revealed more details of his fight with Covid-19 in a televised interview aired on Friday, as he prepared to resume in-person campaigning yesterday, one week after he was diagnosed.

The President appeared on Fox's Tucker Carlson Tonight for what the White House described as an on-air "medical evaluation" conducted remotely by Fox contributor doctor Marc Siegel.

"Right now I'm medication-free, I'm not taking any medication as of, you know, probably eight hours ago," Mr Trump told Dr Siegel.

It was unclear when the interview, which Mr Carlson said was filmed by a White House camera crew, was taped.

Mr Trump's doctors had previously said they have given him an aggressive cocktail of therapeutic drugs including the steroid dexamethasone, usually associated with serious Covid-19 cases.

Mr Trump also said he had been tested again for the virus.

"I have been retested and I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet but I've been retested, and I know I'm at either the bottom of the scale or free," he said.

He said he did not know when his next test would be, adding that it was "probably tomorrow... they test every couple of days".

Mr Trump said the virus had sapped his energy levels, adding he "didn't feel very vital".

He also said he "didn't have a problem with breathing".

His doctors have said he was put on supplemental oxygen at least twice, and the President later said that lung tests had shown "some congestion in there".

Even as questions remain about whether he is still contagious, the President was yesterday scheduled to make his first public appearance since returning from hospitalisation for Covid-19, setting the stage for his return to the campaign trail.

In an address from a White House balcony before hundreds of invited guests, Mr Trump would seek to show that he has made a strong recovery from the coronavirus and is ready to resume work and re-enter the re-election race against Democratic nominee and front runner Joe Biden.

The event kicks off what could be a full week of campaign travel for the President, starting tomorrow with a stop in central Florida for a rally at the Orlando Sanford International Airport to make up for one cancelled when Mr Trump fell ill.

The White House event comes at the earliest moment doctors said the President would be able to return to public life.

The gathering risks deepening concern among voters about Mr Trump's handling of a pandemic that has left more than two dozen of his close associates infected and more than 210,000 Americans dead.

After the President's last outdoor event - a Sept 26 Rose Garden ceremony to announce his pick of Mrs Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court - at least 11 attendees tested positive for the coronavirus.

While the White House had a testing regime in place to screen for virus cases, few guests wore masks and attendees mingled and sat in close proximity to one another, both indoors and outdoors.

With a virtual debate this week against Mr Biden cancelled because Mr Trump refused to participate, the President is eager to hold signature rallies that can offer him a chance to reconnect with voters and rekindle enthusiasm for his candidacy.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump is planning an event in western Pennsylvania, according to WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. His campaign is negotiating a town hall on network television on Thursday, according to CNN.

Mr Trump's decision to resume campaigning was sharply criticised by Mr Biden.

"Good luck. I wouldn't show up unless you have a mask and can distance," he told reporters in Paradise, Nevada.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS

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