The operation aimed to dispel any sign of weakness, but did not sweep away the controversy.
Sunday, a Donald Trump yet in isolation offered himself an unexpected release from Walter-Reed hospital, where he has been treated since Friday.
The objective was to greet the
“great patriots”
gathered in front of the establishment, and thus to give a pledge of vitality to its voters, less than a month before the presidential election.
It is aboard an armored Chevrolet that the masked president appeared briefly in front of the gates of the military hospital to applaud a few dozen supporters, massed along an artery emptied of its usual traffic.
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Donald Trump had announced his ephemeral escapade previously in a video posted on Twitter.
“It's a very interesting experience (…) I learned a lot about the Covid,
he said.
I learned it by experiencing it myself.
This is the school of life "
, he added, while a majority of Americans (65%) believe that he could have avoided catching the Covid
" if he had taken the virus more seriously, ”
according to an Ipsos poll for Reuters released on Sunday.
His astonishing escape immediately triggered criticism of the risks he posed to the two men present at the front of the presidential vehicle.
A Walter-Reed doctor opened fire on Twitter:
"Everyone in this vehicle during this completely unnecessary trip of the president must now be quarantined for 14 days
," said Dr. James Phillips.
They can get sick.
They can die.
For political theater.
They put their lives in danger under Trump's orders for the theater.
This is madness."
The White House responded that its release had received the approval of the medical team.
Sean Conley, doctor of osteopathy, admitted that the president had experienced episodes of high fever and had seen his oxygen drop on Friday morning, which he had killed in his briefing the day before
This episode feeds the flood of comments on the hazardous management of the pandemic by power.
It also punctuates a series of hiccups and contradictory communications.
As the chain of contamination is pieced together, reports suggest that the Trump administration has not been transparent.
According to several media, the president would have received on Thursday evening a first rapid positive test, returning from a meeting in New Jersey, in which 206 people participated.
However, the White House did not communicate until the next evening, after the confirmation of a PCR test.
On Monday, the long list of Republican officials infected in recent days was extended with the name of the president's spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany.
Since the president's hospitalization on Friday, Donald Trump's personal doctor has also been accused of painting a much more positive picture than reality.
Sean Conley, doctor of osteopathy, admitted on Sunday that the president had experienced episodes of high fever and had seen his oxygen drop on Friday morning, which he had killed in his briefing the day before.
He also admitted that the patient needed oxygen supplementation on Friday, warranting hospitalization, and that a further drop in saturation occurred on Saturday morning.
Asked about his omissions, the doctor replied that he had preferred to project an
"optimistic"
image
.
The
New York Times also
evokes the fear expressed by some advisers that Donald Trump embellishes his condition to be able to leave the hospital more quickly.
The American leader receives several very powerful treatments, including dexamethasone, a corticosteroid effective against severe forms of Covid, the antiviral Remdesivir as well as an experimental cocktail from the company Regeneron.
Whichever option you choose, time matters, so close to an election suspended to its physical state
On Sunday, Dr Conley had said that if his condition continued to improve, he could go out on Monday to continue his treatment and his convalescence at the White House, which admittedly houses a sophisticated medical unit, but not all the necessary equipment. 'a hospital.
The decision, which was to be taken
"by the president in conjunction with his doctors"
, after a point with the medical team, has serious consequences in all cases: hastening his discharge carries the risk of a new hospitalization in the event of deterioration of his condition.
But a prolonged stay could suggest that the patient, known for his aversion to hospitals, is not doing as well as hoped.
Whichever option you choose, time matters, so close to an election suspended in its physical state.
The candidate, replaced at some meetings by his vice-president, Mike Pence, can take comfort in his steadfast base - nearly nine in ten Republicans believe he manages his diagnosis responsibly.
But he remains ahead of Joe Biden in all key states and loses precious campaign hours in these disputed territories.
Failing to reconnect with the field immediately, Donald Trump frantically rediscovered his usual campaign tool, Twitter, by publishing about twenty exclamatory messages in an hour, and a leitmotif:
“VOTE!”
But notable change, the campaign now recommends voters to wash their hands and wear a mask, when distancing is not possible.