Trump's doctor says the president will be able to return to 'public engagements' by Saturday despite risk he could still be infections and FINALLY releases his vital signs - claiming they are all excellent
President Donald Trump's doctor says he will be able to return to 'public engagements' on Saturday, which would be just over a week after the president first announced he had tested positive for coronavirus.
White House Physician Dr. Sean Conley also released Trump's vital signs for the first time since he became infected, showing a pulse, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level all within normal ranges.
Trump said in an interview on Thursday night that he planned to hold a rally on Saturday in Florida, and possibly another on Sunday in Pennsylvania. Saturday would mark nine days since Trump publicly announced testing positive for COVID-19.
Most scientists think that viral shedding continues for about 10 days after symptoms start in mild to moderate cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Soon after Conley's memo was released, Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien issued a statement citing it and demanded that the Commission on Presidential Debates reverse its decision earlier in the day to hold next week's presidential debate virtually.
President Donald Trump 's doctor says he will be able to return to 'public engagements' on Saturday, which would be just over a week after he revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis
Stepien, who himself tested positive for COVID-19 last week, said that Conley's note confirms that Trump will be ready for public engagements 'five full days before the originally scheduled debate in Miami on October 15.'
'There is therefore no medical reason why the Commission on Presidential Debates should shift the debate to a virtual setting,' he added, referring to the commission's ruling earlier in the day.
'The commission must stop protecting Joe Biden from this in-person debate and allow the event to proceed as it was agreed to months ago,' Stepien said, calling it an 'obvious attempt to shield Biden from another shellacking like he got two weeks ago in Cleveland.'
The chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates said it is not reconsidering shifting the second debate from virtual back to in-person, despite Stepien's request.
CPD Chair Frank Fahrenkopf said late Thursday that the nonpartisan group's decision was not going to be reversed. That means the second debate is probably not going to happen at all, after Trump said he would refuse to participate in a virtual debate.
Fahrenkopf says the group wanted to "protect the health and safety of all involved" and that the decision was guided by the advice of the Cleveland Clinic, its heath partner for the 2020 debates.
Trump on Thursday vowed that he would not participate in a virtual debate with Joe Biden, jokingly challenging Biden to an in-person debate moderated by Hannity or Tucker Carlson
'This debate commission's a joke,' Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night. 'I'm not interested in doing a -- I'm not Joe Biden, I'm not doing a virtual debate.'
'I'm not going to sit behind a computer and have somebody feed him answers,' he added.
Trump claimed that Biden 'was choking like a dog' during the first presidential debate last week, and that moderator Chris Wallace 'bailed him in, or bailed him out.'
Apparently jokingly, Trump suggested that the two campaigns organize their own in-person debate, suggesting Fox News opinion hosts Hannity and Tucker Carlson as potential moderators. 'Let's go Joe. Let's get a fair moderator,' Trump said.
Trump was first diagnosed with COVID-19 last Thursday, and was moved to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday before returning to the White House on Monday evening.
'Since returning home, his physical exam has remained stable and devoid of any indications to suggested progression of illness.,' Conley said in a memo released by the White House on Thursday night.
White House Physician Dr. Sean Conley also released Trump's vital signs for the first time since he became infected, showing vitals all within normal ranges
'Overall he's responded extremely well to treatment, without evidence on examination of adverse therapeutic effects.
'Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the President's safe return to public engagements at that time.'
The memo showed Trump's resting pulse was 69 beats per minute, which is considered a good rate for his age.
His blood pressure of 127/81 mm Hg is slightly elevated over normal levels, but does not qualify a hypertensive.
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