US President Donald Trump has made his first public appearance since returning to the White House from a three-day stay in hospital with COVID-19 - even as his aides remain silent on whether he is still contagious.
Trump, not wearing a mask, spoke from the White House balcony on Saturday (local time) at an event called "a peaceful protest for law-and-order", attended by a few hundred people standing on the lawn below.
The event, seen as a first step toward resuming full campaigning next week, has been dubbed a campaign rally disguised as a protest by multiple commentators.
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."
The president, who says he is no longer on medication, told the crowd he was "feeling great".
It marked the president's first live appearance and public event since he was released from hospital on Monday (local time), when some observers said he appeared to be short of breath at times upon his return to the White House.
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 result 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 have 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 the two candidates is narrower in the battleground states that may determine who wins the White House.
The event follows a televised interview with Fox News on Friday (local time), during which the president gave an ambiguous answer regarding his latest test results.
"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," Trump told Fox News' medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
"They test every couple of days, I guess, but it's really at a level now that's been great - great to see it disappear."
Reuters
