Trump exits Walter Reed and heads back to White House after three-day coronavirus treatment

He subsequently boarded Marine One after a short drive and then headed back to the White House, where he walked up the South Portico stairs. He then stood at the portico, facing the South Lawn, where he saluted Marine One before heading inside.

(Evan Vucci/AP)

Reports indicated on Monday that in preparation for his return to the White House, certain areas of the complex, including the Map Room, will be set up for the president to work in. A senior administration official told the New York Times that Trump will not be working out of the West Wing as part of the plan.

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told the Washington Examiner on Monday night that Trump would receive around-the-clock medical care by “physicians and nurses in the White House Medical Unit who function out of a state-of-the-art clinic.”

“The American people can rest assured with the President’s return that the White House is taking every precaution necessary to protect not only him and the First Family, but every staff member working on the complex to support the federal government’s operations consistent with CDC guidelines and best practices. Physical access to the President will be significantly limited and appropriate PPE will be worn when near him,” Deere, who is also a special assistant to the president, said in a statement.

After his arrival back to the White House, Trump posted two videos.

One video showed his arrival to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Marine One and featured dramatic music and cinematic production. The second video showed Trump speaking directly into the camera about his experience at the hospital. He said that people should not live in fear of the deadly pandemic.

“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, and one thing that’s for certain, don’t let it dominate you,” Trump said.

“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,” he added.

Trump announced his planned departure from the hospital in a Monday afternoon tweet that said he was “feeling really good.” He generated some controversy by adding that people should not be fearful of the virus, which has had more than 210,000 confirmed deaths associated with the pandemic.

“Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” Trump said.

Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the coronavirus at about 1 a.m. on Friday morning. Hours later on Friday, the president was transported to Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland.

Prior to his admission to the hospital, the White House said Trump was being treated with an experimental polyclonal antibody cocktail along with vitamin D, zinc, famotidine, daily aspirin, and melatonin.

(Evan Vucci/AP)

After Trump announced that he was being released from the hospital, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley held a news conference, where he told reporters that the president has improved since he first tested positive for COVID-19 but reiterated that the health scare is not entirely over.

“Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations, and, most importantly, his clinical status, support the president’s safe return home, where he’ll be surrounded by world-class medical care 24/7,” Conley said during the Monday news conference.

Just minutes prior to his departure from Walter Reed, Trump blasted recent polling and tweeted that he plans to rejoin the campaign trail “soon.”