SANFORD, Florida — A week after leaving the hospital, President Trump returned to the campaign trail, telling a raucous rally crowd that he was immune to the virus that laid him low and joked about wading into the audience to deliver “big, fat” kisses.
He hurled face masks into the crowd as he arrived and danced to the Village People’s disco track “Y.M.C.A.” as he left in a display of rhythmic vigor.
“It’s great to be back in my home state, Florida, to make my official return to the campaign trail,” he declared in front of thousands of mostly maskless supporters standing shoulder to shoulder.
“I am so energized by your prayers and humbled by your support.”
The return to form comes at the start of a busy week with trips to Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. And aides said it is just the beginning, with plans to increase the number of campaign events to two or three a day.
The schedule is a reminder that Trump, 74, has work to do. He lags in the opinion polls, and his absence proved to be a headache for a campaign that relies heavily on his barnstorming public appearances for headlines, momentum, and a trove of supporter data.
His supporters at Sanford airport said they wanted to be present for such a pivotal moment.
“It’s important for people to see that this disease is not scary,” said James Carter, 58, an assistant state attorney.
“Lots of people make it out to be a bigger thing than it is, so for the president to bounce back like this, for him to get back to business is really important.”
The one-hour speech hit all Trump’s usual targets: China, “fake news,” Hunter Biden, international trade deals, and an election opponent who he said was in the grip of Marxists, socialists, and communists. But in his first appearance since being flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, it was not the content but the performance that mattered.
And he did not disappoint the faithful, who waited hours for a sight of Air Force One making its final approach just as the sun began to set.
“The nice part, I went through it, now they say I’m immune,” he said to roars of approval, before threatening to kiss his audience. “I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women […] every mouth […] give you a big, fat kiss,” said the famously germophobic president.
Trump’s doctor released a memo as the president flew south, announcing that he had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days and was not infectious to others. Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley said that the data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication.”
However, infectious disease specialists have been reluctant to say that survivors are immune from the disease without further study, and his return to the campaign trail drew expressions of concern from other doctors.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden condemned his behavior as “dangerous.”
“President Trump comes to Sanford today bringing nothing but reckless behavior, divisive rhetoric, and fearmongering,” he said.
Trump was scheduled to visit Sanford on the day that he revealed his positive test. It stands just outside Orlando in a region where rapid demographic changes and a growing suburban population threaten to help tilt Florida beyond his grasp.
In his absence, the campaign’s top names fanned out across the state. Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence, as well as Trump’s sons Don and Eric, all made appearances.
The president delivered lines familiar from his standard stump speech, but he also made a clear pitch for the state’s critical Hispanic voters. He claimed that Biden’s free trade deals had destroyed Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry and attacked his rival’s plans for the country.
“They want to turn America into communist Cuba or socialist Venezuela and ruin the lives of Hispanic Americans and all Americans,” he said.
Earlier, aides said the president had been itching to get back on the road.
In a call with journalists, senior adviser Jason Miller said, “The president even this morning, in our morning conversation, was getting on my case for not enough rallies and public events scheduled. So, he’s ready to go.”
He added that the president would soon be appearing at two or three events a day before ramping up even further as Election Day approached.
His supporters said they had no fears for the president’s health. Nor their own.
“Walmart hasn’t killed us yet, so this won’t,” said Carolyn Anderson, 55, who works as a hospital case manager. “We all have to go to the store every day, so what difference does this make?”
Linda Bowen, 66, a retired travel agent, said Trump had been cleared by his doctor as healthy enough to get back to work.
“I’m not worried,” she said. “It’s like the flu. I mean, I don’t want to get the flu, but you have that risk every year.”
