Donald Trump Leaves Hospital To Greet His Supporters From A Motorcade
President Donald Trump decided to leave the hospital Sunday amid a vigorous course of treatment for the coronavirus so that he could make a surprise appearance in a motorcade. The president wore a mask as he waved from inside the black SUV, which passed cheering supporters ignoring social distancing, and many of them not even wearing masks.
Trump supporters were surprised to see the president on Sunday afternoon with a drive outside of Walter Reed Medical Center, where he is being treated for COVID-19. The short trip where Trump rode in an SUV past supporters cheering him, was an attempted show of strength that represented the president's questionable judgment, his willingness to jeopardize the safety of his staff, and more importantly, it showed that he still does not take the virus seriously.
An attending physician at the hospital described Trump's movement as a risk to the lives of those who accompanied him in the SUV. The Secret Service agents, and every single person in the SUV during what Dr. James Phillips described as a "completely unnecessary Presidential drive-by" in a tweet, has been quarantined for 14 days.
Phillips went on to warn those people are likely to get sick or even die. He accused Trump of putting the lives of his staff members at risk just for political theater. "This is insanity," he wrote. He pointed out that Presidential SUV is bulletproof, as well as hermetically sealed against chemical attack.
The virus is likely to transmit inside the SUV as easily as it could outside of medical procedures. Phillips wrote that his thoughts are with the Secret Service that was forced to be a part of the show of power, and said Trump's irresponsibility is astounding.
Despite the risk posed to everyone in the hospital, security, and the driver, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the medical team cleared the movement as safe to do. Aside from that, Deere insisted that appropriate precautions including PPE were taken.
Photos of Trump's surprise ride shared by Getty Images shows a Secret Service agent in the front row donning a clear face shield, a respirator mask, and a full medical gown. Despite Trump's diagnosis, the campaign fails to understand the risk their events have posed to those attending them.
Senior campaign adviser to Trump, Jason Miller told CNN's Ana Cabrera Sunday on "Newsroom" that the campaign will continue giving out hand sanitizer, masks and taking temperatures as supporters enter rallies, but he did not speak about any other changes such as requiring supporters to wear those masks. "We're not going to hide in fear," Miller said.