Donald Trump wanted to put on a show to shock his fans after his release from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday. Trump wanted to rip open his button shirt, revealing the Superman logo underneath.
The plan was for him to appear frail to his supporters and the media when leaving the hospital on Monday before revealing the Superman shirt ‘as a sign of strength’ and that he’d beaten the virus, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
Trump ultimately decided against doing the ridiculous stunt, choosing instead to appear on the balcony of the White House where he ripped off his face mask and stood there gasping for air.
He wanted to show that he was not as sick as various media outlets have reported.
Trump announced that he had tested positive for the virus on October 1. He was taken to Walter Reed the next day after his oxygen levels fell.
After two days in the hospital he was released and since then, it’s business as usual. He released a video downplaying the effects of the coronavirus, telling Americans to not be afraid of the virus and “don’t let it dominate you.”
He reportedly returned to the Oval Office even though he should be in isolation as his own CDC recommends, and he has been doing a series of phone interviews with right wing media outlets where he boasts about being a “perfect physical specimen,” which allows him to beat the virus.
On Saturday, he held an in-person event at the White House where attendees did not practice social distancing even though the White House is a coronavirus hotspot.
Also on Saturday, White House Dr. Sean Conley–who hasn’t been forthcoming about Trump’s health–cleared Trump to return to normal daily activities since “he’s no longer considered a transmission risk to others.”
Before he was ‘cleared’ Trump already announced he was returning to the campaign trail with rallies scheduled in Florida, Pennsylvania and Iowa next week.
