Republican defends Trump's release from hospital with COVID-19: 'He's a fighter'
Mica Mosbacher downplays risk of recent Republican events as virus spreads through the party
A member of U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign is downplaying the risks posed by the president's Sunday SUV ride, as well as events in recent weeks where Republicans gathered in large groups and largely eschewed masks.
Trump will be discharged Monday night from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and plans to spend the remainder of his COVID-19 recovery at the White House.
Dr. Sean Conley, his physician, told reporters on Monday that Trump "met or exceeded all standard discharge criteria," but that he is "not out of the woods yet." He also said the president can resume his normal schedule once "there is no evidence of live virus still present."
Trump, 74, announced the news on Twitter, saying: "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!"
At least a dozen members of the president's inner-circle have tested positive in recent days for COVID-19, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States since the pandemic began.
Mica Mosbacher, a member of the 2020 National Trump Advisory Board, spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off on Monday ahead of Trump's release. Here is part of their conversation.
What message is Mr. Trump sending to Americans by leaving hospital when his doctors say he's still not out of the woods?
First of all, he's got one of the most outstanding medical teams in the country, and they felt that his vital signs were normal, he was not running fever, and that certainly with the fact that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has a mini-hospital unit, that they're able to care for him out of the hospital, especially giving him 24/7 attention.
Dr. Conley said one thing that was interesting. He said that it's typical of any protocol to ask a patient or try to release a patient from the hospital as soon as possible because it limits your risk with exposure.
[Trump's] message to the American people today is one of eternal optimism. You know, he feels great. I've been on a conference call with a couple [members] of the first family, and they have been talking with him regularly and have assured us that he does feel good.
He is going to obviously exercise some caution, but he has continued to work and he will listen to his doctors. But I've said that he is a fighter, and that he has the strength of two 30-year-olds.
So what message does it send when he says that he feels better than he has in 20 years? I mean, he has, as you point out, the best medical care one could have. And yet this is not the same medical care that other people have who have seen their loved ones die and who have had to cancel huge parts of their lives in order to avoid contracting this virus. What message does it send to them?
I think he's showing that he is eternally optimistic. And I think that most Americans have pandemic fatigue, and they are looking to balance work and school, along with taking precautions. But they need to get back to work. Let's face it, this virus has devastated people economically. And the president has built a robust economy before. He's trying to reassure individuals that with Operation Warp Speed that a vaccine is underway that will be safe for individuals to take.
As you know, nearly 210,000 Americans have died. They've been buried in your country. And millions are sick with it. So is this really the time to start talking about how great he feels?
Well, absolutely. He's reassuring world leaders around the world that there is not going to be a transference of power. And I think that's what we're looking for in a president.
Obviously, he's in a unique position. He's not Joe Q. Public. But he's also using a therapeutic that was developed during Operation Warp Speed that should give help and hope to other individuals who are suffering from coronavirus.
I think the media coverage has been almost laughable at times because he was criticized yesterday for taking a brief ride in The Beast to greet supporters who've been camped out at Walter Reed Hospital. And U.S. Secret Service was wearing personal protection equipment. They had been around him. I just wonder how they thought that President Trump got to Walter Reed Hospital. He didn't fly Marine One by himself.
Over [the past few days] we saw, almost on a loop, pictures of the events that perhaps the infection began to spread among the members of the White House and within the Republican Party. Senators, key ones in the justice committee, now sick. Many people within the staff of the administration now infected. And as we watch this, Americans, with what I'm reading ... are saying, "Well, why did I make these sacrifices? Why have I isolated myself? Why have I gone to such lengths when we see the circle around the president being so cavalier about an infection that has killed members of my family?"
What do you say to those people who are shocked to see how openly [Republicans] were greeting each other, when they have not been able to see their grandchildren and not been able to see their loved ones die in hospital?
We don't know the origin of how this outbreak happened. Senators [are] around many, many people as well as campaign staffers. So we'll leave that up to contact tracing. I can't speculate on that.
But I will say that there had been a number of protocols that have been adhered to, even at rallies. The [Republican National Committee] passes out masks to individuals. They choose to come. They're not forced to come, but they are encouraged to wear masks. But there's no national mandate in this country, which would be unconstitutional, to wear a mask.
But we did see members of the Trump entourage, the Trump family ... knowing that there were infections, show up at events, including the debate. Many people were shocked and very concerned about how they did not wear masks. What do you say to them? Do you think the Trump family, the people around Donald Trump, should have been wearing masks?
They are regularly tested for COVID. And anyone who meets with the president in the Oval Office or at the White House is tested for COVID.
So you're confident that there was no infection spread at that debate, no infection spread at the events [where] Mr. Trump and his family have been?
I have no idea and cannot speculate on where it originated. Obviously, this virus is very contagious. It's hideous. But the good news is that according to Health and Human Services, the hospitalizations are declining. Also emergency room visits. Also intensive care.
I'm talking about the events around the president.
Yes. I'm not going to speculate on how this happened. Obviously, it is extremely contagious and you can take every precaution, apparently, and still catch it. If the president of the United States can catch it, I guess anyone can. And he's been so highly protected.
Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Kevin Robertson. Q&A edited for length and clarity.
