President Donald Trump was released from the Walter Reed National Military Hospital Medical Center on Oct. 5 after having tested positive for COVID-19 just four days prior. Even after suffering from dangerous oxygen levels in his system due to the virus, the president continues to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic, even posing for a photo on the White House balcony without wearing a mask Monday evening. 

On Oct. 4, President Trump, masked, had taken a car ride to wave to his supporters through the car window. Dr. James Phillips, a physician at the Walter Reed Hospital, harshly berated this reckless act and tweeted, “Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”

However, according to a White House spokesman, this drive-by had been cleared by his private doctors despite the risks. While it is unclear how many exactly of President Trump’s circle have contracted COVID-19, the tested and confirmed cases lie at 29 people as of Oct. 6. This number includes his own wife Melania Trump and Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Eight other people also contracted COVID-19 during the announcement for the Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett. A mass staff email was sent from the White House Management Office addressing COVID-19 contact procedure. According to CNN, the email stated “staff should not go to the White House Medical Unit clinic for any Covid-19 testing inquiries.” Instead, they were instructed to remain home until symptoms cleared. 

President Trump was subjected to some of the best healthcare in the nation along with experimental treatments that would have not otherwise been available to the average American. President Trump’s physician Dr. Sean Conley kept much vital information from the public on the premise of privacy disclosure. This mass of unreleased information includes when President Trump had last tested negative. 

There is also a question of how aides and staff members at the White House will be kept safe now that President Trump is returning. Even with warnings from staff members of the possibility of a second hospitalization, Dr. Conley insisted on discharge as, “He’s met or exceeded all hospital discharge criteria. We plan to get him home.” However, Dr. Conley did acknowledge that President Trump, “may not be entirely out of the woods yet.”

President Trump’s actions concerning his COVID-19 diagnosis and debated recovery remains a point of controversy. From meeting with supporters to proudly posing in photos maskless, questions rise about his attitude toward the severity of the pandemic. This is coupled with his tweet on Monday, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life,” despite the fact that over seven million people are infected and 200,000 have died. 

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