WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Donald Trump made his first public appearance Saturday since returning to the White House after his hospitalization for the coronavirus.
Trump welcomed hundreds of supporters to the South Lawn for an event that marks the return of political activities in the final stretch of the 2020 campaign.
The White House did not declare that Trump is no longer contagious, and the gathering of hundreds of people on the South Lawn went ahead despite the guidance of public health officials.
“I’m feeling great,” said Trump, while thanking the public for well wishes and prayers as he recovered from the virus.
Trump appealed to Black and Latino voters with his call for law and order and his Platinum Plan aimed at creating jobs for both groups.
Trump said his Platinum Plan would “create 3 million new jobs for Black Americans and increase access to capital, home ownership and wealth building.” He also promised less expensive health care for the nation.
Trump is also preparing for a Florida rally on Monday and campaign events in Iowa and Pennsylvania later in the week.
Saturday evening, Trump’s physician provided another update on the president’s recovery, saying he has met the CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation.
“Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever-free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved, the assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating the virus,” according to a statement.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden campaigned at an event in Erie, Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon.
“America deserves a president who understands what people are going through,” said Biden. He addressed public options for health care, clean energy, and his plan to eliminate Trump’s tax cuts.
Biden backed Moody’s Investors Service projections that his Build Back Better plan, if elected, will create 18.6 million jobs in four years. He said he’s “not going to raise taxes on anyone who makes less than $400,000 a year,” and promised to ask big corporations and the wealthy to begin to pay their fair share.
The latest NewsNation/Emerson College poll of Michigan shows the vice president has a 10-point lead among those polled. Biden’s current advantage is outside the margin of error of 3.6%.
Thursday’s town hall-style Trump-Biden debate was officially canceled, a few days after Trump backed away when the sponsoring commission switched it from face-to-face to virtual following Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.