Although the White House has only shared vague details on Trump's condition, the president's doctor has said Trump "completed his course of therapy" and will be able to return to campaigning on Saturday.
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One week after being diagnosed with COVID-19, US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is feeling "perfect" and is ready to resume campaign rallies.
Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, said in a statement released Thursday evening that Trump had "completed his course of therapy" for COVID-19 and would be able to safely "return to public engagements" on Saturday.
"Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the president's safe return to public engagements at that time," Conley said.
On Thursday night, Trump told Fox News he will likely take a coronavirus test on Friday, and will try to hold a campaign rally on Saturday, "if we have enough time to put it together."
With less than one month to go until the US presidential election, the president has not appeared in public — other than in the Fox interview and videos produced by the White House — since he returned Monday from Walter Reed military hospital.
Trump's physicians have not provided the media with a substantive update on the president's health since Monday afternoon.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a 10-day isolation period after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, which for Trump was October 1.
The White House, however, has not shared when Trump last tested negative for the virus, which would help determine exactly when he was infected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert, said two negative PCR lab tests 24 hours apart are necessary to determine if someone is still contagious.
Trump's COVID-19 outbreak: Who got infected?
Donald Trump's coronavirus infection has been followed by a chain of cases spanning the White House, Congress and his presidential reelection campaign. Many were infected after attending a White House event.
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Adviser Hope Hicks
A former White House staffer, Hope Hicks had returned recently to help Trump prepare for the first presidential debate against Joe Biden. She was the first person in his surroundings to test positive for COVID-19, just hours before the president confirmed his infection.
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First lady Melania Trump
Given her proximity to Trump, it was no surprise that first lady of the US also tested positive for coronavirus following Trump's infection. She received medical assistance at the White House and did not require hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center.
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Personal assistant Nicholas Luna
Nicholas Luna tested positive for COVID-19 soon after Trump did. As personal assistant, his job is to accompany Trump day and night. His job puts him in as close proximity to the president as the first lady.
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Campaign manager Bill Stepien
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day the president did. His diagnosis dealt a blow to a campaign he had just recently begun to head, after the departure of embattled former campaign manager Brad Parscale.
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RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for coronavirus soon after the president and went into quarantine at her home in Michigan. Like Bill Stepien, she plays a key role in Trump's campaign and was in close contact with him in recent weeks.
Adviser Kellyanne Conway tested positive for the virus on the same day as Trump. Although she officially left the White House weeks earlier — citing the need to spend more time with her family — she attended Trump's White House ceremony to announce Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court.
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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he would check himself into a hospital because of a COVID-19 infection the day after Trump's positive test. Christie had attended an event at the White House for Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, where he was seen without a mask and not socially distancing.
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Republican Senator Ron Johnson
Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson said he tested positive for COVID one day after Trump's positive test. A close ally of the president, Johnson was also at the event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
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Republican Senator Thom Tillis
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he tested positive for coronavirus a day after the president did. He, too, had attended the White House event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Tillis, who is facing reelection this year, is a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
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Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she tested positive for COVID-19 three days after the president's positive test. She indicated that she experienced no symptoms and said she would quarantine while continuing to work from home. She gave her last appearance to reporters, without a mask, hours before her positive test results came back.
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Republican Senator Mike Lee
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee said he tested positive for coronavirus on the same day as Trump. He was also one of several people who attended the White House event for Trump's Supreme Court justice nominee. Tillis, a staunch Trump ally, is also a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
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Senior adviser Stephen Miller
Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump and one of his inner circle, announced he'd tested positive for COVID-19 four days after the president. In a statement, he said he'd been self-isolating and testing negative until that point. The White House said Miller is "doing well" and quarantining.
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Alyssa Farah, the White House strategic communications director, said the information was Trump's "private medical history."
In a phone interview with Fox Business earlier Thursday, Trump said he believes he is no longer contagious.
"I'm feeling good, really good, I think perfect," Trump said in his first interview since being released from the hospital.
"I think I am better to the point where I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night," Trump said, adding that he would "stand by myself very far away from everybody."
"A virtual debate is a joke, there is no reason, I am in great shape," Trump said.
He later agreed to delay the debate to October 22. His team also insisted that the third debate be pushed to October 29, just days before the November 3 election.
