Trump Says He'll Be Leaving Walter Reed Hospital on Monday Evening

White House doctor says 'he's back'

A car with President Donald Trump drives past supporters in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 4, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will be leaving Walter Reed hospital near Washington later in the day.

“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good!” the president said in a statement. “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!”

Trump was diagnosed last week with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, as was First Lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and others.

On Monday, White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley said Trump’shealth is continuing to improve “over the past 24 hours” days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. It’s “72 hours since his last fever,” his oxygen levels and breathing “are all normal,” and he had a recent temperature of 98.1 degrees F, according to Conley.

“He’s back,” Conley said, pointing to Trump’s activity in recent days and hours. “The president has been a phenomenal patient since he has been here,” Conley said.

“He has never pushed us beyond safe and reasonable practice,” Conley said.

As a result, doctors said that he will be given another dose of Remdesivir and is cleared to go home to the White House. Conley said his condition “supports a safe return home, where he’ll be surrounded by world-class medical care.”

The president on Sunday night drove by supporters near the hospital, wearing a mask and waving at them. Before Monday’s announcement, he pushed back against criticism about his drive-by from the White House press pool.

“It is reported that the Media is upset because I got into a secure vehicle to say thank you to the many fans and supporters who were standing outside of the hospital for many hours, and even days, to pay their respect to their President,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday afternoon. “If I didn’t do it, Media would say RUDE!!!”

In this image from video, President Donald Trump waves as he drives past supporters gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 4, 2020. (Carlos Vargas/AP Photo)

A supporter of Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) holds a sign amid a crowd of President Donald Trump supporters, outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 4, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

White House spokesman Judd Deere told reporters that proper precautions were taken before the event, following criticism that the president could potentially put Secret Service agents in the vehicle at risk.

“Appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the President and all those supporting it, including PPE. The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do,” Deere said.

On Sunday, one of the president’s doctors said Sunday that his discharge is possible as soon as Monday.

“Today, he feels well, he’s been up and around. Our plan for today is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible, to be mobile,” Dr. Brian Garibaldi, who is helping care for Trump, told reporters at a press conference outside Walter Reed. “If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.”

Later, on Sunday, Trump said in a video that he “learned a lot about COVID” and “learned it by really going to school.”

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.