WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since returning to the White House after being treated for the coronavirus.
Saturday afternoon, Trump delivered an address on his support for law enforcement from the Blue Room balcony to a friendly crowd.
The president wore a mask as he walked for the speech but took it off to make his remarks. He received an enthusiastic response from his supporters.
The White House has refused to declare that he is no longer contagious, and the gathering of hundreds of people on the South Lawn went ahead despite the guidance of public health officials.
The Trump administration insisted the event on the South Lawn was an official event and not a campaign rally. But Trump used the address to make broadsides against the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris.
During his speech, Trump claimed that the U.S. would become a socialist country if Biden is elected. He also continued to undermine public confidence in the upcoming election, pointing to "crooked" mail-in ballots.
“I think we’re going to swamp them by so much, hopefully it’s not going to matter, and we have law enforcement watching,” he said.
Trump is looking to get his campaign back on track, a week after he was sidelined with COVID-19, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans.
Next, the president says he will hold a "BIG RALLY" in Sanford, Florida, on Monday.
Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY! https://t.co/TTOlHJT8kr
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020
On Friday, Trump held what his campaign billed as a “radio rally” as he dialed in to the show of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Despite public and private surveys showing him trailing Democrat Joe Biden, Trump predicted a greater victory in 2020 than he had four years ago.