President Trump released a four-minute video message on Wednesday afternoon updating the nation on his battle with coronavirus. He called his infection with COVID-19 “a blessing from God” as it educated him about potential drugs to treat the disease.
In his video message, he once again went on to blame China for the COVID-19 pandemic. “It wasn’t your fault that this happened. It was China’s fault, and China is going to pay a big price, what they’ve done to this country. China is going to pay a big price, what they’ve done to the world,”he said.
In the clip, Trump sang the praises of his treatment regiment, specifically an antibody cocktail made by Regeneron that was given to the White House under a compassionate use agreement.
“For me, I walked in, I didn’t feel good. A short 24 hours later I was feeling great. I wanted to get out of the hospital,” Trump said. “And that’s what I want for everybody. I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president, because I feel great. I feel, like, perfect.”
“So, I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise,” Trump said.
The president claimed it was his suggestion that he take the Regeneron treatment, and that he is now convinced it should be more widely available.
The president said he wants his treatment regimen to be an option for the broader public, and pledged to make it free. It’s unclear what authority Trump would have to make the cost of those drugs free for hundreds or thousands of patients. The Regeneron antibody cocktail is still undergoing clinical trials.
Trump was also given the antiviral drug remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone. He has had around-the-clock medical supervision from a team of doctors and has access to resources unavailable to all but a small percentage of Americans.
“So, hopefully this is going to be not just a therapeutic, it’s going to be much more than a therapeutic,” Trump said. “You’re going to get better, you’re going to get better fast just like I did. So, again, a blessing in disguise. Good luck.”
COVID-19 has killed more than 210,000 people in the U.S. to date, and infected millions more. The U.S. has the highest number of reported cases and deaths from the virus of any country in the world.
