Standing alone and not wearing a mask, Mr Trump spoke from a White House balcony on Saturday afternoon - his first public event since being diagnosed with the highly contagious disease.The Republican president, who is trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden in national polls, urged a crowd of hundreds of largely Black and Latino supporters, most wearing masks but not following social distancing guidelines, to help get out the vote in the Nov 3 presidential election.
While Mr Trump's doctor had cleared him to resume public engagements from Saturday, other medical experts said the timeline appeared to be rushed. "It's fair to say that he's meeting the time-based criteria, but those criteria are not designed for people who are hospitalised," she told Reuters. It was the first time Mr Trump had appeared in public since his release from the hospital on Monday, when some observers said he appeared at times to be short of breath.
Given the timeline, Dr Nelson said it was possible that Mr Trump was contagious on Sept 27 during the first presidential debate with Mr Biden. Mr Biden, who has tested negative for the virus repeatedly, and again on Saturday, was probably safe, but would not be completely clear of the risk for two more days, she said.
Democrats and some commentators criticised Saturday's event for potentially exposing a new batch of supporters to the virus and for using a federal building as an election prop.