By Aaron Miller-
Donald Trump has offered Americans the treatment he received for coronavirus for free, which he says made him feel great.
Trump had just returned to the Oval Office just days after contracting coronavirus to discuss stimulus package negotiations and Hurricane Delta.
In a new video posted on Twitter, the president hailed the treatment and said China would pay for the effect of the virus. He said: “I want to get for you what I got – and I’m going to make it free. You’re not going to pay for it.
The president was referring to an experimental antibody treatment manufactured by Regeneron on Friday, before he was airlifted to the Walter Reed Medical Center.
“It wasn’t your fault that this happened, it was China’s fault. China’s going to pay a big price for what they’ve done to the world.”
Mr Trump then expressed his disagreement with the characterisation of the treatment manufactured by Regeneron as therapeutic – and said he thought of it as a “cure”.
“I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president, because I feel great,” he said. “I feel perfect. This was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise.”
The tweet came hours after he returned to the Oval Office, despite the fact that he is still recovering from COVID-19..
In the video, he said: “When I went in, I wasn’t feeling so hot. They gave me Regeneron and it was like unbelievable – I felt good immediately.”
The president added that he is now trying to get Regeneron’s treatment, and similar drugs, on an emergency basis.
“We have hundreds of thousands of doses that are just about ready,” he said. “I have emergency use authorisation all set and we’ve got to get it signed now – and you’re gonna get better, you’re gonna get better really fast.”
Mr Trump added that securing approval for these drugs was “much more important to me than the vaccine”.
He also claimed that politics is getting in the way of a vaccine becoming available for public use before the election.
His offer came hours after White House doctors said Mr Trump has had no COVID-19 symptoms for the past 24 hours.
He has been fever-free for more than four days and has not needed or received any supplemental oxygen, White House physician Sean Conley added.
His physical exam and vital signs “all remain stable and in normal range.