President Donald Trump surprised his supporters when he drove by in a bulletproof Suburban armored vehicle outside the Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington DC on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The President was taken to Walter Reed Medical Center late Friday after he and his wife Melania tested positive for COVID-19. Trump broke the news about his diagnosis on Twitter early Friday.
Trump’s personal doctor said he was taken to Walter Reed because he had a “high fever” and he was given oxygen for an hour after a pulse oximeter reading showed his oxygen saturation level briefly dropped to 90% (most likely due to a cough).
Trump’s treatment regimen in the hospital included an antibody cocktail made by Regeneron, an experimental drug, Remdesivir, dexamethasone (a steroid in the same family as Prednisone), and Pepcid AC.
According to the White House, Trump’s doctors gave him the green light to take a short field trip outside the hospital on Sunday — a day before he is released home to the White House.
Shocked supporters shouted, “That’s him!” “He’s here!” as the Presidential motorcade drove by. Trump waved and gave a thumbs up from inside the hermetically sealed Secret Service SUV.
Similar to the President’s Beast limo, the Suburban has a thick barrier between the front seats and the backseat where Trump sits. There is also a separate air conditioning system to protect the President from a chemical attack.
The news media complained bitterly that they received no advanced warning about Trump’s impromptu drive-by.
But, in a video released by the White House, an enthusiastic and energetic Trump hinted that he would pay his supporters a “visit.”
After thanking his doctors and the medical staff at Walter Reed for their excellent care, Trump said he had a chance to meet soldiers and first responders. “What a group!”
“I learned a lot about COVID [Chinese coronavirus],” he said in the video. “I learned it by really going to school, this is the real school, this isn’t the ‘Let’s read the book school’ and I get it, and I understand it.”
He added: “I also think we’re going to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots we have out on the street…”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2020
Trump further showed his appreciation by ordering hundreds of Domino’s Pizza deliveries. Secret Service members also handed out small boxes of Presidential chocolates to supporters who camped outside the hospital.
