White House officials are reportedly freaking out as Donald Trump returns from hospital, with workers waiting to see who tests positive for COVID-19 next.
A growing number of White House staff have tested positive for coronavirus including the US President, First Lady, former counsellor Kellyanne Conway, and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
Trump was taken to Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland on Saturday as a precautionary measure, however, sources within the White House told media that the President was very fatigued and having trouble breathing.
After a controversial drive-by for supporters, Trump was discharged from hospital on Tuesday morning (NZT).
"Feeling really good!" he said on Twitter.
"Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"
Trump's physician Dr Sean Conley said he has been doing "really well" but "may not entirely be out of the woods yet" with the virus.
On Tuesday, several sources in the White House told ABC News there is "a full-blown freak-out" in the administration as the US President returns while likely still infectious.
The sources said they are now waiting to see who will contract the virus next.
Reportedly, staff members are trying to come up with excuses not to come into work and the aides do not trust each other.
The White House also has a culture that discourages workers from wearing face masks for protection, the sources said.
ABC News reported 17 people who have been connected to the White House have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far.
This comes after Trump's director of press communications Erin Perrine criticised Democratic nominee Joe Biden for not getting COVID-19.
She said that first-hand experience can help a person relate to something, including being a CEO, having business experience and contracting coronavirus.
"[Trump] has [the] experience now fighting the coronavirus as an individual. Those firsthand experiences, Joe Biden, he doesn't have those."
The two presidential candidates are set to face off in their second debate on October 16.
