Trump says he's not tested for COVID-19 every day but claims he is 'tested a lot'
- President Donald Trump revealed that he does not get tested for COVID-19 every day, even after contracting the disease.
- "I'm tested — not every day. But I'm tested a lot," he said during a Fox Business interview on Thursday.
- The comments come after the president suggested he's "immune" to the virus. Experts have warned that science can't guarantee that.
- The disclosure also contradicts previous White House statements that said Trump is tested "more than anyone, multiple times a day."
President Donald Trump revealed on Thursday that he does not get tested for COVID-19 on a daily basis despite contracting the disease earlier this month.
"I'm tested — not every day. But I'm tested a lot," Trump said during a Fox Business interview. He did not specify the number of times.
The White House physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said this week that the president had tested negative on "consecutive days" and is no longer "infectious to others." However, he didn't specify when Trump underwent those tests.
"I was really tested a lot after I got rid of it because they wanted to make sure, and I was tested a lot," Trump added. "I said, 'How many tests do I have to take?'"
Trump's comments add to the confusion about his health, and testing regimen and results. The president announced on October 2 that he and the first lady had tested positive for coronavirus, but it's still unknown when he tested negative last, blurring his exact infection timeline.
Trump's statements also contradict information shared previously by White House staff.
In July, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed that the president is the "most tested man in America" and that he gets tested "more than anyone, multiple times a day." That same day, Trump said he does not recall any day that he's been tested more than once.
The president's disclosure on Thursday also comes after he has claimed to be "immune" to the virus. Public health experts, however, have warned that the scientific evidence about COVID-19 immunity remains unclear — meaning we don't know how strong people's immunological response is to the virus or how long the protection lasts. So Trump could possibly be at risk of reinfection.
Still, it's been business as usual for the president who hit the campaign trail this week, with stops in Pennsylvania and Iowa. Trump is scheduled to be in Miami, Florida, on Thursday evening to participate in an NBC News town hall.