Trump’s drive-by ‘insanity’ criticised by top doctor

US President Donald Trump made a brief drive-by to wave to cheering well-wishers outside Walter Reed Medical Center on Sunday.

The president is still contagious for Covid-19 and his joyride in the armoured Chevrolet Suburban has been described as “insanity” by Dr James Phillips, an attending physician at the hospital.

He tweeted, “That presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of Covid-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.

“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”

Moments before, Trump had released a video in which he promised “to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots that we have out on the street”.

According to Sky News, the crowd “went wild” as the president was driven by them, turned around and came back again to go back inside the hospital.

Trump’s medical team has said if his condition improves, he could be allowed to go home to the White House on Monday and continue his treatment there.