2020 White House race: Donald Trump back in the Oval Office

Donald Trump declares his COVID-19 illness a ‘blessing from God’, as he gets back to work in the Oval Office.

‘Blessing from God’: Donald Trump's new message. Picture: Twitter

Donald Trump declared his COVID-19 illness a “blessing from God” as he got back to work in the Oval Office on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) despite warnings that his return could put others at risk.

Mr Trump has worked hard since he checked out of hospital on Monday — including a made-for-television return to the White House — to cast his illness as a personal triumph.

“I think this is a blessing from God that I caught it,” he said in a video, referring to the virus that has killed over 210,000 people in the US.

But Democrat Joe Biden, who leads Mr Trump in the latest polls ahead of the November 3 vote, ­attacked the President’s downplaying of the risk.

“I think it’s a tragedy that the President deals with COVID like it is something not to worry about when over 210,000 people have died,” he said.

Because of Mr Trump’s COVID diagnosis, next week’s second presidential debate will be held in a town hall forum with the candidates in remote locations. The Commission on Presidential Debates said the change was ­designed to “protect the health and safety of all involved”.

On Wednesday the Pentagon said that one of the Marine Corps’ top officers, General Gary Thomas, tested positive for the virus a days after the Joint Chiefs of Staff went into self-isolation.

Mr Trump attributed his recovery to an antibody cocktail, an ­experimental treatment.

After contradictory statements whether the President was back at work on Tuesday, a senior administration official that Mr Trump was present Wednesday with an “extremely limited” number of staff in his office.

On Wednesday, doctors reported the president had been free of COVID-19 symptoms for 24 hours and has not had a fever in four days. “The President this morning says ‘I feel great’,” doctor Sean Conley said in a brief update.

AFP