210K in US have died from virus; now, Trump says he 'gets it'

Washington dc: Now that he has contracted COVID-19, President Donald Trump says he does get it.

That revelation, seven months into the pandemic and after almost 210,000 American deaths, is not the first time he has relied on personal experience to shape his views.

He said he now understands the virus. But because of his own experience, as a patient at one of the nation's finest medical facilities with treatment options available to very few, the president also reinforced that he has struggled to relate with everyday Americans, millions of whom have lost their jobs because of the Coronavirus.

Instead, as he has in relationships with other countries, he has prioritized his own personal experience over that of experts.

He has been reluctant, for instance, to call out Russian President Vladimir Putin over interference in American elections in the face of clear evidence from the U.S. intelligence community that it has occurred.

He has also drawn frequently on his experience with the business world or his own family to set the White House agenda.

He cited his business acumen as helping him land a deal for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, and he said he understands the airline industry because of his time running the failed Trump Shuttle.

Despite months of briefings from the nation's leading infectious disease experts, it was the onset of his own symptoms, as he was brought low by a lethal virus, that he said gave him a greater understanding.

That understanding, however, seemed very much in conflict with expert public health guidance about how the virus behaves and the precautions that people infected, particularly those in a higher risk group like the president, need to take.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has returned to the White House after being discharged from a military hospital where he was under treatment for the deadly Coronavirus since Friday, telling his followers that he would be back on the campaign trail soon, and not to be "afraid" of the disease and not let it "dominate" their lives.

Trump, 74, who appeared to be healthy, waved at reporters on Monday.

In an unusual move, Trump climbed up the South Portico stairs instead of the elevators to go to his residence, showing his fitness.

The president removed his mask on the balcony of the White House, where several staff and aides have tested positive for the virus in recent

days.

Earlier, he was discharged from the Walter Reed National Medical Center after doctors found him fit enough to go back home.