Giuliani defends Trump ride outside hospital as needed 'risk'

NEW YORK - President Donald J. Trump has taken heavy criticism for taking a ride in his motorcade Sunday outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he is a patient to wave to supporters, but his personal attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says it was worth the risk.

Speaking on Monday with FOX 5 NY morning program, 'Good Day New York,' Giuliani defended the president's brief ride to salute hundreds of people who had been standing outside and waving Trump flags since his arrival at the hospital on Friday for coronavirus treatment.

"The president is out there showing people. 'I'm OK.' Look, he's got the mask on and two Secret Service agents are in the front, not in the back," said Giuliani. "If the maks work as they say they should be, no problem."

He went on to say, "The reality is that the president has to take additional risks that maybe you and I don't have to."

Giuliani even claims the president is showing how the virus does not really need to impact daily lives.

"We understand that this is a very important situation for him where he can really lead the country and show them how you can live and you don't have to stay hidden in your house.  You don't have to stay out of work. You don't have to keep the children out of school."

Trump briefly leaves hospital to wave to supporters

But that's "insanity" according to Dr. James P. Phillips, an attending physician at Walter Reed.

"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," the doctor wrote on Twitter Saturday. "For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater."

"The reality is that the president has to take additional risks that maybe you and I don't have to. We understand that this is a very, very important situation for him where he could really lead the country and show them how you can live. you don't have to stay in your house. You don't have to stay out of work. You don't have to pull children out of school. You don't have to paralyze our economy."

Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days, his doctors revealed Sunday as they continued to evade basic questions about his health during treatment for COVID-19. Still, they said he “continued to improve” and suggested he could be discharged as early as Monday.