Trump to Address Crowd From White House Balcony on 'Law and Order'

By Tiziana Celine First Posted: Oct 09, 2020 11:11 PM EDT

President Donald Trump will host an in-person function at the White House Balcony on Saturday.

The White House meeting is Trump's first public appearance since he announced last week that he had tested positive for COVID-19 with first lady Melania Trump. Several other persons working at and linked to the White House have also tested positive following that declaration.

According to a source associated with the case, two thousand guests have been invited to the event and are expected to follow health and safety protocols to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. The expected visitors must carry masks and may be subject to temperature tests, the source added.

The president is also set to stage a political rally on Monday evening in Florida, too. The case will take place outside Orlando, in an airport hangar in Sanford.

There are also concerns about whether Trump still has the virus. Trump told Fox News that he was likely to be checked on Friday for the infection.

Law and Order

According to an invitation received by ABC News, which first announced the meeting, the event is expected to include "remarks to peaceful protesters for law and order." The official in the White House reported ABC's reports to CNBC.

According to ABC's invitation, a crowd is supposed to assemble on the White House South Lawn starting at 11:30 a.m. Trump will address the attendees from the White House balcony at 2 p.m., numerous outlets said.

The in-person event arrives as Trump confronts backlash for downplaying the pandemic's danger. For example, he was nagging in forums that ignore health officials in his own administration's guidelines for social distancing.

Less than a week after a massive, in-person meeting at the White House announcing Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, the president contracted the virus.

More than a dozen officials who witnessed the gathering, including several Republican senators, have also tested positive.

Is the White House taking health protocols seriously?

For the forthcoming event on Saturday, the White House seems to be taking extraordinary measures.

Both participants are expected to carry masks with them, and once on the White House grounds, a source with knowledge of the preparations told CNBC, they would be advised to wear them.

The participants may also agree to a "screening" of the coronavirus, said the source, which will involve a temperature check and a short questionnaire.

"The health and safety of all attendees is our priority and following CDC guidelines is strongly encouraged," the source said.

It was only 25 days before the presidential election between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden when the event was announced. Since revealing his illness, Trump, who is down in the ratings, has been off the campaign trail.

But Trump has maintained over the week that he no longer feels any signs of COVID-19. In a memo Thursday night, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said he anticipates the President's "safe return to public appearances" this weekend.

Last Friday night, the same day he confirmed his condition in a message, Trump flew to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was discharged on Monday evening and was still being treated by doctors at the White House.

It was uncertain if experts will officially disclose Trump's test findings. The White House had frequently declined to state when he last checked negative, creating concerns regarding his diagnosis timeline until the Fox News interview.

Although Conley said Thursday that he would get Trump to day 10 of his illness on Saturday, he had previously said that Monday was the day they would be secure with Trump being in the clear.