Trump says he ‘learned a lot’ about coronavirus during treatment: ‘This is the real school’

President Trump on Sunday said he has “learned a lot” about COVID-19 since his diagnosis, calling his time undergoing treatment the “real school” for the highly contagious virus that has infected more than 7.4 million people in the U.S.

“It’s been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn’t the ‘let’s read the books’ school,” Trump said in a video posted to Twitter. “And I get it, and I understand it, and it’s a very interesting thing, and I’m going to be letting you know about it.”

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2020

Trump has been widely criticized by Democrats for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 209,000 people in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the most fatalities reported by any country. 

Trump’s critics have called him out for at times undermining public health guidance issued by his own administration, including holding large in-person campaign rallies without mask or social distancing requirements. 

In the video Sunday, the president also said he planned to greet supporters who had gathered outside Walter Reed Medical Center, where he is being treated for the coronavirus. Trump was taken to the hospital on Friday after he announced he and his wife had tested positive for the virus. 

Trump, in a mask, was seen waving in the back seat as his motorcade passed by in footage released moments after the video was posted.

Patients who test positive for COVID-19, a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease, are typically required to quarantine for 14 days. 

Since Trump announced his positive test, a growing number of Republican officials in his orbit have said they also tested positive for the coronavirus.