Transcript - Interview: Marc Siegel Interviews Donald Trump on Fox News Channel - October 9, 2020 | Factba.se

Note

00:00:00 - 00:00:00 (0 sec)

[The transcript below was provided by Fox News Channel's Tucker Carlson Tonight. It was cross-checked and confirmed for accuracy. Transcript and video courtesy of Fox News Channel.]

Note

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[Dr. Marc Siegel interview with Donald Trump aired in two parts on October 9, 2020 on Tucker Carlson and Shannon Bream. ~00:02:48 aired on Shannon Bream that was not aired on Tucker Carlson. That segment was added to the end of the video. Any edits are how the interview aired. ]

Marc Siegel

00:00:00 - 00:00:12 (13 sec)

President Trump, welcome. This is not officially a tele-visit, though as you probably realize, I've done hundreds, but I hope you'll indulge me and let you be the patient, and I'll be the doctor here. And I promise you no co-pay.

Donald Trump

00:00:12 - 00:00:15 (3 sec)

OK. Sounds good to me, Marc.

Marc Siegel

00:00:15 - 00:00:22 (6 sec)

So, the first question is what we call the chief complaint, which is, briefly how are you feeling now?

Donald Trump

00:00:22 - 00:00:40 (18 sec)

I feel really good. I feel very strong. I know a lot of people that have had the COVID or the China virus, as I call it, because it came from China -- but I feel really, really strong, and a lot of people don't feel that way sometimes for awhile afterwards. But very good.

Marc Siegel

00:00:40 - 00:00:47 (7 sec)

What about symptoms that you had last Friday, like when you went into Walter Reed? What were the two most prominent symptoms that you had?

Donald Trump

00:00:47 - 00:01:07 (20 sec)

I think didn't feel strong, didn't feel really strong. I didn't have a problem with breathing, which a lot of people seem to have. I had none of that. But I didn't feel very strong. I didn't feel very vital. I didn't feel like the president of the U.S. should feel, and I knew there was something a little bit off.

Donald Trump

00:01:07 - 00:01:18 (12 sec)

And the doctors at Walter Reed were incredible. They came from Johns Hopkins. They came from everywhere. It's good to be president I guess, but they were really great people. But I would say more weakness than anything else, Marc.

Marc Siegel

00:01:18 - 00:01:26 (8 sec)

You know, Mr. President, I got to tell you something confidentially. My patients never listen to me. No matter how hard I try, they don't do what I say half the time.

Marc Siegel

00:01:26 - 00:01:31 (6 sec)

Did that occur to you, where the doctors were telling you something and you were negotiating with them, or did you just do what they said?

Donald Trump

00:01:31 - 00:01:54 (22 sec)

I did negotiate, but you know ultimately I have a lot of respect for these doctors. They're really the best doctors I think in the world. And Walter Reed, I've seen the work they do and the military and people coming in so badly injured that -- like you've never seen before. I have a lot of respect. So I really tended to listen, but generally, maybe I wouldn't, but I would -- I did tend to listen to this group.

Marc Siegel

00:01:54 - 00:01:58 (5 sec)

When you were in the hospital, what was bothering you the most? What were you feeling?

Donald Trump

00:01:58 - 00:02:18 (20 sec)

I just think that it was just, you were tired. You were -- you know, it was just getting to you from the standpoint you didn't have that same energy level, and you know, my life is based a little bit on energy, and you didn't have it. And I don't know, you know, it could have led to bad things from that point.

Donald Trump

00:02:18 - 00:02:34 (16 sec)

I don't know, but I got lucky I think with a certain medicine, but it really -- it really was something. I took a certain medicine that was, you know, very miraculous to me, I think. I really don't believe it's just in the head either. I think it's -- I really believe it worked.

Marc Siegel

00:02:34 - 00:02:37 (3 sec)

Were you scared? Were you frightened?

Donald Trump

00:02:37 - 00:03:00 (23 sec)

Well I took the Regeneron, and Eli Lilly makes a similar -- very similar medicine, but you have Regeneron. You have the Eli Lilly version of it, and it just, within a period of 24 hours, I felt very different. I think I could have left the hospital a lot earlier, but it made a tremendous difference, Marc, and markedly so.

Donald Trump

00:03:00 - 00:03:32 (32 sec)

And I just felt very good. It -- you would have sort of a sore throat just to add to what we were saying, but I felt really, very, very good after taking this for a period of time. It's a transfusion, not a shot. And you know, I'd like to send it to everybody. In fact, I've said I'm going to send it to everybody that's got the problem, and we're going to send it free of charge, including seniors, of course, but we're going to send it to everybody.

Marc Siegel

00:03:32 - 00:03:35 (3 sec)

Did you want to leave earlier -- the hospital earlier than they said -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:03:35 - 00:03:35 (0 sec)

Marc Siegel

00:03:35 - 00:03:37 (2 sec)

Donald Trump

00:03:37 - 00:03:56 (19 sec)

They wanted to keep me for observation. You know, they wanted to be sure it was good, but I did. I was there for, I guess three and a half days. They wanted to keep me -- I wanted to leave after the first day. I really felt I was in not bad shape after the first day. I think I would have been in much worse shape had I not taken this medication.

Marc Siegel

00:03:56 - 00:03:59 (3 sec)

How long did they want to keep you, the doctors?

Donald Trump

00:03:59 - 00:04:21 (22 sec)

I don't know exactly, but they kept me for the time -- I stayed for the time that they needed me, and they've done a lot of tests. They've done tremendous testing. And right now, I'm medication free. I'm not taking any medications as of probably eight hours ago. So I'm medication free, which frankly makes me feel good.

Donald Trump

00:04:21 - 00:04:23 (2 sec)

I don't like medication.

Marc Siegel

00:04:23 - 00:04:30 (7 sec)

Mr. President, if you would feel comfortable, can you tell me a little bit about the tests you had in the hospital? Did you have a CAT scan, what did that show?

Donald Trump

00:04:30 - 00:04:50 (20 sec)

Yes, they tested the lungs. They have incredible equipment at Walter Reed. In fact, they said, no, you can leave your jacket on. That's the first that's ever happened, leave your shirt on, leave your jacket on. I said, I'll take it off anyway, if you want. But literally, they tested the lungs, they checked for the lungs, and they tested it with different machinery.

Donald Trump

00:04:50 - 00:05:11 (21 sec)

They have incredible stuff that I've never even seen before. And it tested good. Initially, I think they had some congestion in there, but it tested -- ultimately, it tested good. And with each day it got better -- and I think that's why they wanted me to stay, frankly. But the CAT scans were amazing, the equipment was incredible.

Donald Trump

00:05:11 - 00:05:13 (2 sec)

I've never seen equipment like this before.

Marc Siegel

00:05:13 - 00:05:23 (10 sec)

Could you talk to me about when you went outside Walter Reed in PPE and the drive that you took and well-wishers and what you were thinking when you did that?

Donald Trump

00:05:23 - 00:05:43 (20 sec)

Well, I had tremendous numbers of people -- I could hear them from the hospital, and I was way up high in this very fortified military hospital that's built to the highest standard. And yet, through these very powerful windows, I could hear people screaming and shouting and with love, with real love. And after two days, I said, you know, I want to go out and say hello to the people.

Donald Trump

00:05:43 - 00:06:05 (22 sec)

And I went to Secret Service, and these are the people that are with me all the time, and they said, we have no problem, sir. I said, I just want to take a drive by them and just wave. And you saw what happened. It was a great display of love out there. I don't think there was one negative person, and there were many, many, many people, but I don't think there was anybody negative out there.

Donald Trump

00:06:05 - 00:06:27 (23 sec)

There was just -- they went crazy when they saw the van go by the -- the car go by. And the people in were protected. They were very heavily protected, because, at that time, I guess I would have been positive. But they were very, very protected. And they've been with me -- they've been with me for a long time, and they understand.

Donald Trump

00:06:27 - 00:06:58 (30 sec)

But they also thought it was very important. I thought it was very important to show my affection for them. They were standing out there 24 hours a day. You saw that, I mean, every time you'd be on television, you'd see them in the background. And I just thought -- you know, I love the people that -- I love the people of this country, and I thought it would have been very disrespectful if I was there for three, three and a half days, and these people are there standing late at night, early in the morning, and I didn't go out and at least give them a little wave.

Donald Trump

00:06:58 - 00:07:01 (3 sec)

And that's what I did, and I'm very glad I did it.

Marc Siegel

00:07:01 - 00:07:16 (16 sec)

Mr. President, lessons learned from this -- from your own illness, that you would apply to the ship -- to stewarding the ship forward in the fight in the pandemic, and how you can apply it to other people that have COVID-19, and how to prevent getting COVID-19, lessons learned?

Donald Trump

00:07:16 - 00:07:35 (19 sec)

It's such a great question. I think the biggest thing is that I did do it early. Now, I have such great access to medical. We have the White House doctor, who's great, and you have so many great doctors. So, it's a lot easier for me than somebody that's not -- doesn't have access to a doctor so easily, where it's a big deal to see a doctor.

Donald Trump

00:07:35 - 00:07:57 (22 sec)

But, you know, here we have them all over the White House, frankly. They're watching every corner. I think very important for me was very early. You know, as soon as I felt something -- and I'm thinking about it, because I see what's going on, and I have a lot of -- a lot of people are around me, even though there's tremendous testing, but a lot of people are around me, so I think about it.

Donald Trump

00:07:57 - 00:08:20 (23 sec)

And I know there's a danger, but I can't be somebody that goes into a basement and just hides in a basement for the rest of my life. I'm running a country, the greatest country in the world. So what I think the big secret for me was I got there very early. And I think it would have gotten a lot worse. One of the doctors said he thought it would have gotten a lot worse.

Donald Trump

00:08:20 - 00:08:34 (14 sec)

I just think that, even these medications, they're a lot better if you get them early than if you get them late. You know, it will react, probably better. So, I think going in early is a big factor in my case.

Marc Siegel

00:08:34 - 00:08:46 (12 sec)

Dexamethasone, I've given it to a lot of patients. I've given steroids to a lot of patients. They've -- many, most have tolerated it well. Sometimes there's issues with anxiety or behavioral issues, did you have any problem with that?

Donald Trump

00:08:46 - 00:09:08 (22 sec)

No, I didn't even know I had it. I didn't know what it was. It's a form of a steroid, but it keeps the swelling down, of the lungs, as I understand it. And I tolerated it very well. I don't take it anymore, but it was pretty short term. During the course of the medicine, that was one of the medicines. And no, I think I tolerated it very well, Marc.

Donald Trump

00:09:08 - 00:09:13 (6 sec)

And it keeps the swelling down, and that's important.

Marc Siegel

00:09:13 - 00:09:15 (2 sec)

What are you taking right now, as of today?

Donald Trump

00:09:15 - 00:09:40 (25 sec)

I think really nothing. We pretty much finished, and now we'll see how things go. But pretty much nothing. We had our final doses of just about everything. Actually, the original transfusion, that's supposed to last for about four months, that -- the antibodies. And I think you're supposed to be protected anywhere from two to four months -- and maybe longer than that, I don't know.

Marc Siegel

00:09:40 - 00:09:43 (2 sec)

Are you going to donate your own plasma, Mr. President?

Donald Trump

00:09:43 - 00:09:50 (7 sec)

Well, I will. Nobody's asked me that question actually, but I will. If that's -- if they want me to do it, I'd love to do it.

Marc Siegel

00:09:50 - 00:09:53 (3 sec)

Are you tested? I heard you -- I heard you said you were going to test again today.

Marc Siegel

00:09:53 - 00:09:56 (2 sec)

Have you been retested?

Donald Trump

00:09:56 - 00:10:06 (10 sec)

I have been retested, and I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet, but I've been retested, and I know I'm at either the bottom of the scale or free.

Marc Siegel

00:10:06 - 00:10:07 (2 sec)

When is your next test going to be?

Donald Trump

00:10:07 - 00:10:17 (10 sec)

I don't know. Probably tomorrow, Marc. They test every couple of days I guess, but it's really at a level now that's been great. Great to see it disappear.

Marc Siegel

00:10:17 - 00:10:33 (16 sec)

So I have a question -- and this is my own fantasy, Mr. President -- all of this back and forth controversy about the next debate, and if you test negative -- and you've said you want it to be in person -- how would you feel about a debate outside on Miami Beach?

Donald Trump

00:10:33 - 00:10:54 (21 sec)

Well I'd have no trouble with it at all. In fact, when we've had rallies outside, we've had no problem whatsoever. Outside is better than inside, as you know, with this crazy thing that's gone on. But I would have no problem with it. But we have a -- we've always had a problem with this commission. This commission's been ridiculous, frankly, but who wants to do a debate on a computer?

Donald Trump

00:10:54 - 00:11:09 (15 sec)

I don't. You know, virtual debate. You got to be -- you got to be there. We did great on the last debate. You have to be there. You have to see the person. You can't do it on a computer. Besides that, you know, Joe has a tendency to get the answers and read them off a computer for -- when he's asked questions.

Donald Trump

00:11:09 - 00:11:14 (5 sec)

So I'd rather -- I would love to do it outside -- would be fine, as far as I'm concerned.

Marc Siegel

00:11:14 - 00:11:19 (5 sec)

Where do you think you got the virus? At what point do you think you contracted it, looking back?

Donald Trump

00:11:19 - 00:11:40 (20 sec)

You know, I don't know. There -- they had some big events at the White House and perhaps there. I don't really know. Nobody really knows for sure. Numerous people have contracted it, but, you know, people have contracted it all over the world. It's highly contagious. That's one thing you learn. This is a contagious disease.

Donald Trump

00:11:40 - 00:12:03 (24 sec)

And generally, you get better from it, but we also now have medicines that will help a lot. And if you look at the mortality rate, I think it's up 95 or 85 percent, Marc. I think you've seen that. You pointed it out to me. What we're doing now with the medicines and all of the things is incredible. But, you know, especially younger people, you look -- I wish they'd open schools.

Donald Trump

00:12:03 - 00:12:11 (7 sec)

I hope they open schools. Some of the states are closed, and the cure is worse than the problem itself in many cases. It's a terrible thing.

Marc Siegel

00:12:11 - 00:12:22 (11 sec)

Mr. President, a final message from you to America about what they can learn from your illness and your recovery, which many would say is inspiring, a final message.

Donald Trump

00:12:22 - 00:12:45 (24 sec)

I just have such great respect for the doctors and labs, scientists, the people that work on this. They're doing incredibly well. I have incredible respect and love for the families that have suffered so badly. This is something that came to us out of -- I don't know, I won't be able to tell you yet. Maybe at some point I'll be able to report exactly why it came to us, but it came out of China.

Donald Trump

00:12:45 - 00:13:12 (27 sec)

It shouldn't have happened. They should have never let it happen. But they suffered plenty also, far more than people understand. But this is something that should not have been allowed to -- they should not have allowed this to come out to the world -- not only to the United States, to the world. But I have such respect for the people that have suffered, and my sympathies to those families that have been so horribly hurt -- and just horribly hurt.

Donald Trump

00:13:12 - 00:13:34 (22 sec)

And again, the respect for the doctors and for the technicians and for the scientists is incredible, because I've seen what they've done, and it's incredible, the job that they've done in a short period of time. Over a six-month period, the job that they've done is incredible. And you'll see that very soon with the medicines and with the vaccines.

Marc Siegel

00:13:34 - 00:13:45 (11 sec)

Mr. President, I really appreciate that last answer and the interview, and I want to tell you how much it means to us that you appeared for your first on-camera interview tonight on "Tucker Carlson Tonight". Thank you so much for joining me.

Donald Trump

00:13:45 - 00:13:48 (3 sec)

Well thank you very much, Marc. It's my great honor. Thank you.

Note

00:13:48 - 00:13:49 (1 sec)

[The interview that aired on Tucker Carlson ends here. The segment that was not aired on Tucker Carlson, but aired on Shannon Bream, begins here.]

Marc Siegel

00:13:49 - 00:13:51 (2 sec)

Do you know what the CAT scan showed?

Donald Trump

00:13:51 - 00:14:05 (13 sec)

Pretty good. Ultimately, it was good. I -- I think it was -- I think they were -- ultimately, it was good. It was -- it cleaned out, largely cleaned out, when I left. It was -- it was in good shape.

Marc Siegel

00:14:05 - 00:14:19 (14 sec)

You know, I myself have noted that of course you have millions and millions of well-wishers out there. I thought everybody was going to wish you well. How do you feel about the fact that not everybody did, that some of the nastiness came out. How did that make you feel as a patient?

Donald Trump

00:14:19 - 00:14:33 (15 sec)

Well, we're getting very good poll numbers, in the real polls, and I think they think we're going to win, and I think they're not happy about it, and they should be happy. You know, we just have the interests of the country at heart, and, you know, if it weren't for this administration, we wouldn't have these medicines.

Donald Trump

00:14:33 - 00:14:49 (16 sec)

We have tremendous medicines coming out. We have tremendous vaccines coming out. The vaccines are going to be very, very soon. I think, frankly, politically, it would be sooner than even Election Day, but I think politically, a lot of people would prefer that we wait a little bit longer. But, you know, lives are at stake.

Donald Trump

00:14:49 - 00:15:32 (42 sec)

I don't want to do that. But we have tremendous vaccines from Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, and these are therapeutics, I guess you'd call them, when you think of what -- you know -- I was just discussing with you -- but I consider it a cure, because I got better. So I don't know how that's a therapeutic as opposed to a cure, but I got better, and I get better very rapidly, and to me, I consider it more important right now than the vaccine, because you go into the hospital -- where you have people that are sick and you give them a transfusion -- and I really envision them being able to leave over the next day or two or three or something, depending on the amount of -- of problem they have.

Marc Siegel

00:15:32 - 00:15:44 (12 sec)

Governors are debating immunity cards right now. What do you think about that? Should -- should people produce antibodies, I mean, it sounds very futuristic and kind of a strange way. How do you feel about immunity cards?

Donald Trump

00:15:44 - 00:16:08 (24 sec)

Well, I don't know too much about it, but you know what's -- what's -- what is going to happen is, as you get this, you know, when you get better, they say -- they say you don't catch it. Now, I don't know for what period. I've heard a lifetime, and I've heard for months that I've heard a year. I've heard different, but I'm not sure they know yet, But as you get better Marc, you supposedly, you know, you just don't catch it anymore.

Donald Trump

00:16:08 - 00:16:29 (22 sec)

You're immune to it. I don't know about a card. I had not heard the concept of a card, but you know, it sounds like maybe I've heard of worse ideas. But, bottom line as you get better from this, you use -- they say you're immune. The only thing I don't think they know yet Marc, you could ask -- maybe I'll ask you, I don't know about the length of time that you're immune.

Donald Trump

00:16:29 - 00:16:32 (2 sec)

Is it a lifetime, or is it less than that?

Marc Siegel

00:16:32 - 00:16:39 (7 sec)

We don't know yet but it looks like from the early science, it's at least several months and that would put you in this category.