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White House evangelical advisor believes God has caused a change in Trump’s heart during his Covid-19 recovery

by Tola Mbakwe

A member of President Donald Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board has told Premier he thinks the president’s coronavirus diagnosis has caused him to have a more heartfelt approach to the pandemic.

Speaking hours before it was announced Mr Trump would be leaving Walter Reed Medical Center to continue his recovery from home, Johnnie Moore said: “He's sent multiple videos out from the hospital, which have been encouraging, I think to Americans, and people across the world.

“There was one line that stood out in the first video. He said ‘it is clear that there are miracles coming down from God’. I've sat with him in many rooms, and been around in many conversations that he was involved in, and these are concepts that I've heard him talk about many times, but there was a level of sincerity in that phrase that demonstrated to me that here is a man who believes in God that has felt something more over these last few days.”

Moore told Premier he believes the president will also be more empathetic after having a first-hand experience with the disease.

“As he was standing clearly with his energy back in the hospital yesterday, he conveyed a similar sentiment by talking about empathy, where he said ‘I've been fighting this virus, and I understand the virus, but now I've experienced it’. And I actually thought back to the verse in the book of Job, which says ‘My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.’"

“I think now what we'll have is we'll have a president determined to deal with this problem. But now he'll bring along empathy along with it, because he has walked through this valley of the shadow of death, and clearly he hasn't feared it. But he's now better prepared to fight it.”

On Monday evening Mr Trump ignited a new controversy by declaring that, despite his illness, the nation should not fear the virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans - and then he entered the White House without a protective mask.

Mr Trump's message alarmed infectious disease experts and suggested the president's own illness had not caused him to rethink his often-cavalier attitude toward the disease, which has also infected the first lady and several White House aides, including new cases revealed on Monday.

Landing at the White House on Marine One, Mr Trump gingerly climbed the South Portico steps, removed his mask and declared: "I feel good."

He gave a double thumbs-up to the departing helicopter from the portico terrace, where aides had arranged American flags for the sunset occasion and he entered the White House, where aides were visible milling about the Blue Room, without wearing a face covering.

His doctor Navy Commander Sean Conley, said earlier on Monday that the president remains contagious and would not be fully "out of the woods" for another week but that Mr Trump had met or exceeded standards for discharge from the hospital.

He is expected to continue his recovery at the White House, where the reach of the outbreak that has infected the highest levels of the US government is still being uncovered.

Still, Mr Trump indicated he will not be kept from campaigning for long, tweeting before leaving the hospital: "Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!!"

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, those with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19 can be contagious for as many - and should isolate for at least - 10 days.

Mr Trump's discharge raised new questions about how the administration was going to protect other officials from a disease that remains rampant in the president's body.

Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced she had tested positive for the virus on Monday morning and was entering quarantine.

Dr Sadiya Khan of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said: "It's an unconscionable message.

"I would go so far as to say that it may precipitate or worsen spread."

Republican Senator John Cornyn told the Houston Chronicle editorial board that Trump had "let his guard down" in his effort to show that the country was moving beyond the virus and had created "confusion" about how to stay safe.

Moore told Premier he’s confident the president will overcome the virus and urged Christians to pray for all political leaders despite their opinions of them.

“I'm not sure everyone is as excited he's doing as well as he's doing,” he said.

“We shouldn't just be praying for Donald Trump, we should be praying for all of those who are in authority and praying for Joe Biden, his opponent and all of his advisors. This is what Christians do. “We are mandated by God's word to pray for all of these people.

“When I pray for the president, and as I prayed for his predecessor, and as I'll pray for him again, or his opponent, whoever wins next month, we have to pray they have wisdom. We have to pray that they have discernment. We do pray that God protects them. We pray that God protects their family.”

Listen to Premier's interview with Johnnie Moore here: 

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