WASHINGTON — The White House defended the coronavirus-infected president’s decision to leave the hospital on Monday after a three-night stay, saying he was “projecting an image of strength” to the American people.

The president was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after receiving treatment for COVID-19 and made a dramatic return to the White House, where he removed his mask on the Truman Balcony, saluted Marine One, and flashed a double thumbs-up for the cameras.

“At times like this, in these moments in our country, it’s highly important that the commander-in-chief express confidence to our domestic population,” White House communications director Alyssa Farah said in a Fox News interview Tuesday morning.

“But it’s also very important to our allies and adversaries who are watching closely to see if he is projecting an image of strength, and that’s exactly what he did last night,” she went on.

The commander-in-chief will continue his treatment at home, where he is isolating in the White House residence.

In a video message filmed after his return to the executive mansion, Trump told Americans not to be afraid of the coronavirus and said he was feeling great after a bout with the deadly disease.

Farah defended the president’s decision to remove his mask even though a photographer was standing right behind him on the White House balcony, saying it was “a brief interaction.”

“The world and the American people needed to see their president strong and leading and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” she said.

Trump returned to a radically different West Wing than the one he left on Friday, with more than a dozen White House staffers now testing positive for COVID-19, including press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Farah dismissed reports that aides were afraid to come to work at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., telling Fox News anchor Sandra Smith, “We feel comfortable working here.”