Trump faces ‘critical’ days ahead, thanks supporters
‘We are sincerely hoping that the president makes a very quick recovery and we can see him back on the campaign trail very soon. This is a glaring reminder that the virus is real,’ says Biden adviser
US President Donald Trump faces “critical” coming days ater a “very concerning” period in his fight against COVID-19 at a military hospital, his chief of staff said on Saturday - in contrast to a rosier assessment moments earlier by Trump doctors, who took pains not to reveal the president had received supplemental oxygen at the White House before his hospital admission.
Trump remained at Walter Reed National Military Medical centre on Sunday.
He offered his own assessment of his status on Saturday evening in a video from his hospital suite, saying he was beginning to feel beter and hoped to “be back soon.” And he was back on social media early Sunday morning, sharing a video of flag-waving supporters, most not wearing masks, gathered outside Walter Reed. “Thank you so much!” Trump tweeted at 7:18am. The day before, chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters outside the hospital, “We’re still not on a clear path yet to a full recovery.” In an update on Saturday night, Trump’s chief doctor expressed cautious optimism but added that the president was “not yet out of the woods.”
Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, pulled his atack ads off the air during Trump’s hospitalisation, and on Sunday, he dispatched senior aides to deliver a largely friendly message.
“We are sincerely hoping that the president makes a very quick recovery, and we can see him back out on the campaign trail very soon,” Biden adviser Symone Sanders said on CNN’S “State of the Union.” She added: “This is a glaring reminder that the virus is real.” Saturday’s briefing by Navy Commander Dr Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than it answered. Conley repeatedly refused to say whether the president ever needed supplemental oxygen, despite repeated questioning, and declined to share key details, including how high a fever Trump had been running before it came back down to a normal range. Conley also revealed that Trump had begun exhibiting “clinical indications” of COVID-19 on Thursday aternoon, earlier than previously known.
Conley spent much of the briefing dodging reporters’ questions as he was pressed for details.
“Thursday, no oxygen. None at this moment.
And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen,” Conley said.
But according to a person familiar with Trump’s condition, Trump was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday morning, before he was transported to the military hospital by helicopter that evening.
Conley said that Trump’s symptoms, including a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue, “are now resolving and improving,” and that the president had been fever-free for 24 hours. But Trump also is taking aspirin, which lowers body temperature and could mask or mitigate that symptom.
“He’s in exceptionally good spirits,” said another doctor, Sean Dooley. He said Trump’s heart, kidney and liver functions were normal and he was not having trouble breathing or walking around.
In an evening health update, Conley said Trump had been up and moving around his medical suite without difficulty and conducting business. “While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic,” he said.
In the hospital video, Trump defended his decision to continue campaigning and holding large events during a pandemic.
“I had no choice,” said Trump, who refused to abide by basic public health recommendations, including mask-wearing. “I had to be out front. I can’t be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe. As a leader, you have to confront problems.” Trump also thanked his medical team and hailed the state-of-the-art treatments he was receiving, comparing them to “miracles coming down from God.” Trump’s medical care is far superior to the average American’s, with around-the-clock atention and experimental treatments.
The president was angry at Meadows’ public assessment of his health and, in an effort to prove his vitality, Trump ordered up the video and authorised longtime confidant Rudy Giuliani to release a statement on his behalf that he was feeling well, according to a Republican close to the White House not authorised to publicly discuss private conversations.