President Donald Trump went through a "very concerning" period Friday and faces a "critical" next two days in his fight against COVID-19 at a military hospital, his chief of staff said 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 offered his own assessment Saturday evening in a video from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, saying he was beginning to feel better and hoped to "be back soon."
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Hours earlier, 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 the president Saturday night, his chief doctor expressed cautious optimism but added that the president was "not yet out of the woods."
The changing, and at times contradictory, accounts created a credibility crisis for the White House at a crucial moment, with the president's health and the nation's leadership on the line. With Trump expected to remain hospitalized several more days and the presidential election looming, his condition is being anxiously watched by Americans.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020
Moreover, the president's health represents a national security issue of paramount importance not only to the functions of the US government but to countries around the world, friendly and otherwise.
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 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 afternoon, 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, well before he was transported to the military hospital by helicopter that evening. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity,
Conley said that Trump's symptoms, including a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue "are now resolving and improving," and said 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, who said Trump's heart, kidney, and liver functions were normal and that 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 in the midst of 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."
First lady Melania Trump remained at the White House to recover from her own bout with the virus. She was "really handling it very nicely," Trump said in the video, noting with a touch of humor that she was "just a little tiny bit younger" – in fact, 24 years younger.
Trump's medical care is far superior to the average American's, with around-the-clock attention and experimental treatments.
Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the US.
The experimental antibody drug given to Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a COVID-19 infection.
Its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, said the company agreed to supply a single dose, given through an IV, for Trump at the request of his physician under "compassionate use" provisions, when an experimental medicine is provided on a case-by-case emergency basis, while studies of it continue.
The new drug is in late-stage testing and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known. No treatment has yet proved able to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.
World leaders hope for speedy recovery
World leaders sent their best wishes to Trump and his family in wake of the diagnosis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent wishes for Trump's recovery, tweeting, Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery."
Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/UcxQpsxBLE
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 2, 2020
World Health Organization Head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tweeted his wish that Trump and his wife have "a full and speedy recovery."
India's prime minister and close Trump ally Narendra Modi was one of the first heads of state to send a message of support: Wishing my friend @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health," PM Narendra Modi tweeted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Trump well, saying: "I am sure that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a statement through a spokesman Friday, saying: "I send Donald and Melania Trump all my best wishes. I hope they will recover well from their coronavirus infection and will soon be completely recovered."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself contracted the virus in late March, also sent well wishes.
My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 2, 2020
Other European leaders to tweet best wishes included Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Council President Charles Michel.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who, like Trump, has been averse to wearing a mask in public, wished Trump a speedy recovery in a televised meeting with journalists.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent his best wishes, as did Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani.
On the African continent, where the viral burden has been relatively low compared with the rest of the world, few leaders commented on the Trumps' diagnoses.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose nation has seen 7,850 cases and just under 230 deaths, offered his wishes for Trump's full recovery.
North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-Un, sent a message of sympathy to Trump and his wife, state media reported.
"He sincerely hoped that they would recover as soon as possible. He hoped they will surely overcome it," the Korean Central News Agency reported. Global health officials have no viral data on North Korea, and the government has yet to report a single case of the highly contagious virus, which originated in neighboring China.
My best wishes to President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS for a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/6OUZT20huK
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 2, 2020
Other leaders have yet to issue statements, including Chinese President Xi Jinping who did not immediately react to the news on any known public platform.
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