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6h ago
By Alexandra Alper and Jeff Mason
Washington – US President Donald Trump told Americans from his hospital room that the next few days will be the “real test” of his treatment for Covid-19, after a series of mixed messages from the House Blanca caused widespread confusion about her condition.
In a four-minute video posted on Twitter Saturday from his hospital suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a tired-looking Trump said he was feeling “much better.”
“Over the next period of a few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll see what happens in the next few days,” Trump told the camera, sitting in front of an American flag and wearing a jacket. and open collar shirt.
The comments came hours after various assessments of his health by administration officials made it unclear how ill the president had become since testing positive for the new coronavirus on Thursday night, a matter for huge public concern.
A team of White House doctors said Saturday morning that Trump’s condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Trump told them, “I feel like I could get out of here today.”
Within minutes, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less optimistic assessment, telling them: “The president’s vital signs over the past 24 hours were very worrying and the next 48 hours will be critical. in terms of his care. not on a clear path to a full recovery. “
Meadows, whose initial comments were provided on the condition that he was not identified, changed his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was “very well” and that “doctors are very satisfied with his vital signs.”
Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in its comments. A Trump aide who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president was not happy to learn of Meadows’ initial comments.
Administration officials have described the move to Walter Reed as a precaution and said Trump would stay for several days.
Another source who was briefed on Trump’s condition said the president received supplemental oxygen before going to the hospital. The decision to hospitalize Trump came after he experienced shortness of breath and his oxygen level dropped, according to a source familiar with the situation.
White House physician Sean P. Conley told reporters outside the hospital Saturday that Trump had had no trouble breathing and that Walter Reed was not given oxygen.
“The team and I are very pleased with the progress the president has made,” Conley said.
He declined to give a timeline for Trump’s possible release from the hospital, then had to issue a statement saying he was wrong after seeming to suggest that Trump had been diagnosed on Wednesday.
In a statement Saturday night, Conley said the president was “not out of the woods yet,” but his team remained cautiously optimistic.
“Today’s spectacle – the doctors say one thing, the White House sources say something else, and then they both amend their remarks – it only reinforces the credibility problems of this administration,” said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the Center for Politics of the University of Virginia.
Inverted campaign
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
With Trump out of the campaign indefinitely, his campaign announced “Operation MAGA,” based on its slogan “Make America Great Again,” which will see high-profile allies, including Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s eldest sons, Donald. Jr. and Eric. take control of the campaign in person this week.
Pence, who tested negative on Friday, will debate on Wednesday with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Biden, who largely avoided direct criticism of Trump during a campaign trip to Michigan on Friday, took a more aggressive tone Saturday while speaking to a union of transit workers, even as he wished the president the best.
“I’m in a small place here, because I don’t want to attack the president and the first lady right now,” Biden said, adding that he hoped the Trumps would make a full recovery.
But he quickly turned a corner on Trump’s response to the pandemic, calling it “inconceivable” and criticizing Trump’s comment in an interview this summer that it “is what it is” when asked about the death toll.
“I think this is one of the most despicable things I’ve encountered in my entire career,” Biden said.
Biden, who tested negative on Friday, told reporters that he would be tested on Sunday next time. His campaign will begin publishing the results of each test, a spokesperson said.
The Democratic nominee has avoided big events in favor of low-key appearances with few or no attendees, while Trump has held large rallies with little social distancing.
Biden has used Trump’s diagnosis to reinforce his calls for people to wear masks, a practice Trump has questioned.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, even as it has killed more than 208,000 Americans and hit the American economy.
Trump at risk
Conley said Trump had received the first two doses of a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.
He’s also taking an experimental treatment, Regeneron’s REGN-COV2, as well as zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, Conley said.
The president is at high risk due to his age, 74, and weight. He has been in apparent good health during his time in office, but is not known to exercise regularly or eat a healthy diet.
Several other prominent Republicans have also tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 since Trump’s announcement, including Republican Senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former New Jersey Governor. Chris Christie.
Christie said she checked into a hospital Saturday as a precautionary measure due to her asthma, though she said she only had mild symptoms.
Reuters
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