[ad_1]
The White House said it was being briefed on a looming hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and the stimulus talks, although Trump himself canceled talks on additional aid a day earlier.
Dissatisfied with the temporary office space that was erected for him in the White House residence, where he was isolated after returning from three days in the hospital, Trump had been eager to return to the Oval Office since Tuesday, but his assistants did so. convinced to stay.
Yet few seemed to believe that Trump would last much longer in isolation in his private quarters.
In a new memo released Wednesday noon, Trump’s doctor relayed to the president saying “I feel great!” and reported that he had been symptom-free for 24 hours. But the memo again declined to provide critical information, such as when Trump last tested negative, what his lung scans show, and whether he is still taking the steroid dexamethasone or any other medication that may be masking his symptoms.
Trump’s “schedule at the moment is fluid, we are looking at his forecast,” Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters previously at the White House. “If you decide to go to the Oval, we have security protocols there.”
In fact, preparations had been made for Trump’s eventual return to the Oval Office, including the placement of a so-called “isolation cart” stocked with the yellow medical gowns, respiratory masks, and required plastic goggles for visitors right outside the doors. from the office near where Trump’s aides sit.
When he returned, Trump avoided other areas of the Wing Wing, entering the Oval Office directly from outside. Meadows and social media consultant Dan Scavino joined him there dressed in protective gear. It was unclear who else he might have encountered along the way.
Trump made phone calls and spoke to assistants mostly from his third-floor rooms on Tuesday, but recorded a video from the ground floor where offices were set up for him next to the medical room. The video had not been released as of Wednesday morning, nor had the White House distributed photographs of the president after his return from Walter Reed Hospital.
All but Trump’s most senior aides know nothing about his health beyond what his doctor released publicly. While he seemed short of breath at times Monday night, people said he looked somewhat better on Tuesday, although few saw him in person.
In his memo on Wednesday, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley wrote that Trump “has not needed or received supplemental oxygen since the initial hospitalization” and said he has been “fever-free for more than 4 days.” but it did not say whether Trump was receiving any medications that could lower the fever.
Trump’s labs, he said, “demonstrated detectable levels of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from labs taken Monday.”
Regeneron, the company that makes the experimental antibody treatment that was given to Trump on Friday, said the test likely showed evidence of the treatment, not Trump’s own immune response.
Over the weekend, Trump’s doctor said days 7-10 after Trump’s diagnosis could be the most critical, a window that appeared to open Wednesday. The White House continued to refuse to reveal when Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus, calling into question the extensive testing regimen that they had long pointed to as his main protection against the virus.
It was also unclear what medications the president is still taking. He was due to receive his final dose of remdesivir on Tuesday night at the White House, but it was not known whether he will continue to take a steroid, which some within the building have openly speculated could be altering his mood.
Any aide who approaches Trump should don protective attire, according to a person familiar with the matter. It has given the White House residence the feel of a science fiction movie, one person said, as Secret Service attendees, staff and personnel who need to get close to Trump disguise themselves to protect themselves.
Trump had raised on Tuesday the possibility of working from the Oval Office instead of the rooms that have been arranged for him on the lower level of the executive mansion, saying he feels ready to return. The assistants convinced him to remain isolated for at least a day.
The corridors and offices in the west wing have taken on a very different feel than when he went to the hospital on Friday. The president’s staff have largely moved to work from home because many of them have tested positive for coronavirus.
More than 15 members of Trump’s staff or inner circle tested positive in recent days, including his wife, senior adviser, press secretary, campaign manager, former counselor, personal assistant, four press aides, three Republican senators and a member of the army. serving directly to the president.
It was unclear when the White House or the president would release the video comments he recorded Tuesday, the themes of which were similar to those of the video Trump recorded Monday night, a person familiar with the recording told CNN.
The atmosphere inside the White House was described by one official as “chaotic,” largely because so many people were working remotely and the president was making the decisions.
This story has been updated to reflect the news that Trump worked from the Oval Office on Wednesday.
[ad_2]