US President Donald Trump appears in a video posted on Twitter on Saturday. Source: Twitter via Donald J. Trump
Donald Trump says ‘real test’ lies ahead in his coronavirus fight amid conflicting reports on his condition
October 4, 2020
It comes as more people close to the president disclose they have also tested positive for the coronavirus.
US President Donald Trump has said the next few days will be the “real test” in his fight against COVID-19, after a day of contradictory messages from the White House about his condition following his diagnosis.
In a four-minute video posted on Twitter on Saturday, apparently recorded from his hospital room, Mr Trump said he “wasn’t feeling so well” when he first arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday but that he felt “much better” and hoped to be “back soon”.
“Over the next period of a few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days,” Mr Trump said, seated at a round table in front of an American flag.
He also thanked the medical professionals looking after him and said he was looking forward to finishing up his presidential campaign “the way it was started”.
“This [diagnosis] was something that happened, and it’s happened to millions of people all over the world, and I’m fighting for them … We’re going to beat this coronavirus, or whatever you want to call it, and we’re going to beat it soundly,” he said.
The address came hours after differing assessments of his health from administration officials left it unclear how ill the president had become since he tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday night.
A White House team of doctors said on Saturday morning that Mr Trump’s condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Mr Trump had told them “‘I feel like I could walk out of here today.’”
But within minutes, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less rosy assessment, telling them: “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Mr Meadows, whose initial comments were delivered on condition that he not be identified, altered his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Mr Trump was doing “very well” and that “doctors are very pleased with his vital signs.”
Mr Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments.
Mr Trump was flown from the White House to Walter Reed, near Washington, about 17 hours after he announced his illness. Administration officials, who described the move as precautionary, said he would stay at the hospital for several days.
Another source who was briefed on Mr Trump’s condition said the president was given supplemental oxygen before he went to the hospital. The decision to hospitalise Mr Trump came after he had experienced difficulty breathing and his oxygen level dropped, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Sean Conley, physician to the president, provides an update on the condition of United States President Donald Trump
ABACA
White House doctor Sean Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Saturday that Mr Trump had not experienced difficulty breathing, and was not given oxygen at Walter Reed.
“The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” Dr Conley said.
In a written update issued on Saturday night, Dr Conley said Mr Trump had spent most of the day “conducting business” and had been “up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty”.
“While not out of the woods yet, the team remains cautiously optimistic,” he said.
Donald Trump exits Marine One while arriving to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020
Source: AAP
