White House triggers new questions about Trump’s coronavirus case

Source: Politico | October 3, 2020 | Anita Kumar, Nancy Cook, Gabby Orr and Meridith McGraw

While Trump’s physician painted a rosy portrait on camera, the White House indicated the president’s vitals had been “very concerning over the last 24 hours.”

A spate of White House statements on Saturday about President Donald Trump’s health spurred a wave of confusion and criticism about his path ahead, when he was first diagnosed and how severe his symptoms were.

The baffling back-and-forth began Saturday morning when Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, briefed the press outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president has been since Friday night. Conley proclaimed Trump was “doing very well,” that his fever had subsided, that his symptoms were improving and that he wasn’t receiving supplemental oxygen.

But only minutes after Conley left the microphone, the White House press pool reporter conveyed a statement from “a source familiar with the president’s health” that appeared to directly contradict the rosy portrait. “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,” the statement said. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.” The remark came shortly after cameras caught White House chief of staff Mark Meadows asking to speak with a handful of reporters away from the cameras.

A White House official later added that Trump’s vitals had become concerning Friday morning, hours before he was moved to the hospital.

Conley and Trump’s medical team also sent shockwaves through the White House and political landscape with their timeline of Trump’s first positive coronavirus test. During the briefing, the doctors said it had been 72 hours since Trump was diagnosed with coronavirus, suggesting Trump knew about his status on Wednesday, well before he revealed it overnight Thursday into Friday. That would mean Trump had gone on with his normal schedule, traveling and working in close proximity to aides and staffers, for well over a full day.

Yet again, though, the White House scrambled minutes after the briefing to clarify the timeline from the medical team. Another White House aide said the doctor had meant to say “day 3” instead of “72 hours,” since Trump had been diagnosed Thursday night. Conley made the clarification official a few hours later, releasing what amounted to the fourth statement of the day from the White House.

It was a head-spinning sequence reflective of a White House — and president — not always known for transparency on health matters. As a candidate, Trump infamously had his doctor declare he would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” And as president, Trump’s former physician triggered eyerolls when he claimed the president could have lived to “200 years old” with a better diet. The White House has also given head-scratching explanations for an unusual trip to Walter Reed last year.

“The world has to know whether the president of the United States is in good health,” said Scott Jennings, who worked for President George W. Bush and is close to the Trump White House. “You cannot have inconsistent reports about the president’s health.”

“I am stunned that the White House put the president’s doctor out there and then issued a contradictory statement,” he added. “You can’t do that. This just invites questions about what’s going on there.”

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“Yesterday and today he has not been on oxygen,” Conley said, though his careful comment indicated he may have been on supplemental oxygen while he was at the White House.

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Conley appeared in front of a Walter Reed building flanked by nine masked members of the medical team, part of a large team of experts positioned to monitor the president closely.

But at least a couple of them appeared to be playing to the cameras — perhaps for Trump watching closely inside — with their framing of his condition.

At the end of his prepared remarks, Conley looked toward Meadows and smiled as he conveyed a message. “One other note: It should be clear that he’s got plenty of work to get done from the chief of staff,” Conley said.

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Still, the medical team acknowledged that the five-day treatment Trump is receiving could keep him in the hospital into Tuesday or Wednesday.

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With Trump in the hospital, Vice President Mike Pence has remained in his residence, even as the Trump campaign on Saturday announced Pence would headline a MAGA rally in Arizona on Thursday. Pence tested negative for Covid-19 on Friday and stepped in for Trump to host a scheduled conference call on the coronavirus that afternoon. Pence’s schedule for Saturday indicated he would remain at home. If Trump’s condition worsens, the 25th Amendment allows for the president to transfer his powers to the vice president.

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