White House officials presented two apparently contradictory messages on the President Donald Trump’s health on Saturday, with doctors saying he was doing “very well” and other sources saying he is “not on a clear path to full recovery.”
White House Physician Sean Conley said at a Saturday briefing outside Walter Reed hospital that the president has been fever-free for 24 hours and is not currently using oxygen. Minutes later, however, a “source familiar with the president’s health” told White House pool reporters that Trump’s vitals over the past 24 hours were “very concerning.”
“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,” the source said.
This quote being included in the official White House pool report implies it was an official statement from the White House that they requested be made anonymous. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was filmed approaching pool reporters shortly after the briefing and reportedly requested to go off the record.
UPDATE: Immediately after the press conference ended and before the anonymous statement was sent out, Mark Meadows briefed reporters without cameras—but he was caught on a feed asking to be off the record. pic.twitter.com/JyrhSmu1Y0
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) October 3, 2020
Conley confirmed Trump had a fever on Thursday, but did not specify its severity and assured reporters Trump no longer had one. Doctors currently have Trump on a five-day plan of administering the Remdesivir coronavirus treatment, but they declined to give a timeline of when they expect the president to leave the hospital. (RELATED: RNC Chairwoman Says Debate Rules Should Remain The Same As Debate Commission Announces ‘Additional Structure’)
Just some of Trump’s coronavirus doctors at Walter Reed:
CDR Sean Conley, MD
COL Sean N. Dooley, MD
CAPT John Hodgson, MD
CDR Wesley R. Campbell, MD
LTC Jason M. Blaylock, MD
Robert Browning, MD
Brian Garibaldi, MD
LT Juliana Lavopa, RN
CDR Megan Nasworthy, RN. pic.twitter.com/LXOThCtUt2— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 3, 2020
Doctors confirmed Trump has been up and about his normal business and not relegated to bedrest or a prone position.
While Conley was emphatic that Trump was not on oxygen Saturday, Thursday, or when he was at the hospital on Friday, he declined repeatedly to say outright that Trump has not used oxygen. This implies the president may have used oxygen on Friday prior to traveling to Walter Reed.