The White House once again refused to specify when President Donald Trump last tested negative for coronavirus Wednesday, following days of reporters seeking clarification on the president’s COVID-19 timeline.
Trump first announced he had contracted coronavirus at 1 a.m. Friday, but the timeline offered by the president’s team of physicians this weekend implied Trump may have received a positive test result sometime on Thursday, before attending certain campaign events. (RELATED: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Tests Positive For Coronavirus)
White House physician Sean Conley refused three times Monday to pin a specific time for when Trump last tested negative. White House deputy communications director Brian Morgenstern echoed that refusal Wednesday.
“I don’t know when he last tested negative,” Morgenstern told reporters. “We’re not asking to go back through a bunch of records and look backwards.”
White House spokesman @bmorgenstern45 refuses to say when Trump’s last negative test was: “I don’t know when he last tested negative… We’re not asking to go back through a bunch of records and look backwards.”
— Ben Gittleson (@bgittleson) October 7, 2020
The White House had said prior to Trump’s infection that it was testing him, Vice President Mike Pence and everyone they interacted with on a daily basis, though Trump himself had cast doubt on that frequency.
Conley provided a written update on Trump’s health Wednesday, saying Trump now has “detectable levels” of COVID-19 antibodies. Conley also mentioned that Trump has been fever-free for four days and symptom free for more than 24 hours.
The hesitation from the White House put a date on Trump’s last negative test mirrors its language on whether Trump received any supplemental oxygen during his treatment for COVID-19. When reporters repeatedly asked whether Trump had ever needed oxygen since his diagnosis, Conley responded each time that Trump was not “currently” on oxygen.
It was later reported that Trump had briefly required oxygen Friday afternoon before traveling to Walter Reed hospital. The White House indirectly confirmed that report with Conley’s written update on Wednesday, saying Trump “has not needed nor received any supplemental oxygen since initial hospitalization.”