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Anna Burns-Francis: The latest on Donald Trump's positive Covid-19 case - Politics Central
Politics Central
Marine One was idling on the South Lawn Friday as President Donald Trump's advisers were inside the White House making a last-minute push to get him to board the helicopter.
The President, who had recently tested positive for coronavirus, was reluctant to go to the hospital, multiple sources familiar with what happened later told CNN. Though Trump had developed symptoms and was now on experimental drugs, he didn't want to be "hospitalized," he said.
Aware of his hesitancy to appear seriously ill or convey the serious nature of his condition, Trump's aides now appear to be scrambling to provide a portrait of a mildly ill commander-in-chief. But on Friday, medical officials were concerned about his vitals and thought it would be better to monitor his response with the vast resources that Walter Reed National Military Medical Center provided. Trump was told the facility was a more prudent place for him to be in case his condition deteriorated.
"The White House is fully committed to providing transparent and regular updates on the President's condition and recovery," Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
A decision was made by senior officials to schedule his departure after markets closed to avoid an inevitable tumble, two people familiar with the matter said.
Looking tired and somewhat pale, Trump walked past the cameras he has stopped for so many times with a small wave, and boarded.
At the most fraught moment of Trump's presidency -- or of any presidency in decades -- the White House is facing a credibility crisis with dramatic repercussions for Americans' confidence in their government and its leadership.
Inside some areas of the White House, the lack of information about Trump's condition is causing concern as aides fear speculation and panic could fill the void, some of those officials said. On Friday evening, as the President was being flown to Walter Reed, several high-placed government officials -- including a Cabinet official and two senior Republicans -- had not been briefed fully about the situation, the officials told CNN.
Instead, many even inside the White House and the wider administration are relying on news reports to glean information about the President's health. That includes several White House allies who believe they could have potentially been exposed to coronavirus over the past week, but have not been contacted with instructions from the President's medical team.
Rosy portrait
At a late morning news conference on Saturday, the President's physician offered a rosy portrait of a man on the mend but repeatedly evaded questions about Trump's condition, including whether he'd been placed on supplemental oxygen over the past days and what his highest recorded temperature has been. He offered a timeline that appeared to place Trump's diagnosis well before it was publicly disclosed only to later say he misspoke.
"This morning the President is doing very well," Dr. Sean Conley said. "At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made."
Moments later, another person familiar with Trump's condition offered a stark and very different portrait of the President's health to a group of reporters gathered at the hospital: "The President's vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery."
The second official was granted anonymity by the small group of reporters who traveled with the President and isn't known to the wider group. Chief of staff Mark Meadows was the only other White House official present when doctors came out of the building Saturday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ahead of the news conference.
A day earlier, Meadows told reporters at the White House that Trump was experiencing only "mild symptoms."
The disparity in how Trump is faring made for...
The President, who had recently tested positive for coronavirus, was reluctant to go to the hospital, multiple sources familiar with what happened later told CNN. Though Trump had developed symptoms and was now on experimental drugs, he didn't want to be "hospitalized," he said.
Aware of his hesitancy to appear seriously ill or convey the serious nature of his condition, Trump's aides now appear to be scrambling to provide a portrait of a mildly ill commander-in-chief. But on Friday, medical officials were concerned about his vitals and thought it would be better to monitor his response with the vast resources that Walter Reed National Military Medical Center provided. Trump was told the facility was a more prudent place for him to be in case his condition deteriorated.
"The White House is fully committed to providing transparent and regular updates on the President's condition and recovery," Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
A decision was made by senior officials to schedule his departure after markets closed to avoid an inevitable tumble, two people familiar with the matter said.
Looking tired and somewhat pale, Trump walked past the cameras he has stopped for so many times with a small wave, and boarded.
At the most fraught moment of Trump's presidency -- or of any presidency in decades -- the White House is facing a credibility crisis with dramatic repercussions for Americans' confidence in their government and its leadership.
Inside some areas of the White House, the lack of information about Trump's condition is causing concern as aides fear speculation and panic could fill the void, some of those officials said. On Friday evening, as the President was being flown to Walter Reed, several high-placed government officials -- including a Cabinet official and two senior Republicans -- had not been briefed fully about the situation, the officials told CNN.
Instead, many even inside the White House and the wider administration are relying on news reports to glean information about the President's health. That includes several White House allies who believe they could have potentially been exposed to coronavirus over the past week, but have not been contacted with instructions from the President's medical team.
Rosy portrait
At a late morning news conference on Saturday, the President's physician offered a rosy portrait of a man on the mend but repeatedly evaded questions about Trump's condition, including whether he'd been placed on supplemental oxygen over the past days and what his highest recorded temperature has been. He offered a timeline that appeared to place Trump's diagnosis well before it was publicly disclosed only to later say he misspoke.
"This morning the President is doing very well," Dr. Sean Conley said. "At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made."
Moments later, another person familiar with Trump's condition offered a stark and very different portrait of the President's health to a group of reporters gathered at the hospital: "The President's vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery."
The second official was granted anonymity by the small group of reporters who traveled with the President and isn't known to the wider group. Chief of staff Mark Meadows was the only other White House official present when doctors came out of the building Saturday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ahead of the news conference.
A day earlier, Meadows told reporters at the White House that Trump was experiencing only "mild symptoms."
The disparity in how Trump is faring made for...
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