Trump speaks from Walter Reed as more updates indicate his health is improving: 'Substantial progress'
President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a four-minute video late Saturday, explaining that his health has improved since arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
"I came here, I wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now," Trump said. "We're working hard to get me back. I have to get all the way back because we still have to make America great again. We've done an awfully good job of that but we still have steps to go and I have to finish that job. I'll be back, I think, I'll be back soon."
"We're going to beat the coronavirus, or whatever you want to call it, and we're going to beat it soundly," he later added.
https://t.co/gvIPuYtTZG— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1601765518.0
Indeed, Sean Conley, D.O., the president's physician, released another update Saturday evening indicating Trump's health continues to progress as he battles coronavirus.
President Trump continues to do well, having made substantial progress since diagnosis. This evening he completed his second does of Remdesivir without complication. He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98% all day.
He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty. While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic.
The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of Remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of presidential duties.
In addition, the White House released two photos of Trump working while isolated inside the executive suite at Walter Reed.
The man never stops working! #45 President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/WCUQBzgslN— Judd Deere (@Judd Deere)1601780577.0
The guy’s a machine. @realDonaldTrump getting work in at Walter Reed. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/yX1eeUqt7h— Ben Williamson (@Ben Williamson)1601780247.0
The positive update came after conflicting reports triggered a wave of confusion earlier in the day.
Just minutes after Conley had concluded a press conference updating the media on the president, an anonymous source told the White House media pool that Trump's health had been worse than what was being said publicly. "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 source said. "We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery."
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was later identified as the anonymous source after he was captured on video and audio asking the media pool to talk off the record.
However, Meadows struck a much more hopeful tune Saturday evening.
Meadows told Fox News that Trump "is doing extremely well. In fact, I'm very, very optimistic based on the current result," the Washington Examiner reported.
"He's made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning, when I know a number of us, the doctor and I, were very concerned," Meadows explained.
Trump speaks message of hope after confusion surrounds his health: 'I'm going to beat this'
Contradictory statements about President Donald Trump's health triggered a wave of confusion over the president's health Saturday, leading many to believe Trump's condition was more serious than what was being said publicly.
But the president seemed to put any confusion to rest Saturday afternoon.
What are the details?
Shortly before noon Saturday, Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician, briefed reporters outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump was taken Friday out of an abundance of caution. Conley told reporters that Trump was doing "very well" and that many of the COVID symptoms that he previously exhibited had already dissipated.
Chaos erupted minutes after the press conference when the White House pool reported comments from someone close to the White House contradicting what Conley had just told media.
The source reportedly said, "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."
BREAKING: “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critica… https://t.co/E8ZzwMjsA8— Sara Cook (@Sara Cook)1601741317.0
The report came just minutes after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was captured on video talking with the pool reporters, asking them to speak off the record.
UPDATE: Immediately after the press conference ended and before the anonymous statement was sent out, Mark Meadows… https://t.co/0FqChPOzGo— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivia Nuzzi)1601742463.0
Conley's press conference — during which he was accused of not answering reporters' questions directly — also sparked confusion.
More from Politico:
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, Conley said it had been 72 hours since Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19, 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.
What did Trump say?
Hours after the confusion began, Trump tweeted that he was "feeling well."
"Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!" Trump said.
Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions w… https://t.co/Dnso50a85R— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1601745578.0
Later in the day, Trump dictated a statement through Rudy Giuliani, the New York Post reported.
In that statement, Trump was upbeat and said he felt well enough to immediately leave the hospital.
"I feel I could get out of here right now. But they're telling me there can always be a backstep with this disease. But I feel I could go out and do a rally," Trump said. "I am the president of the United States. I can't lock myself in a room. … I had to confront [the virus] so the American people stopped being afraid of it so we could deal with it responsibly."
"We have made tremendous progress on treating this disease. Fatality rates are very low compared to [the beginning]," he continued.
"I'm going to beat this," Trump reportedly said. "Then I will be able to show people we can deal with this disease responsibly, but we shouldn't be afraid of it."
"If I had handled it any other way, I would have created more panic, more fear in the American people," Trump added. "We are making great progress on dealing with this disease and making better progress with the economy than anyone had the right to expect."
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