White House triggers questions and confusion about Trump’s coronavirus case

A spate of White House statements about President Donald Trump’s health spurred a wave of confusion and criticism about his path ahead, when he was first diagnosed and the true severity of his symptoms.

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 74-year-old 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 was later revealed to have come from White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was caught on camera after the briefing 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. Meanwhile, numerous indications emerged that Trump had received oxygen at the White House during that time period — a step frequently needed for patients with serious coronavirus cases. The revelations swiftly cast a harsh spotlight on Conley's carefully phrased denials about Trump needing oxygen assistance.

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.

Still, questions lingered about Conley's wording that Trump's medical team had "repeated testing" on "Thursday afternoon," perhaps indicating an earlier initial test before firm confirmation that evening.

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.”

Since the coronavirus hit the U.S., the White House has similarly been coy at times about staffers testing positive, with some of the more notable infections only being confirmed after leaks to the press.

Trump's case has been no different. One former senior administration official said only a few people, like the president's family, actually know the full truth about Trump’s condition. As a result, conflicting rumors about Trump's health have been flying around the presidential orbit.

In a four-minute video released Saturday evening, Trump contradicted Meadows and other top officials who had framed his health status as worrisome before he left the White House. Instead, the president said he was told he’d have to stay in the White House residence, but chose Walter Reed instead.

“I just didn’t want to stay in the White House. I was given that alternative,” Trump said in the video he tweeted. “Stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don’t ever leave, don’t even go to the Oval Office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it. Don’t see people, don’t talk to people and just be done with it, and I can’t do that.”

Saturday’s roundabout information release left some in the White House bewildered, capping off days of minimal communication between White House leaders and their staff.

One White House official said most officials were receiving the same updates as the press — no more, no less. Another White House aide complained about being perpetually in the dark about not just the president’s health, but about coronavirus infections among the staff.

“I might as well be a member of the public,” the aide said, saying officials felt nervous and upset about the lack of information.

Still, Saturday’s briefing marked the most thorough update on Trump’s health since the diagnosis was revealed early Friday.

Conley said he was “extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” but warned an "inflammatory phase" that sets in seven to 10 days after the virus takes root will be critical to determining how Trump's infection unfolds.

For the first time, Conley did reveal specifics on some of Trump’s vitals, noting that his blood pressure and heart rate were both within Trump’s normal range. Conley also said Trump’s oxygen saturation — the level of the gas in his blood — was 96 percent, squarely within the normal range.

Yet when pressed about whether Trump had received oxygen at any point, Conley obfuscated. At one point, he ruled out that Trump had gotten oxygen on Friday or Saturday. But later, he appeared to indicate the president may have may have been on supplemental oxygen while he was at the White House on Friday, before leaving for the hospital.

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.

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.

Another physician, Dr. Sean Dooley, said Trump was in “exceptionally good spirits” and said Trump told them, “I feel like I could walk out of here today.”

Still, the medical team acknowledged that the five-day treatment Trump is receiving could keep him in the hospital into Tuesday or Wednesday. And Conley was hesitant to indicate how soon the president might be discharged.

“I don’t want to put a hard date on that,” he said.

Trump, for his part, made his own effort to establish his narrative a few hours after the medical team briefing.

"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!" he tweeted.

The president has been largely silent since announcing he had Covid-19 — dropping his obsessive tweeting habit and not making any appearances. Throughout Friday, it was left to aides and allies to provide insight into his “mild symptoms.” Then, early Friday evening, the White House said it was taking Trump to Walter Reed hospital out of an “abundance of caution” for “a few days.” In a memo before the trip, Conley described the president as “fatigued but in good spirits.”

The sudden disappearance on Friday started to worry aides and allies, who fretted about the president’s status as they waited for guidance on how to message the situation.

Trump surrogates were told to cancel media appearances as everyone went into a holding pattern. By Friday evening, that ban appeared to be lifted — Trump advisers David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski were both back on the air.

That same night, Conley revealed the president had started taking the antiviral drug remdesivir and was “doing very well.” Preliminary data has shown the drug can help reduce recovery time for hospitalized coronavirus patients. But research has been inconclusive on whether the drug lowers the risk of death.

Trump has also completed an infusion of an experimental antibody drug produced by Regeneron — receiving the highest dosage being tested in the ongoing clinical trial — and is taking aspirin, zinc and vitamin D.

Notably, before Saturday there had been no significant information released on Trump’s vitals, such as his oxygen levels or blood pressure. Conley did say late Friday that Trump was not receiving supplemental oxygen.

To this point, Trump’s only public appearance related to his condition has been a brief, 18-second video he released before going to Walter Reed, thanking his supporters and proclaiming, “I think I’m doing very well.” He reiterated the message in a late-night tweet: “Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!”

Late Friday night, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted that he had spoken by phone with Trump, calling the president “upbeat” and predicting: “Our president is strong and will beat the virus!”

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.

On Saturday, Pence convened campaign staffers across the country on a conference call for a pep talk. Pence said he had spoken to a Trump who was in “great spirits,” and implored staffers to not let up in the campaign's waning days. “I want to encourage you to stay in the fight,” Pence said. “Let’s continue to carry our message across this country.”

Trump’s infection is part of an outbreak that has raced through the White House, the Trump campaign and Republican senators on Capitol Hill.

The first indication of a viral spread appeared Thursday evening when the White House confirmed that Hope Hicks, a close Trump aide who travels regularly with the president, had contracted the disease. Then a cascade of positive tests were revealed over the next 36 hours — Trump’s campaign manager, the head of the Republican National Committee and three GOP senators were just a few of people affected.

The infections are likely linked to several Republican gatherings over the last week.

Last Saturday, the White House held a Rose Garden ceremony to introduce Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s pick to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Attendees at the event were largely maskless, and there were indoor receptions before and after the outdoor ceremony.

In the days that followed, the president traveled to several rallies and the first presidential debate, repeatedly putting him and his top aides in close proximity on helicopters and planes.