Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty
Bored by his Coronavirus hospitalization, anxious about his re-election, and worried about appearing weak, Donald Trump defies medical advice and goes on a brief drive-by outside Walter Reed Military Hospital.
A masked Trump sought to divert headlines from worrying signs about the severity of his conditions, greeting supporters through the car window.
Moments earlier, the White House released a 74-second video of Trump, standing inside the hospital’s Presidential suite, declaring that he finally recognized the seriousness of the virus:
I get it. And I understand it. And it’s a very interesting thing and I’m going to be letting you know about it.
He then tried to build excitement by saying he would soon be seeing supporters.
Trump’s appearance came as the US death toll reached 209,794. Confirmed cases are 7,420,971.
See EA on Monocle 24: The Week in US Politics
“Reckless and Completely Unnecessary”
Trump’s doctors gave another briefing on Sunday afternoon, following an upbeat Saturday statement that was immediately contradicted by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
The doctors again emphasized improvement. One even declared that Trump might return to the White House on Monday.
But the optimistic tone was undercut by the admission that medical intervention was required after Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped twice in the two days after he was diagnosed with the virus. That exposed Dr. Sean Conley’s attempt on Saturday to deny that Trump had received oxygen.
The doctors also pointed to the seriousness of Trump’s condition with the revelation that they had given him Dexamethasone, a steroid which is recommended only for severely ill patients.
Trump also has been given the experimental antibody cocktail Regeneron and the antiviral drug Remdesivir, in what medical experts assessed was an approach of “throwing the kitchen sink” at the virus.
The experts said Trump’s show of energy may have been boosted by the administration of Dexamethasone. They also criticized the “reckless” drive-by, unnecessarily putting hospital staff members and Secret Service agents.
The attending physician at Walter Reed, James Phillips, wrote on Twitter:
Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential “drive-by” just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.
— Dr. James P. Phillips, MD (@DrPhillipsMD) October 4, 2020
Phillips noted in a telephone interview on Sunday night that the car ride violated standards of care and would not be an option for any other patient: “At what point does the physician-patient relationship end, and does the commander in chief and subordinate relationship begin, and were those doctors ordered to allow this to happen?”
White House spokesman Judd Deere insisted, “The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.”
More Deception
The episode added to criticism of Trump and the White House pursuing deception, rather than clarity, in an effort to minimize political damage.
“Two administration officials” broke ranks to confirm that Trump first returned a positive result from a rapid test on Thursday evening — just after returning from a fundraiser with more than 200 donors at his golf club in New Jersey as the White House hid the positive test of Trump advisor and confidante Hope Hicks.
Trump did not reveal the positive outcome when he called into the Fox TV show of his friend Sean Hannity. It was only after a second, more detailed test that he tweeted confirmation early Friday morning.
Dr. Conley, who had said on Saturday that Trump was not receiving oxygen, not only confirmed the Friday emergency episodes in yesterday’s briefing but also said Trump “was fairly adamant that he didn’t need it”.
Conley, despite being Trump’s lead doctor, said he was not sure if Trump was given oxygen on Saturday, but if so, it was “very, very limited”. The Dexamethazone steroid was administered immediately afterwards.
Conley admitted his evasion on Saturday with the garbled explanation, “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.
White House communications advisor Alyssa Farah effectively admitted that Conley’s focus on Saturday was on speaking to Trump via television: “When you’re treating a patient, you want to project confidence, you want to lift their spirits, and that was the intent.”
On Sunday, Dr. Brian Garibaldi pronounced, “If [Trump] continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House, where he can continue his treatment course.”
Neither Conley or Farah explained if Garibaldi’s statement was also stage-managed for Trump.
White House Not Cooperating Over “Super-Spreader” Event
“Two people close to Trump” said he is anxious to be released and expressed fear that he might goad Conley into an early discharge.
But advisors were worried by the prediction of a Monday release because, if it does not occur, it will signal Trump’s is exaggerating his recovery. They are also concerned that a premature return could lead to a second trip to the hospital.
Sources said Trump is watching even more TV than usual, and was infuriated by Chief of Staff Meadows’ contradiction of Conley’s upbeat assessment and by speculation about transfer of powers to Vice President Mike Pence.
Angry that no one was on TV defending him, he instructed his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to appear on programs.
Meanwhile, the White House is not cooperating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track down attendees at a ceremony on September 26 that may have been a “super-spreader” event.
Guests were packed closely together in the Rose Garden to see Trump announce the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. They also were received by Barrett inside the White House.
At least 11 high-profile White House and Republican figures have revealed positive tests since the ceremony and preparations for the first Presidential debate last Tuesday.
Concern has been further raised by two members of the White House residence staff testing positive for the virus a few weeks ago, according to “two people briefed on their cases”.
Communications advisor Farah told reporters that the White House will disclose the number of positive cases among staff.
But Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany rejected any release of information because of “privacy concerns”. She did not explain how giving a number of case would violate anyone’s privacy.
