Doc says Trump continues to improve, could leave hospital Monday
By Ruth Tene Natsa, Agency Report
National security adviser Robert O’Brien says Trump is “firmly in control” of the government despite hospitalization, USA Today reports
President Donald Trump’s condition has continued to improve since being taken to the hospital Friday, due to symptoms from a COVID-19 infection, White House physician Sean Conley told reporters on Sunday.
Trump remains at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center but Conley said if he “continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.”
The president announced early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the virus. More than a dozen White House staffers, senior Republican Party officials and members of Congress have also tested positive.
On Saturday evening, Trump tweeted a video of himself telling the American people that he’s “starting to feel good,” but he acknowledged the coming days would be “the real test.” Doctors say that’s because an imbalanced immune response during this time can have life-threatening consequences.
Experts have questioned why Vice President Mike Pence is not self-isolating and is in fact ramping up his public appearances. Pence was among dozens of politicians and high-profile dignitaries at a White House Rose Garden event when Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his pick to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation’s high court. At least eight people who attended the event that Saturday, including the president, have tested positive for coronavirus.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie checked himself into the hospital Saturday with mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19. He did debate prep with Trump and said no one wore masks.
It’s not just the White House dealing with an onslaught of cases: Friday’s nationwide case count was the highest daily total in nearly two months.
“Operation MAGA”: The Trump campaign announced Saturday that despite the president’s illness, it plans to resume in-person events, leaning on Vice President Pence and Trump’s children.
