Donald Trump had to stop his re-election campaign after he tested positive for Covid-19. His condition is the subject of much speculation.
On Sunday October 4, Doctor Sean Conley and his medical team wanted to be reassuring, reported French daily Le Figaro. “He is fine, his state of health is improving,” they assured. But “he experienced a lack of oxygen twice,” they added.
Contrary to his press briefing the day before, Doctor Conley revealed that Donald Trump needed oxygen supplementation for about an hour, and that his oxygen saturation level had dropped to 93 percent during his second spell of shortness of breath.
The presidential doctor also admitted that he had not revealed this incident the day before to project an “optimistic” image. In contrast, Presidential Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had not hesitated to tell reporters that the president’s last 24 hours had been very worrying. Donald Trump is now being treated with dexamethasone, a drug from the corticosteroid family used for the treatment of severe cases of Coronavirus.
But “the patient continues to improve […] his vital signs are stable” and he could return to the White House as of Monday, October 5, said Dr Conley.
For his part, Donald Trump spoke to Americans directly in a brief video message posted on Twitter.
Shortly thereafter, the president briefly left Walter Reed Military Hospital in suburban Washington to greet, through his car windows and wearing a mask, his supporters gathered near the building.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2020