Trump moved to military hospital after COVID-19 diagnosis

By Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper

 

U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks out to the Marine One helicopter to fly to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after testing positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump moved to a military hospital for treatment on Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19 as his administration and election campaign scrambled to adjust to an extraordinary twist in his turbulent presidency.

 

Roughly 17 hours after he announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump walked slowly from the White House to a waiting helicopter to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

He wore a mask and business suit, and he did not speak to reporters.

 

"I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out," Trump said in a brief video posted to Twitter.

 

Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.

 

Trump, 74, has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P. Conley said he is being treated with an experimental drug cocktail and is "fatigued but in good spirits."

 

It was the latest recent setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

 

Trump, who has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, wrote on Twitter earlier on Friday that he and his wife Melania were going into quarantine after testing positive for the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and severely damaged the U.S. economy.

 

An active Twitter user, Trump has not posted any messages since then.

 

Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.

 

Conley said Trump has received an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2. The drug is one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used for treating a wide range of illnesses.

U.S. infectious disease chief Dr. Anthony Fauci is among those saying the technique has promise.

 

Trump is also taking zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.

 

Stocks on Wall Street closed lower as news of Trump's diagnosis added to mounting uncertainties surrounding the election.

 

The president's illness upended his re-election campaign with just 31 days to go until Election Day. The campaign said it would postpone rallies and other events where he was scheduled to appear, or take them online.

 

Biden pulled ads attacking Trump off the air, but otherwise continued his campaign after testing negative for the virus.

 

At a union hall in Grand Rapids, Biden said he was praying for his rival's recovery. However, he also implicitly criticized Trump, who rarely wears a mask in public and has held huge campaign rallies with little social distancing.

 

"Be patriotic," Biden said. "It's not about being a tough guy. It's about doing your part."

 

Trump's illness also raised questions about the health of others atop the U.S. government.

 

Vice President Mike Pence, who would take over if Trump were to fall severely ill, has tested negative, a spokesman said. The former Indiana governor, 61, is working from his own residence several miles from the White House.

 

Trump did not transfer power to Pence as other presidents have sometimes done while undergoing medical treatment, according to a White House official.

 

Pence took over Trump's planned calls with governors and retirees' organizations. His Oct. 7 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go forward as planned, organizers said. Harris has also tested negative for the virus, according to the campaign.

 

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, third in line for the presidency, also had tested negative, a spokesman said.

 

The Republican National Committee would chose a replacement nominee if Trump were to become incapacitated, but it is already too late in most states to change the names on the ballot. Some 2.9 million people have already voted, according to figures compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.

 

The virus could also complicate Trump's push to install conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court.

 

At least two people who were at a White House event to announce her nomination, University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins and Republican Senator Mike Lee, said Friday they have tested positive.

 

Barrett herself tested positive for the virus earlier this year and has since recovered, according to a person familiar with the matter.

 

Trump is the latest world leader to be tested positive for the virus, which can cause a severe respiratory infection.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was rushed into intensive care after falling gravely ill in March. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the virus a "little flu" after being infected in July. Both men recovered.

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan; additional reporting by Diane Bartz, Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunicutt; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-03

 

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Good move, an abundance of caution.

Edited October 2, 20205 yr by Kelsall

 Get well soon Sir! The free world is holding it's breath, our survival depends on you.

 

 But consider the timing here. Trump just can't help himself. What a showman! He will ace the sympathy vote. Furthermore, if as a virile dude jacked up on HCQ and zinc(for which he was mauled by the haters) he beats covid with no sweat, will it be enough to persuade the left to come out from under their beds and get on with life? An incredible show. Go Donald Trump, let's beat this thing and heal the world.

1 minute ago, TopDeadSenter said:

 Get well soon Sir! The free world is holding it's breath, our survival depends on you.

 

 But consider the timing here. Trump just can't help himself. What a showman! He will ace the sympathy vote. Furthermore, if as a virile dude jacked up on HCQ and zinc(for which he was mauled by the haters) he beats covid with no sweat, will it be enough to persuade the left to come out from under their beds and get on with life? An incredible show. Go Donald Trump, let's beat this thing and heal the world.

Our survival depends on you? OK. 

Science works such that the outcome for one person doesn't dictate the correct treatment for all so, no matter his outcome, it's best to follow scientific advice if possible. If only Trump did he wouldn't have put himself and potentially 100's of others in the last few days at risk. 

Politics aside on this, get well mate.

The fact that few tweets have been outbound lately doesn't bode well. Bottom line, this was preventable. He is easily on of the most hateable presidents ever, due to his immature, vindictive, irresponsible, racist, homophobic, sexist, narcissistic, untrustworthy, treasonous, contentious behavior. It's difficult to muster up any sympathy for someone who has the blood of tens of thousands of fellow Americans on his tiny little hands.

 

Kudos to Joe for taking the high road by pulling his negative ads. THAT'S how a president acts.

9 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

The sheer hubris of these people has been shattered. I wish it had happened a LOT sooner, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved if the administration had just taken it seriously.

The move to a military hospital tends to indicate Trump's condition is more serious than is being released for public consumption.

The virus that was nothing and would disappear has refused to toe the line.

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

The move to a military hospital tends to indicate Trump's condition is more serious than is being released for public consumption.

The virus that was nothing and would disappear has refused to toe the line.

 

People were saying the same about Boris. 

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The move to a military hospital tends to indicate Trump's condition is more serious than is being released for public consumption.

The virus that was nothing and would disappear has refused to toe the line.

Not necessarily. If he walked to the helicopter, that would not seem to be the case. He is there as a precaution because doctors know how fast the symptoms can accelerate, for example, Boris Johnson started with mild symptoms at home and a week later was rushed into intensive care and a dat away from being sedated and put on a ventilator.

28 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

 Get well soon Sir! The free world is holding it's breath, our survival depends on you.

 

 But consider the timing here. Trump just can't help himself. What a showman! He will ace the sympathy vote. Furthermore, if as a virile dude jacked up on HCQ and zinc(for which he was mauled by the haters) he beats covid with no sweat, will it be enough to persuade the left to come out from under their beds and get on with life? An incredible show. Go Donald Trump, let's beat this thing and heal the world.

I'm quite sure Trump will be getting much better medical attention than many of the dead and incapacitated in the USA, who are still waiting on the Obamacare replacement.

Having said that, I am wondering what you would do if Trump dies or is incapacitated. Sponsor an application at the Vatican for sainthood, perhaps? After all, he once was photographed holding a Bible.

1 minute ago, Pravda said:

 

People were saying the same about Boris. 

And it was true. Johnson, days after his diagnosis, was appearing on the steps of No:10 to show that he was fine. Then his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to intensive care. It was several weeks before he fully recovered. Johnson is much younger and probably less overweight than Trump.

 

The prognosis is not good.

6 minutes ago, Pravda said:

 

People were saying the same about Boris. 

Boris himself admitted he thought he was going to die.

23 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-family-members-not-wear-masks-during-debate-joe-biden-2020-9

Trump's family at the debate where they refused to follow no mask rules. 

"On the Trump side of the hall, Mrs. Trump came in wearing a mask but took it off once she sat down," Wallace said. "I didn't see when they came in but all the other members of the first family that I saw there, including Ivanka, Tiffany, when they sat down they weren't wearing masks."

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-family-refused-masks-debate-145855920.html

Edited October 3, 20205 yr by serenedion

 It's a brilliant move by Trump, The attention will all be on him, while the criticism will be more subdued for the sake of decorum.  After the recovery the Dems won't have time to pick up momentum. 2020 is in the bag,

5 minutes ago, tonray said:

Not necessarily. If he walked to the helicopter, that would not seem to be the case. He is there as a precaution because doctors know how fast the symptoms can accelerate, for example, Boris Johnson started with mild symptoms at home and a week later was rushed into intensive care and a dat away from being sedated and put on a ventilator.

You may be right. Although walking to the helicopter would be a better PR look than arriving there in a wheelchair. I think I'm safe in saying he would have rejected that mode of transport out of hand.

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Boris himself admitted he thought he was going to die.

Well, they have made quite a bit of progress in treating covid since his hospital passage.

3 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

 It's a brilliant move by Trump, The attention will all be on him, while the criticism will be more subdued for the sake of decorum.  After the recovery the Dems won't have time to pick up momentum. 2020 is in the bag,

And to complete the picture the Trump campaign should run a video of how Trump responded to the news that Hillary Clinton had pneumonia. His viciousness and ridicule were just what the doctor ordered. If the doctor's name was Mengele.

And the fact that Trump and his family have consistently refused to wear a mask and that Trump himself has repeatedly questioned the need for one will count for nothing.

1 minute ago, canuckamuck said:

 It's a brilliant move by Trump, The attention will all be on him, while the criticism will be more subdued for the sake of decorum.  After the recovery the Dems won't have time to pick up momentum. 2020 is in the bag,

Trump has set the bar on sympathy. After publicly mocking a disabled reporter, publicly mocking Clinton's pneumonia, he can have no argument with the world mocking him now.

 

Don't blame "Chainea", his illness is completely self inflicted, he was told to wear a mask, told to social distance but declared the medical experts, "Wrong, I disagree with them". Lets see if he disagrees with the medical advice he's getting now.

27 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Last night on Fox News they were showing photos of Donald Trump while they discussed the situation and nearly every photo they showed of him he was wearing a mask. Even though he wore them 1 per cent of the time if lucky. 

Not sure why I turn on Fox News. Comes free with the package. I think the bias in the evening Fox News shows are going to be funny or entertaining but it's normally just boring and predictable.  Watch Bill Maher on youtube this afternoon if you don't already. Good stuff and funny.

10 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

 It's a brilliant move by Trump, The attention will all be on him, while the criticism will be more subdued for the sake of decorum.  After the recovery the Dems won't have time to pick up momentum. 2020 is in the bag,

Just when I think a 45 supporter can't possibly be any more delusional, BOOM - you prove me wrong!

I'm not buying it. Awfully convenient timing. Low in the polls, questionable performance in the debates. Handling of Corona, handling of the protests, all the natural disasters, etc., followed by his ridiculous Tweets. "Man, I sure could use an ace in the hole. Oh I know, I'VE GOT CORONA!" Oh our brave president fighting Corona, just like one of us. All that anger is just melting away into sympathy. I don't think anyone could ask for a better October Surprise.

2 minutes ago, J Town said:

Just when I think a 45 supporter can't possibly be any more delusional, BOOM - you prove me wrong!

Well lets just watch and see.

I hope he gets better but I seriously do not see him out doing any campaigning up until the election.

 

8 minutes ago, polpott said:

Trump has set the bar on sympathy. After publicly mocking a disabled reporter, publicly mocking Clinton's pneumonia, he can have no argument with the world mocking him now.

 

Don't blame "Chainea", his illness is completely self inflicted, he was told to wear a mask, told to social distance but declared the medical experts, "Wrong, I disagree with them". Lets see if he disagrees with the medical advice he's getting now.

Trump doesn't care too much about feelings. As it should be. 

3 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I'm not buying it. Awfully convenient timing. Low in the polls, questionable performance in the debates. Handling of Corona, handling of the protests, all the natural disasters, etc., followed by his ridiculous Tweets. "Man, I sure could use an ace in the hole. Oh I know, I'VE GOT CORONA!" Oh our brave president fighting Corona, just like one of us. All that anger is just melting away into sympathy. I don't think anyone could ask for a better October Surprise.

There's no sympathy from anyone who wasn't already a base follower. The sympathy is going to Joe for taking the high road, acting like an adult by pulling his negative ads. The world is collectively thinking "som nom na."

1 minute ago, canuckamuck said:

Trump doesn't care too much about feelings. As it should be. 

At last an honest Trumpette. Trump and his followers have zero empathy for others, its all about "Me, me, me". And you wonder why Americans have such a bad rep with the rest of the world?

1 minute ago, canuckamuck said:

Trump doesn't care too much about feelings. As it should be. 

You really have no idea what a president should be. The most successful presidents were those that, while gutting the economy and working for corporations, made the American populace feel good - and I'm referring to BOTH Dems and Reps. Bill Clinton won because women voted for him in droves, and when asked why they voted for him, the majority said "He's cute." Reagan was a movie star, Obama was one of the most prolific liars ever yet people felt a sense of security, believed that an adult was at the helm. 45 has been THE most divisive president in any of our lifetimes. His immature, arrogant, vindictive, irresponsible, racist, homophobic, sexist, narcissistic, untrustworthy, treasonous, contentious behavior has pitted people against each other.

 

A president should care about all voters.

13 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I'm not buying it. Awfully convenient timing. Low in the polls, questionable performance in the debates. Handling of Corona, handling of the protests, all the natural disasters, etc., followed by his ridiculous Tweets. "Man, I sure could use an ace in the hole. Oh I know, I'VE GOT CORONA!" Oh our brave president fighting Corona, just like one of us. All that anger is just melting away into sympathy. I don't think anyone could ask for a better October Surprise.

Given Trump's psychopathology, I don't think that any kind of ruse like that is possible. Apparently, to the dismay of his advisers and fellow Republicans, he thought that he had won the debate.