White House officials have ‘serious concerns’ over President Trump’s COVID-19 symptoms
White House officials are said to be extremely worried about Donald Trump’s health, with claims his virus symptoms are “serious”.
White House officials are said to be extremely worried about Donald Trump, with sources claiming his virus symptoms are “worse” than those of the First Lady.
US media reported Donald Trump is experiencing “mild” cold-like symptoms after announcing both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive to COVID-19 in the early hours of Friday morning, local time.
But CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta has shared a series of tweets in the last few minutes claiming The President’s condition is “serious”.
“Trump adviser said there is reason for concern about Trump’s health tonight,” he wrote.
“‘This is serious’, the source said.
“The source went on to describe Trump as very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing. WH officials continue to say Trump will be fine.”
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In an earlier tweet, Mr Acosta said officials had “serious concerns” about Mr Trump, adding his symptoms were allegedly “worse than those of the First Lady”.
Trump adviser said there is reason for concern about Trump's health tonight. "This is serious," the source said. The source went on to describe Trump as very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing. WH officials continue to say Trump will be fine.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 2, 2020
Trump adviser said there is reason for concern about Trump's health tonight. "This is serious," the source said. The source went on to describe Trump as very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing. WH officials continue to say Trump will be fine.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 2, 2020
While another CNN reporter, Ana Cabrera shared a tweet that claimed Mr Trump was “having some trouble breathing” after the claim was reportedly made on air.
NEW: A Trump adviser says there is reason for concern about Trump's health tonight. "This is serious," the source said. The source went on to describe Trump as very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing. @Acosta and @vmsalama report
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) October 3, 2020
.@Acosta just reported on air that a Trump campaign advisor says the president is “having trouble breathing"
— Brandon Wall (@Walldo) October 3, 2020
Mr and Mrs Trump were tested after being in close contact with special adviser, Hope Hicks, who started showing symptoms of the virus on Wednesday and received a positive diagnosis on Thursday.
The New York Times reported the President had previously seemed “raspy” in public and lethargic after a fundraiser at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club on Thursday, where he came into contact with around 100 people.
He is also said to have fallen asleep on the plane on a flight home from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday night.
His treatment plan wasn’t clear initially but Mr Trump and the First Lady have now been taken to Walter Reed Medical Centre, a military hospital, to be treated for the virus.
There are also key questions around whether the President attended the New Jersey rally once contact-tracing was already underway after Ms Hicks’ positive result.
White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, said early Friday morning local time, the Trumps “remain in good spirits.”
“The president does have mild symptoms,” he said outside the White House.
“He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic.”
“We talked a number of times this morning. He is certainly wanting to make sure that we stay engaged. The doctors continue to monitor his health and the health of the First Lady.”
“The great thing about this President is not only is he staying committed to working very hard....his first question to me this morning was ‘how is the economy doing? How are the stimulus talks doing?”
Mr Meadows declined to comment on whether the President was taking any particular treatment for COVID.
“We have a president that is not only on the job but will remain on the job, I’m optimistic that he will have a very quick and speedy recovery,” he said.
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The shock diagnosis just over 30 days out from the US election has rocked Washington and the world, pausing Mr Trump’s campaign and throwing the second debate with Democratic contender Joe Biden into doubt.
Mr Trump has been criticised for taking a cavalier attitude to the virus, rarely seen wearing a mask in public and continuing to hold busy rallies in defiance of official medical advice.
In the last week he has undertaken at least eight flights, two helicopter rides, three rallies and one presidential debate, according to the Mail Online.
Just hours before his diagnosis he was pictured throwing hats into the crowd at a Minnesota rally.
The White House is now carrying out contact tracing on all those the Trumps may have come into contact with.
“Contact tracing is being done and the appropriate notifications and recommendations will be made,” deputy press secretary Judd Deere said.
Trump tossing hats out to the crowd as he steps on stage #TrumpRally #Trump2020 #Duluth pic.twitter.com/0NPKCKX9ZL
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) October 1, 2020
Earlier this week, he told Fox News' Sean Hannity about the difficulty of maintaining social distancing.
“It’s very hard when you’re with soldiers, when you are with airmen, when you’re with the Marines, and the police officers, I’m with them so much,” he told Fox News.
“And when they come over to you, it’s hard to say, ‘stay back, stay back’. You know, it’s a tough kind of a situation, it’s a terrible thing.
“I just went for a test, and we‘ll see what happens. I mean, who knows … I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she’s a very warm person with them.”
Now, attention is turning to his inner circle and who else may have contacted the virus.
So far Vice President Mike Pence, Mr Trump’s son Barron, daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have tested negative to the disease.
Praying for the swift recovery of my father and Melania and for all those impacted by COVID-19.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 2, 2020
As they fight this together, the President will continue to fight for the people of this great country.
However official advice is to isolate over an incubation period in which symptoms can still appear.
Adviser Hope Hicks has been named as a potential source of the Trumps’ infection, however Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the FDA, told the Mail Online this was unlikely as they started showing symptoms within days and it’s more likely the pair were exposed by another source earlier.
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CHINA CROWS AS WORLD LEADERS REACT
Well wishes for the Trumps have been flooding in from around the world, from Russian President, Vladimir Putin to Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and UK leader Boris Johnson – who spent several nights in intensive care with the disease.
However the editor in chief of China’s state run newspaper, the Global Times, Hu Xijin, blamed the Trumps for not taking the virus seriously.
Taking to Twitter, Hu wrote: “President Trump and the First Lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19.
“The news shows the severity of the US’s pandemic situation.
“It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his re-election.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US ELECTION?
Such a situation occurring within a month of the US election is unprecedented and it remains to be seen how it will affect Mr Trump’s campaign.
The second debate is scheduled for October 15, and it’s still unclear whether Mr Biden may have been infected at Tuesday’s debate, at which Mr Trump may have been incubating the disease.
Mr Biden and running mate, Kamala Harris, have both tweeted their wishes for a speedy recovery for the Trumps.
The news has already roiled global markets due to the political uncertainty.
“The increase in political uncertainty connected with Trump’s diagnosis is … weighing on stocks and stock futures, and supporting safe havens such as the yen, Swiss franc and the US dollar,” Rabobank analyst Jane Foley told AFP.
“The extent to which the election campaign is affected will depend on the outcome for Trump’s health.”
“There are sufficient unknowns at this stage to fan speculation that the election could be quite different from the one that was expected just 24 hours ago.
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