President Donald Trump’s ‘coughs edited out’, hospital TV grabs “staged’
Donald Trump’s coughs are being “edited out” and his hospital media appearances were “staged”, it is being claimed on social media.
US President Donald Trump’s coughs are being “edited out” and his hospital media appearances are being “staged”, it is being claimed on social media.
According to metadata embedded in two photos the White House released of Mr Trump at Walter Reed Hospital, they were taken ten minutes apart.
The photos feature Mr Trump tieless in a white shirt looking at files at a boardroom table and then with a navy jacket over the shirt in a different room, signing a document.
Some on Twitter claim the document is just “a blank piece of paper” and others suggest the photos, taken at 5:25:29 (with the jacket) and 5:35:40, (in just the shirt), were “completely staged” with “costume changes”.
“So they are moving him around to different rooms, signing blank pages,” one Twitter user posted.
The EXIF data revealing the timing of the photos was embedded in the images released in news agency @AP wire postings.
Another Twitter post suggested that someone was editing the “coughs” from video of Mr Trump’s TV appearances from the hospital, using Adobe software.
ZOOM: @realDonaldTrump appears to be signing his name to a blank sheet of paper in this photo. pic.twitter.com/xlNX24CXn4
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) October 4, 2020
One Twitter used claimed that in the video released by Trump on Twitter, he coughed after the word “therapeutics” and it was edited out using the “morph cut” feature in the Adobe Premiere CC program.
Another Twitter user claimed if you zoomed in onto Trump’s eyes in the video, there was evidence that his pupils were dilated, possibly from medication.
Others speculated that the video of the president may not have been filmed at Walter Reed Hospital at all, but before he left the White House.
OXYGEN LEVEL ‘DROPPED RAPIDLY’
It was reported President Trump had a high fever and his blood oxygen level “dropped rapidly” before he went to hospital, according to his top aide.
Speaking to Fox News late on Saturday (Sunday afternoon, Australia time) Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows said the President was increasingly worried about his health following his coronavirus diagnosis.
“Yesterday morning, he was real concerned with that. He had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly,” he told host Jeannie Pirro.
He added that the President had shown “unbelievable courage,” was doing “extremely well” and he was “very optimistic” for his recovery.
“But he’s not out of the woods yet. The next 48 hours will be critical”.
Other reports have said the President had “heart palpitations,” his fever reached 39.5C and he openly wondered whether he was going to die.
The revelations came just hours after Mr Trump himself said he “wasn’t feeling so well” prior to his trip to hospital.
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On Saturday, Mr Trump uploaded to Twitter a video from inside the hospital where he is being treated for coronavirus.
Mr Trump thanked the staff of the Walter Reed Medical Centre and said he would be “back soon, to finish the campaign” following his treatment for COVID-19.
He also said he was given the option of remaining at the White House but he couldn't be “locked upstairs”.
Mr Trump was taken to the hospital by helicopter on Friday night reportedly after being administered supplementary oxygen in the White House. He is being treated alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
“I came here, I wasn’t feeling so well. I feel much better now. I’m starting to feel good” he said on Saturday night, US time.
“We’re working hard to get me back. I have to get back because we still have to make America great again. We have to finish that job and I think I’ll be back soon … to finishing up the campaign.”
WHY TRUMP LEFT WHITE HOUSE
Mr Trump said that virus was “something that’s happened” to millions of people.
“I’m fighting for them, not just in the US but all over the world.
“We're going to beat this coronavirus, or whatever you want to call it, and we’re going to beat it soundly”.
Moving on to his wife, Mr Trump said her age meant she was in a low risk category for the disease.
“Our First Lady is doing very well. She asked me to say something of the respect and love that she has for our country. Melania is handling it very well and that makes me very happy and makes the country very happy.”
He said he was given the option of remaining in the White House but made a call to be moved to hospital.
“I just didn’t want to stay in the White House. I was given that alternative, ‘stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don’t even go to the oval office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it. Don’t see people, don’t talk to people and just be done with it’. And I can’t do that; I have to be out front.
“This is America, this is the United States, this is the greatest country in the world this is the most powerful country in the world I can’t be locked upstairs and just say ‘hey, whatever happens’.
“I can’t do that; you have to confront problems. There’s never been a great leader that would have done that. So that’s where it is.”
“HEART PALPITATIONS”
More details are beginning to emerge of Mr Trump’s condition immediately prior to him flying to the Walter Reed Medical Centre.
Vanity Fairjournalist Gabriel Sherman reported that the President was become clearly rattled at his condition.
“On Friday, Trump grew visibly anxious as his fever spiked to 103 fahrenheit (39.5C) and he was administered oxygen at the White House,” he wrote, referring to “Republican sources”.
Mr Sherman said he was told that Mr Trump “experienced heart palpitations” on the Friday which could have been side effects of the experimental Regeneron antibody treatment he received.
“Am I going out like Stan Chera?” Mr Trump was reported to have asked aides, a reference to his friend Stan Chera, who died of the disease in April.
Yesterday, the doctors treating Mr Trump, led by White House physician Dr Sean Conley, held a media briefing outside Walter Reed Medical Centre painted a glowing picture of the President’s health.
“The President is doing very well,” Dr Conley said.
“At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made. (On) Thursday he had a mild cough and some nasal congestion and fatigue, all of which are now resolving and improving at this time.
RELATED: Growing White House cluster linked to one event
“It’s important to note the President has been fever free for over 24 hours. We remain cautiously optimistic, but he’s doing great with that.
“One other note, it should be clear that he’s got plenty of work to get done and he’s doing it.”
Dr Sean Dooley, a pulmonary critical care doctor, stressed that Mr Trump was in “exceptionally good spirits”.
“The President this morning is not on oxygen; not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House medical unit,” said Dr Dooley.
“In fact, as we were completing our rounds this morning, the quote he left us with was: ‘I feel like I could walk out of here today.’ And that was a very encouraging comment from the President.”
RELATED: Trump to spend ‘days’ in hospital as a ‘precaution’
However, following that medical brief contradictory information regarding the President’s health began to emerge.
The White House’s Mr Meadows approached the press pool and gave a much more sober assessment of his boss’s condition in recent days.
“The President’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery,” he said.
Mr Meadows initially provided this quote on condition of anonymity, with the pool reporters describing him as “a person familiar with the President’s health”.
This caused no small measure of frustration among political reporters, several of whom demanded the anonymous source identify himself.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Meadows’ cover was blown as video footage emerged of him approaching the press pool and asking to speak off the record.
Mr Meadows then gave The Associated Press another quote, on the record this time.
“We’re still not on a clear path yet to a full recovery,” he said.
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