Getty President Donald Trump participates in a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley in his conference room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 4, 2020.
As President Donald Trump entered his third full day at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, October 5, he aggressively returned to Twitter. However, the contents of his tweets left many online wondering just how strong the president’s recovery from coronavirus was, or if the strong steroid dexamethasone may be having side effects.
Trump was last seen in public on a ride-around in front of the medical center, during which he greeted supporters while wearing a mask on Sunday. An attending physician at Walter Reed, Dr. James P. Phillips, tweeted about the ride-around: “That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump’s Twitter Spree Began With ‘Fox & Friends’ but Became a Series of Simple, All-Caps Posts Urging People to Vote Over Issues Like ‘Space Force’
“I’m voting for Donald Trump. My father is a Union Worker and his 401K has tripled under President Trump.” USA Voter. @foxandfriends Thank you, and remember that the Stock Market is getting ready to break its all time high. NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE BEST EVER. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!!
Trump got an early start on Twitter, quoting his favorite morning show, the largely supportive Fox & Friends, at 6:19 a.m. This was nothing new: on many mornings, Trump begins his day by relaying quotes he likes that are said about him on the program.
Minutes later, though, he began posting a series of 16 all-caps tweets that were largely incomplete sentences, boasting of things Trump claims to have accomplished or has promised in a second term.
LAW & ORDER. VOTE!
Trump blasted a familiar message: “LAW & ORDER. VOTE!” He also extolled the virtues of “RELIGIOUS LIBERTY,” “STOCK MARKET HIGHS” and “BEST V.A. EVER. 91% APPROVAL RATING.”
“PRO LIFE. VOTE!” Trump added.
However, it was Trump’s tweet about the U.S. Space Force being a reason to vote for him that perhaps left the most scratching their heads.
Trump tweeting “SPACE FORCE. VOTE!” from his hospital suite is too much.
“Trump tweeting, ‘SPACE FORCE. VOTE!’ from his hospital suite is too much,” MSNBC host Chris Hayes said.
Many Online Speculated That the ‘Dexamethasone Was Tweeting’ & ‘Space Force,’ as Well as ‘Steroids’ Soon Started to Trend
I see the Dexamethasone is tweeting.
During Trump’s Twitter spree, “steroids,” “Space Force” and the hashtag #25thAmendmentNow began trending online. Actor and frequent Trump critic George Takei immediately speculated, “I see the dexamethasone is tweeting.”
Another user screenshotted Trump’s Space Force tweet and joked, “Personally, I’m a ‘Space Force’ single-issue voter, so this really speaks to me.”
“Side effects of experimental COVID drugs may include random incoherent shouts,” another user said.
Speculation has raged about the mix of drugs Trump’s coronavirus is being attacked with since Sunday.
Trump’s doctors announced at a news conference on Sunday that Trump was treated with dexamethasone, a strong steroid, after a drop in oxygen, Fox News reported.
Dexamethasone is usually reserved for coronavirus patients who are experiencing severe illness, and several medical professionals expressed concern that Trump was being given the medication at all, The New York Times reported.
GettyDexamethasone tablets in a pharmacy in Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Northwell Health Physician-in-Chief Dr. Thomas McGinn told The Times that dexamethasone was “the most mystifying of the drugs we’re seeing him being given at this point.”
The drug has also, rarely, been linked to grandiose delusions, psychosis and hallucinations, Newsweek reported.
One user noted that Trump appeared to be “rattling away at hyper-warp-sonic speed this morning,” and, “That Dexamethasone must REALLY work!”
I LOVE DEXAMETHASONE!!
The popular anti-Trump Twitter account Angry Staffer screenshotted several of Trump’s all-caps tweets and said, “I LOVE DEXAMETHASONE!!”
Author and editor Federico Viticci tweeted about his own experience on dexamethasone while undergoing chemotherapy.
“When I underwent chemo years ago, I was treated with dexamethasone for weeks,” he said. “The initial euphoria was awesome! Then came vertigo, insomnia, withdrawal, and bone loss. I was 24. I wasn’t even in charge of my bedroom, let alone the United States of America.”
Doctors were expected to make a decision on whether Trump could return to the White House and continue his treatment there on Monday, Fox News’ John Roberts reported.
URGENT: From WH COS Mark Meadows to Fox News: “Spoke to the President this morning. He continued to improve over night and is ready to get back to a normal working schedule. He will meet with his doctors and nurses this morning to make further assessments of his progress.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also told Roberts, “We are still optimistic that he will be able to return to the White House later today.”
First lady Melania Trump is still in the White House and “feeling good,” she tweeted Monday morning.
“My family is grateful for all of the prayers and support,” the first lady said. “I am feeling good and will continue to rest at home. Thank you to medical staff and caretakers everywhere, and my continued prayers for those who are ill or have a family member impacted by the virus.”
READ NEXT: Trump Was at Fundraiser Just Before COVID-19 Diagnosis