Getty Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Spooky Nook Sports center in Manheim, Pennsylvania on October 1, 2016.
President Donald Trump posted a video on Twitter in the hours after his COVID-19 diagnosis before he left for Walter Reed hospital, and said that he and the first lady are “doing very well.”
Trump appeared in a suit and tie in the Oval Office for his announcement on Friday, October 2, 2020, less than 24 hours after he and Melania Trump were diagnosed with the coronavirus.
“I’m going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” he said in the video.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump Provided an Update on his Health Condition on Twitter & Thanked His Supporters
Trump posted an 18-second video on Twitter before he left the White House for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the evening of October 2. The video was filmed in front of the fireplace in the Oval Office. The video message was Trump’s first tweet since he announced he and Melania tested positive for COVID-19 at about 1 a.m. the same day.
“I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I’m going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out. The first lady is doing very well,” he said. “So thank you very much. I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you.”
He is expected to stay at Walter Reed for a few days, The New York Times reported. He was taken to the hospital by Marine One, walking across the White House Lawn in a mask. He did not make comments to reporters on his walk, but gave them a thumbs up.
Trump Is Experiencing Mild Symptoms & Will Undergo Testing at Walter Reed
Here’s the video of Trump leaving the White House and boarding Marine One to head to Walter Reed hospital. He did not talk to reporters.
Trump was taken to the military hospital for testing, The New York Times reported. He is experiencing mild symptoms, including a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and a cough.
Trump is not transferring power to Vice President Mike Pence, the Times reported. White House spokesman, Judd Deere, told them, “The president is in charge.”
He took an experimental drug as a precaution, an antibody cocktail developed by the biotech company Regeneron, according to his physician, Dr. Sean Conley. He is also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.
An update from President @realDonaldTrump‘s physician:
“As of this afternoon the President remains fatigued but in good spirits,” Conley’s memo said. “He’s being evaluated by a team of experts, and together we’ll be making recommendations to the President and First Lady in regards to next best steps.”
He added Melania Trump remains well, and is experiencing only a mild cough and headache. The rest of the family tested negative for the coronavirus.
The first lady wrote on Twitter Friday morning that she was “overall feeling good.”
Thank you for the love you are sending our way. I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery.
“Thank you for the love you are sending our way. I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery,” she wrote.
Hope Hicks, a senior aide to Trump, tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, the day before Trump’s positive test result. She traveled with Trump on Air Force One to a rally in Michigan and to the Presidential Debate in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19,” Trump wrote on Twitter following her diagnosis. “Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!”
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