President Donald Trump wanted to show on Sunday that he is recovering from Covid-19 by briefly showing himself to his followers, an exit too risky for the other occupants of the vehicle, according to medical experts, a day before the possible return of the president to the House White
Surprisingly, a caravan of black vehicles emerged outside the Walter Reed Hospital and from one of the Trump cars, wearing a mask, greeted his supporters gathered outside that establishment on the outskirts of Washington.
But this initiative drew sharp criticism, especially because of the risks run by the Secret Service agents who accompanied the president.
“Everyone in the vehicle during this completely unnecessary presidential outing should be quarantined for 14 days,” said James Phillips of the George Washington University Department of Medicine.
“They can get sick. They can die. Because of the political theater. Sent by Trump to put their lives in danger because of this political theater. This is crazy,” he added.
Zeke Emanuel, chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, tweeted: “Driving your Secret Service agents with a covid-19 patient, and even more so with the windows closed, unnecessarily exposes them to a risk of infection. And for what? A publicity stunt. ”
The presidential spokesman assured that “appropriate” precautions were taken to protect Trump and his entourage , including protective equipment.
“The discharge has been validated by the medical team as safe,” he added.
Trump returned to the hospital shortly after.
“I learned a lot about Covid, I learned it by actually going to school, ” Trump said in a video posted on Twitter before his walk.
“This is the real school. This is not the ‘let’s read books’ school, and I get it, and I understand it, and it’s something very interesting.”
After two nights in the hospital, cautious optimism dominated Trump’s surroundings on Sunday, although his doctor, Sean Conley, admitted that the initial condition of the patient was more severe than reported.
In contrast to his encouraging press conference on Saturday, Conley admitted that Trump had needed supplemental oxygen for about an hour, an episode serious enough to decide his admission.
“I was concerned about a potentially rapid course of the disease and recommended oxygen supplementation to the president,” said Conley, who assured that Trump was never drowned.
He acknowledged that he had not disclosed this incident on Saturday to project an “optimistic” image. But at the same time, the presidential chief of staff, Mark Meadows, confided to journalists that the president’s previous 24 hours had been worrying , which generated confusion.
Conley also indicated that on Saturday “morning” there had been another episode of low oxygen.
On the same day, doctors administered dexamethasone, a corticosteroid effective against severe forms of Covid-19, in addition to the antiviral remdesivir and the experimental cocktail from the company Regeneron, which were administered to him starting Friday.
The medical team said it was preparing for Trump’s return to the White House, perhaps as early as Monday, where he could continue with injections of remdesivir, an intravenous treatment scheduled to last five days.
“Our hope is that we can get him out of the hospital starting tomorrow (Monday) and that he continues treatment from the White House,” said one of the team’s doctors, Brian Garibaldi.
But Conley declined to describe the state of Trump’s lungs, when the question of the aftermath is raised for a position like the US presidency.
“We made some observations, but nothing important from a clinical point of view , ” he simply replied.
The president continued his work, making calls and tweeting from the medical center, according to his son Eric, his adviser Jason Miller and even Fox News anchor Jeanine Pirro.
T rump also released photos of himself “working” and posted two videos. On Saturday night he said that the next few days will be “the real test” of his evolution.
A month before the elections, a poll conducted two days after the debate with his Democratic rival Joe Biden on Tuesday and before his illness became known, showed that Trump’s adherence reached the lowest point in the year.
A Wall Street Journal / NBC poll gave Biden a 53% advantage to 39% among registered voters.
The controversy grows in parallel over the alleged negligence of the White House and the Trump family in the face of the coronavirus, and also over Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to continue with the campaign, when he should take the reins of power in the event of the incapacity of the president.
According to analysts, Biden’s team is reinforced in its decision to carry out a limited campaign, with a strong virtual component, and to scrupulously respect prevention protocols.
As for the second debate between the two candidates, scheduled for October 15, Biden’s field confirmed that the Democratic candidate will be present.
Biden, who has so far tested negative for corononavirus, will campaign Monday in Florida.
On video, Trump’s unexpected departure from the hospital
(With information from AFP)