Tag: Trump botched COVID-19 response

Trump’s fearlessness of coronavirus is powered by the type of health care only he gets

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President Trump is sending some discordant messages as he projects that he has turned the corner on his own coronavirus infection. He’s said he “learned a lot” about the disease and also advised Americans to not “be afraid.” All the while, he’s expressed gratitude for the medical professionals attending to him.

“This is an incredible hospital — Walter Reed,” he said in a video tweeted Monday. “The work they do is just absolutely amazing. And I want to thank them all — the nurses, the doctors, everybody here.”

Reflecting on his stint in the hospital, he added: Continue reading.

White House Blocks New Coronavirus Vaccine Guidelines

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The F.D.A. proposed stricter guidelines for emergency approval of a coronavirus vaccine, but the White House chief of staff objected to provisions that would push approval past Election Day.

WASHINGTON — Top White House officials are blocking strict new federal guidelines for the emergency release of a coronavirus vaccine, objecting to a provision that would almost certainly guarantee that no vaccine could be authorized before the election on Nov. 3, according to people familiar with the approval process.

Facing a White House blockade, the Food and Drug Administration is seeking other avenues to ensure that vaccines meet the guidelines. That includes sharing the standards — perhaps as soon as this week — with an outside advisory committee of experts that is supposed to meet publicly before any vaccine is authorized for emergency use. The hope is that the committee will enforce the guidelines, regardless of the White House’s reaction.

The struggle over the guidelines is part of a monthslong tug of war between the White House and federal agencies on the front lines of the pandemic response. White House officials have repeatedly intervened to shape decisions and public announcements in ways that paint the administration’s response to the pandemic in a positive light. Continue reading.

The president cares about his image. That’s pretty much it.

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President Trump walked out of the double brass doors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center wearing a disposable mask and surrounded by security. He paused for the cameras. He gave a thumbs-up for the benefit of the pictures. And he climbed aboard Marine One.

And when he arrived at the White House, he walked up the steps, stood in front of four American flags. And removed his mask. He removed his mask in a show of what? Ego. Recklessness. Selfishness.

He is still convalescing from covid-19, a highly unpredictable and deadly disease. He remains contagious. His doctor has noted that he may not be “entirely out of the woods.” And since he has been at Walter Reed, the White House has become a coronavirus hot spot. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday added her name to the list of staff, residents and recent visitors who have tested positive in the past week, which also includes the first lady. Continue reading.

Trump health official meets with doctors pushing herd immunity

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A top Trump health official met Monday with a group of doctors who are proponents of the controversial “herd immunity” approach to COVID-19, even as other experts warn of its deadly and dangerous consequences.

Martin Kulldorff, a professor at Harvard; Sunetra Gupta, a professor at Oxford; and Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford, all of whom are epidemiologists studying infectious diseases, were invited to the meeting by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Scott Atlas, an adviser to Trump on whom other experts have cast doubt for his statements about COVID-19, including his endorsement of herd immunity. 

In the meeting, the three doctors told Azar that allowing the virus to spread uncontrolled among young, healthy people while protecting older adults and those at higher risk for serious illness would build up enough population immunity to stop it from spreading widely while avoiding lockdowns and other mitigation measures that have had a damaging impact on the economy.  Continue reading.

Furious Trump aides are calling Amy Coney Barrett’s announcement the ‘Rose Garden massacre’ after COVID-19 outbreak

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Appearing ON MSNBC on Sunday afternoon, former Trump White House official Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman revealed staffers at the White House are upset with the president over the Rose Garden ceremony that seems to have led to a COVID-19 outbreak. She also shed light on what might really be going on with President Donald J. Trump as he receives care at the facility. She spent some time there when she fractured her foot during the early part of her tenure with the Trump administration.

“I had an opportunity to go to Walter Reid and I spent a lot of time there because I was in that boot for about six months and I had to go back and forth,” she said. “I”m so grateful for my doctors there, but let me just tell you what it is like at Walter Reid. Particularly the presidential suite, probably one of the most advanced medical wings. They can fully support Donald Trump and his COVID diagnosis. The only comfort I have is knowing he is only a mile away from George Washington hospital where they, too, are part of the umbrella of medical care and the director there can also handle any kind of presidential incidents. But why go and expose the staff, the secret service, the military aides, the wonderful staff in the residence, even the junior staffers you see there going in and out? They’re at risk in the Trump White House.”

She added, “What surprised me about him being moved, particularly with the symptoms they’re describing, are symptoms that could have easily been treated at the White House. That leads me to believe that his condition is worse than what they are describing. For him to be transported means there are things they have not shared with the American people.” Continue reading.

Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for coronavirus

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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announcedMonday that she tested positive for coronavirus.

Why it matters: She is the latest member of President Trump’s inner circle to be diagnosed with the illness over the last few days.

  • McEnany said that she is “experiencing no symptoms” in her announcement.
  • She added that “no reporters, producers or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit.”

Between the lines: McEnany’s positive test underscores a unique challenge for the White House as it battles its ongoing coronavirus outbreak because it may take days for people to test positive. Continue reading.

Outside experts pointed to the therapies as signs that the president’s health may not be as good as his doctors said. His age, weight and gender put him at high risk.

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President Trump will stay at Walter Reed military hospital for an indefinite number of days, his doctor said on Saturday, undergoing a five-day antiviral drug regimen for Covid-19 that indicated his condition might be more serious than had been publicly disclosed. On Thursday, he received another therapy that is still in early phases of testing.

Medical experts who have been following the sketchy, conflicting details released by the White House and Walter Reed about the president’s condition were divided about the experimental treatments Mr. Trump, 74, has received. And although they said it was hard to comment on Mr. Trump’s condition or evaluate his treatment given the limited and contradictory information, some said they were worried.

At a news conference on Saturday outside the medical center, Dr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, painted a very positive picture of the president’s condition, saying he was doing well, fever-free and not in need of supplemental oxygen. Continue reading.

Secret Service agents, doctors aghast at Trump’s drive outside hospital

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Current and former Secret Service agents and medical professionals were aghast Sunday night at President Trump’s trip outside the hospital where he is being treated for the coronavirus, saying the president endangered those inside his SUV for a publicity stunt.

As the backlash grew, multiple aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations also called Trump’s evening outing an unnecessary risk — but said it was not surprising. Trump had said he was bored in the hospital, advisers said. He wanted to show strength after his chief of staff offered a grimmer assessment of his health than doctors, according to campaign and White House officials.

A growing number of Secret Service agents have been concerned about the president’s seeming indifference to the health risks they face when traveling with him in public, and a few reacted with outrage to the trip, asking how Trump’s desire to be seen outside his hospital suite justified the jeopardy to agents protecting him. Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis has already brought new scrutiny to his lax approach to social distancing, as public health officials scramble to trace those he may have exposed at large in-person events. Continue reading.

How the everyday chaos of reporting on the Trump White House played out for the world to see Saturday

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The dispatches began routinely enough for an out-of-the-ordinary day, with Pool Report No. 2 from Cheryl Bolen, the Bloomberg News White House reporter on pool duty Saturday.

“Pool took vans over to Walter Reed, arriving at 10:31 a.m. We are attempting to learn the logistics of Dr. [Sean] Conley’s update on POTUS’s health, scheduled for 11:00 a.m., and will advise soonest.” The report, sent at 10:33 a.m., was a typical transmission from the email list that provides regular updates each day on the president’s activities and is, at the most basic level, the primary source for the press to communicate what is happening with the commander in chief.

But as the media continued to wait for the president’s medical team outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the next four hours of reports encapsulated the chaos that has been the defining feature of covering the Trump White House — this time on what might be the most consequential moment of his presidency. Continue reading.

Biden campaign says it will now disclose the result of every coronavirus test

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Joe Biden’s campaign said Saturday it will now disclose the result of every coronavirus test the candidate takes, following increased pressure for more transparency after President Trump recently tested positive for the virus and Vice President Pence has released results for two consecutive days.

“We have adhered to strict and extensive safety practices recommended by public health experts and doctors in all of our campaigning — including social distancing, mask wearing, and additional safeguards,” campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement. “Vice President Biden is being tested regularly, and we will be releasing the results of each test.”

Bates did not say how often Biden would be undergoing such tests, beyond saying they would happen on a regular basis. Biden, who tested negative Friday, told reporters he had not undergone a test Saturday but would on Sunday. Continue reading.