US President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19, but it is uncertain exactly how sick he is.
Trump told Americans from his hospital room that the next few days will be the “real test” of his treatment, after a series of contradictory messages from the White House caused widespread confusion about his condition.
In a four-minute video posted on Twitter on Saturday from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, a tired-looking Trump said he was feeling “much better.”
“Over the next period of a few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days,” said Trump, whose results came in on Thursday.
Incredible video from our President @realDonaldTrump! pic.twitter.com/r8XmTC0fxX
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) October 3, 2020
A team of doctors said on Saturday morning that Trump’s condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House.
But minutes later, his chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less rosy assessment, telling them: “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’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Meadows, who made the comment on condition of anonymity changed his tune hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was doing “very well”.
The opposing comments have drawn criticism.
Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia’s Centre for Politics says: “Today’s spectacle – doctors saying one thing, White House sources saying another thing, and both later amending their statements – only reinforces the credibility problems of this administration.”
Trump has been slated for his lackadaisical response to the pandemic in the US, where more than 200 000 people have lost their lives to Covid-19.