United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he was feeling much better, but added that the next few days would be the “real test”. Trump was diagnosed as having the coronavirus a few days earlier.
“I came here, wasn’t feeling so well,” Trump, who is being treated at Walter Reed Military Medical Center near Washington, said in a video on Twitter. “I feel much better now, we’re working hard to get me all the way back.”
He added that he wanted to finish his election campaign. “I think I’ll be back soon and I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started,” he said. “We’ll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days. I guess that’s the real test.”
Trump said that he was fighting for all the people affected by the coronavirus. “This is something that has happened to millions of people all over the world,” he said. “I am fighting for them, not just in the US but for people all over the world.”
The president added that he had “no choice” but to work from the hospital. “I was given that alternative: stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don’t ever leave,” he said. “Don’t even go to the Oval Office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it.”
Trump added: “As a leader you have to confront problems. There has never been a great leader who would have done that.”
Trump also shared an update on First Lady Melania Trump’s health, saying that she was doing well. He ended the video by thanking doctors treating him and all the people who had sent him good wishes.
Confusion over diagnosis, timeline
Trump sought to assure the people about the progress in his condition, hours after his top White House aide said that the next 48 hours would be critical for his health.
“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,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters, according to The New York Times. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Contradictory statements have added to confusion about Trump’s health. Earlier on Saturday, Trump’s physician Dr Sean Conley had given a more optimistic assessment of his condition, saying that he had been “fever-free” for 24 hours, CNN reported. Conley had added that Trump’s symptoms were improving and that he was not being given oxygen, though unofficial sources said he had been given oxygen.
Conley also implied that Trump had known the diagnosis for about a day before it was made public, remarks that he later went back on.
The US president and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. Trump was hospitalised the same day after he experienced coughing, congestion and fever. In another video update on Saturday, Trump had said that he was “doing very well”.
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