President Trump has been taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following his positive coronavirus test and will remain there for “the next few days,” the White House announced late Friday afternoon.
“President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a Friday evening statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days. President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the First Lady.”
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Trump left the White House and was flown by helicopter to Walter Reed, the region’s top military hospital, arriving at 6:30 p.m. EST. He walked to the Marine One helicopter on his own, wearing a suit and a mask, and waved at reporters but did not address them.
Shortly after Trump’s arrival at the hospital, he tweeted a short video recorded at the White House.
“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. “The first lady is doing very well.”
The renowned medical center, in Bethesda, Maryland, is the top military hospital in the region, and it’s where U.S. presidents usually receive their medical treatment.
McEnany’s statement came just an hour after Trump’s doctor released a letter saying he was “fatigued but in good spirits,” and had been given a dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody treatment, an experimental treatment for COVID-19. That same letter said First Lady Melania Trump, who has also tested positive for the virus, “remains well, with only a mild cough and headache.”
Just hours earlier, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows claimed that Trump had “mild symptoms” but was energetic and working.
Shortly after that, Trump didn’t appear on a scheduled call with governors to discuss senior citizens and coronavirus — Vice President Mike Pence stepped in instead. That call was the only event Trump was scheduled to participate in on Friday after his public events were canceled following his positive COVID test.
Trump has not made any public comments since he tweeted at 1 a.m. Friday morning that he and the first lady had the virus.
