US election 2020 – Trump undergoing experimental Remdesivir treatment for coronavirus in hospital, his doc says
PRESIDENT Donald Trump is taking the experimental drug Remdesivir as he is hospitalized for coronavirus, his doctor said.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany shared an update from Trump's doctor on Friday night, saying the president is "doing very well."
"This evening I am happy to report that the President is doing very well," Sean Conley said in a statement.
"He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy.
Remdesivir is currently only available through clinical trials, and has not been approved by the FDA as a treatment for COVID-19 or any other illness.
Conley said Trump "completed his first dose" of the medication, "and is resting comfortably."
From the hospital, Trump tweeted that things are "going well."
"Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!" Trump tweeted.
The White House announced on Friday that Trump will spend "the next few days" at the Walter Reed medical center in Maryland – just hours after he confirmed he had the deadly virus.
The president was transported to the hospital by presidential helicopter Marine One.
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: "President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day."
Trump revealed he and the First Lady had contracted coronavirus having seemingly caught it from senior White House aide Hope Hicks.
At the age of 74, Trump is considered to be in the 'high risk' category as a covid patient due to his weight and age.
As others who were at White House or campaign events over the past week have been tested for coronavirus, former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway revealed she tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has also reportedly tested positive for the virus.
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- Kassidy Vavra
TRUMP SUPPORTERS GATHER OUTSIDE WALTER REED HOSPITAL
Supporters of Donald Trump gathered outside Walter Reed medical center as the president was hospitalized with coronavirus on Friday.
Supporters were seen holding “Trump 2020 flags,” and shirts.
Some people were seen wearing masks – but others were not, or had face coverings pulled below their chins.
Police were also seen standing near the demonstrators, as they crowded outside the hospital's main gate.
- Kassidy Vavra
AT LEAST 11 COVID CASES LINKED TO DEBATE PLANNING IN CLEVELAND
At least 11 coronavirus cases have been linked to “pre-debate planning and setup” in Cleveland, Ohio, the City said in a statement.
The city released a statement on the positive cases, following President Trump's diagnosis just days after attending the debate.
The city said no residents at this time appear to have contracted the virus from attending the debate, and they are working to conduct contract tracing with the Department of Health.
“It is important to note that everyone affiliated with the debate – with credentials to be in the event perimeter – was tested upon arrival,” the City of Cleveland said in a statement.
“Only those with negative test results were allowed within the pavilion,” the city added.
- Kassidy Vavra
TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER TESTS POSITIVE FOR VIRUS
Bill Stepien, president Trump's campaign manager, has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
One senior campaign official told Politico that 42-year-old Stepien is experiencing “mild flu-like symptoms.”
He is reportedly planning to quarantine at home.
Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark is now expected to spearhead operations from the campaign's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Politico reported.
Stepien will continue to work remotely amid his diagnosis.
- Kassidy Vavra
PRESIDENT 'DOING VERY WELL,' TAKING REMDESIVIR, DOCTOR SAYS
Donald Trump is not on supplemental oxygen, and has started Remdesivir as he's at Walter Reed medical center after being diagnosed with coronavirus, his doctor said.
“This evening, I am happy to report that the President is doing very well,” Sean Conley said in a statement shared by the press secretary.
“He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy.”
The doctor added that Trump is “resting comfortably” at the hospital.
- Kassidy Vavra
TRUMP SAYS HOSPITAL VISIT 'GOING WELL'
President Trump tweeted that he thinks his hospital visit is “going well” following his coronavirus diagnosis.
“Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!” Trump tweeted on Friday night.
Trump's tweet came less than 24 hours after he revealed on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19.
- Kassidy Vavra
BERNIE SANDERS TO HOLD CAMPAIGNS FOR BIDEN IN BATTLEGROUND STATES
Senator Bernie Sanders is gearing up to hold in-person campaign events for Joe Biden, as Trump's campaign pumps the breaks amid his coronavirus hospitalization.
Sanders will head to New Hampshire on Saturday, where he's expected to hold an outdoor event, Newsweek reported.
On Monday, Sanders will head to Michigan for a drive-in rally, Newsweek reported.
Attendees will have to wear masks and social distance – a stark contrast from crowds seen at Trump rallies, where people were seen packed together, with many people not wearing masks.
- Kassidy Vavra
BIDEN SAYS COVID 'NOT A MATTER OF POLITICS'
Joe Biden said the coronavirus pandemic is “not a matter of politics” as he wished President Trump and First Lady Melania a fast recovery while speaking during a rally in Michigan.
“Sending my prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and president of the United States after they tested positive for COVID-19,” Biden said after it was revealed Trump and Melania both tested positive.
“My wife, Jill and I pray that they’ll make a quick and full recovery.
“This is not a matter of politics. It’s a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously. It’s not going away automatically. We have to do our part to be responsible,” Biden said.
He then told his supporters people must follow science, and listen to experts.
Biden added that people must take precautions including hand washing, social distancing, and wearing face masks.
- Kassidy Vavra
COVID IN THE CONWAY HOUSE
Former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway revealed she's tested positive for coronavirus, as her daughter Claudia posted an anti-Trump rant to TikTok.
“Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians,” Kellyanne, 53, tweeted.
“As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic,” she added.
Throughout the day on Friday, Claudia, 15, attacked Trump as she posted about her mom “coughing all around the house.”
“im furious. wear your masks. dont listen to our f**king idiot president piece of s**t. protect yourselves and those around you,” Claudia said in one video after revealing her mother tested positive for the virus.
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- Kassidy Vavra
TRUMP CAMPAIGN WON'T MIRROR BIDEN'S AND PULL NEGATIVE ADS
Donald Trump's campaign said it won't take down negative TV ads, after Joe Biden's campaign pulled theirs down amid the president's coronavirus hospitalization.
Spokesperson Tim Murtaugh slammed Biden for “attacking” Trump during a rally in Michigan, The Hill reported.
“Joe Biden used his speech in Michigan today to attack the President repeatedly on Social Security, the economy, and job creation,” Murtaugh said in a statement.
“Now Biden wants credit for being magnanimous?” he added.
- Kassidy Vavra
TRUMP REPORTEDLY 'STRUGGLING TO BREATHE' SPARKING 'SERIOUS CONCERNS'
President Trump is reportedly “struggling to breathe” as he's at Walter Reed medical center following his COVID-19 diagnosis.
Citing sources, CNN reported that White House officials “have serious concerns about Trump's Conditions.
One adviser told Trump told CNN: “This is serious.”
A senior Trump administration official, however, has denied the reports when speaking with Fox News.
The reports Trump was struggling to breathe were dubbed “downright disgraceful,” by the official, Fox reported.
Read the latest here.
- Kassidy Vavra
ELECTION ESTIMATED TO COST RECORD $11BILLION
The 2020 election is estimated to cost a record-breaking $11billion dollars, according to an early prediction.
Spending from federal committees has already totaled $7.2billion – a record high, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
When all is said and done, this year's election is predicted to total costs of around 50percent more than was seen in the 2016 presidential election, the Center for Responsive Politics said in a statement.
- Kassidy Vavra
PENCE, HARRIS TO HAVE MORE SOCIAL DISTANCE THAN PLANNED AT DEBATE
There will be more than the seven feet of social distance originally planned to be between Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris at the upcoming October 7 debate.
The two will now be 12 feet apart, a source told CNN, after Joe Biden's campaign raised a red flag over health and safety concerns amid President Trump's positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
- Kassidy Vavra
BIDEN CAMPAIGN WANTS MORE SOCIAL DISTANCING BETWEEN HARRIS AND PENCE AT DEBATE
Joe Biden's campaign has made a health and safety objection over social distancing between VP nominee Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence at the upcoming October 7 debate.
Harris and Pence's podiums were slated to be six feet apart – but the Democrat campaign is arguing it's not far enough, and asking for 12 feet of distance, sources told Politico.
The objection came as President Trump was confirmed to have COVID-19 just days after debating onstage with Biden.
The Commission on Presidential Debates is now negotiating with Biden's campaign on the distance between the two podiums, Politico reported.
- Kassidy Vavra
TWO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS POSITIVE FOR COVID AHEAD OF SCOTUS VOTE
Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tested positive for coronavirus, just weeks ahead of when Republicans are eyeing a vote to confirm SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina both revealed their positive diagnoses on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the Supreme Court Justice nominee vote to be postponed amid the positive diagnosis.
“It is irresponsible and dangerous to move forward with a hearing, and there is absolutely no good reason to do so,” Schumer tweeted.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, had tweeted early Friday that it's “full steam ahead” with the hearing process.
- Kassidy Vavra
OBAMA SAYS 'WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE HEALTHY' AS HE OFFERS WELL WISHES FOR TRUMP
Former US President Barack Obama wished Trump a speedy recovery – and said “we want everyone to be healthy” despite “a big political battle” just weeks ahead of the election.
“Michelle and I hope that the President, First Lady, and all those affected by the coronavirus around the country are getting the care they need and are on the path to a speedy recovery,” Obama tweeted on Friday.
“Obviously, we’re in the midst of a big political battle right now, and while there’s a lot at stake, let’s remember that we’re all Americans.
“We’re all human beings. And we want everyone to be healthy, no matter our party,” he added.
- Samantha Lock
TIMELINE OF TRUMP'S COVID DIAGNOSIS
Key events which have led up to Trump's hospitalisation.
- Wednesday
White House aide Hope Hicks is among a group of people who travel with Trump to a fundraiser in Minnesota and an outdoor rally in Duluth.
Ms Hicks says she feels unwell on the return trip and isolates herself aboard Air Force One.
- Thursday
Ms Hicks tests positive for coronavirus.
Trump travels to a private fundraiser in New Jersey.
He later announces that he and the First Lady Melania Trump are being tested for Covid-19 and they will go into quarantine.
- Friday
In the early hours of the morning, Trump tweets that he and his wife have tested positive for Covid-19.
In a statement, Dr Sean Conley, the president's physician, says the couple “are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence”.
Trump is said to have “mild symptoms”.
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says Trump is “fatigued but in good spirits” and is being evaluated by experts.
A White House official later states that Trump is to travel by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.
Images show Trump walking from the helicopter while wearing a mask and at a distance from other people on the flight.
In a video on Twitter, the president says “I think I'm doing very well but we're going to make sure things work out”.
The White House says he will continue to work while he is at the medical centre and he has not handed over his powers to Vice President Mike Pence.
WHITE HOUSE MAINTAINS BUSINESS-AS-USUAL
The White House has tried to maintain an atmosphere of business-as-usual since Trump was administered to hospital.
“President Trump remains in good spirts, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day,”press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
“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.”
The presidents' physician Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley said Trump “remains fatigued but in good spirits” and that a team of experts was evaluating both the president and first lady in regard to next steps.
The first lady, who is 50, has a mild cough and headache, Conley reported, and the remainder of the first family, including the Trumps son Barron, who lives at the White House, tested negative.
TRUMP SAID HE & HICKS SPENT 'A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER'
Trump confirmed to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday that he and Hicks, 31, “spent a lot of time together.”
Hicks served as White House communications director from September 2017 to February 2018 before returning to Washington earlier this year as “counselor to the president.”
Hicks and Trump travelled together at least two days this week – including to and from the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday and to a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
She began having mild symptoms when traveling back from the rally in Minnesota onboard Air Force One on Wednesday, according to reports.
CHINA MOCKS TRUMP, SAYING HE'S 'PAID THE PRICE'
A senior Chinese journalist with close ties to the Communist Party has said Donald Trump is “paying the price" for "playing down the pandemic” following the President's diagnosis with coronavirus.
Hu Xijin is the editor-in-chief of state-owned tabloid Global Times and a fervent ally of President Xi Jinping.
Taking to Twitter, Hu wrote: “President Trump and the First Lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the Covid-19.
“The news shows the severity of the US’s pandemic situation.
“It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his re-election.”
Hu is not a state official himself, but the Global Times is part of a network of state-run outlets that publish propaganda on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
ELECTION PROCESS THROWN INTO DOUBT
If Trump becomes incapacitated from Covid-19, he could be replaced on the election ballot, throwing the entire election process into chaos.
Under Republican National Committee rules, it is empowered to fill vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the party’s candidate for president and vice-president.
All 168 members of the RNC would have to meet to vote on Trump's replacement.
Mike Pence or another candidate could then replace Trump on the ballot paper.
Trump could temporarily hand over power to his vice president should he become incapacitated, for example while undergoing a medical procedure as treatment for the coronavirus.
Under the Constitution's 25th Amendment Trump could declare in writing his inability to discharge his duties.
Vice President Mike Pence would become acting president, although Trump would remain in office.
The president would regain his powers by declaring in writing that he is again ready to discharge them.
If the vice-president is also unable to discharge his duties, the Constitution puts the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, next in line for the presidency.
CHAOS FOR UPCOMING ELECTION
Trump's positive test is an extraordinary turn of events that has thrown the US presidential election – already historic and notable – into chaos.
It means that Trump and Melania, 50, will need to quarantine, a move which is likely to set back his campaign with just 32 days until the election.
Trump is behind in the polls and was judged by many commentators across the political divide to have lost the opening TV debate against Democrat challenger Biden on Tuesday.
The pair were set to go head-to-head again in Miami on October 15 – around the time his two-week isolation period will end.
But Trump's positive test means he will no longer be able to campaign at what is a crucial time for the election.
If Trump's health declines, he may have to transfer power to his second-in-command, Vice President Mike Pence.
MOST SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH SCARE
Trump's positive Covid test is the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting president in recent history.
For a man of his age, Trump is five times more likely to be hospitalized from the virus and 90 times more likely to die than a patient in their 20s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Trump is the oldest first-term President in US history.
VP MIKE PENCE POISED TO TAKE OVER IF TRUMP TOO ILL FOR DUTY
Vice President Mike Pence, 61, could potentially take over for Donald Trump should the president become too ill to fulfil his official duties.
Vice President Mike Pence has tested negative for COVID-19, clearing the way for him to temporarily take over from Trump if the president becomes incapacitated.
Should Trump become too ill to work, he can transfer power to vice-president Mike Pence under the US Constitution.
The 25th Amendment would allow Trump to declare in writing his inability to discharge his duties.
The president would regain his powers by declaring in writing that he is again ready to discharge them.
And if the vice president becomes ill, the Constitution would then allow the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or Nancy Pelosi, to become president.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS ILL BEFORE AN ELECTION?
If a presidential candidate has to withdraw before an election, the party would try to replace that nominee.
If a candidate dies between the popular vote and the meeting of the Electoral College – the body which is formed every four years for electing the president and vice president of the United States – the parties will try to replace the candidate.
If the candidate that dies is on the winning presidential ticket, it's still the party's responsibility to provide a new candidate who the electorate could vote into office.
The replacement candidate's name would go on the Electoral College ballot only, and their political party would expect its voters to vote that candidate into office.
There's no federal law, however, saying electors have to vote for the replacement candidate.
TRUMP THANKFUL FOR “TREMENDOUS SUPPORT” IN NEW VID
President Trump has arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Shortly after he was transported to the military hospital in Maryland, Trump tweeted a video of himself thanking “everybody for the tremendous support”.
“I'm going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I'm doing very well. But we're going to make sure things work out,” Trump said.
He said First Lady Melania Trump — who also tested positive for COVID — “is doing very well.”
“So thank you very much — I appreciate it — I will never forget it, ” the president said. Thank you.”
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