Trump news: President’s condition ‘very concerning’ on Friday despite assurances, top aide admits

Read today’s updates from the White House

Donald Trump taken to hospital hours after testing positive for Covid-19

There were conflicting reports over the status of President Trump’s health on Saturday after he was hospitalised following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that Mr Trump went through a “very concerning” period on Friday, and said the next 48 hours will “be critical” to his care.  

His comments contradicted an earlier assessment of Mr Trump’s health by the president’s doctor, Dr Sean Conley.

Dr Conley, who said Mr Trump was “doing very well", was forced to clarify remarks he made during a press conference on Saturday morning that suggested Mr Trump learned of his diagnosis 72 hours ago.

Had the president been diagnosed on Wednesday, that would mean he attended a fundraiser in Minneapolis, held a rally later that night and flew on Air Force One to attend another fundraiser in New Jersey the next day, all while being infected with the coronavirus that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

Dr Conley subsequently said that he misspoke and that Mr Trump was three days into his illness. 

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Key Points

• Source claims president’s health “very concerning” despite doctor’s positive assessment
• Questions over timeline of president’s Covid-19 diagnosis
• President ‘doing very well’, says White House physician
• Doctor evades question of whether Trump received oxygen
• President ‘struggling to breathe’, report says
• Trump tweets about getting out of hospital
• Eric Trump says father is a ‘true warrior’
• More than a dozen of president’s allies test positive

[3 October 2020 12:43 · Andy Gregory]

[3 October 2020 12:55 · Andy Gregory]

China’s Xi Jinping wishes Trump a speedy recovery

"My wife, Peng Liyuan, and I express our sympathies to you and your wife and wish you a fast recovery," state TV cited the message from the Chinese premier as saying.

[3 October 2020 13:16 · Andy Gregory]

Eleven test positive for virus in connection to Trump-Biden debate

While Joe Biden appears to have dodged the virus following his agonising showdown with Donald Trump on Tuesday, Cleveland officials have said 11 infections have been identified in connection with the debate.

“In total, at this time, we are aware of 11 cases stemming from pre-debate planning and set-up, with the majority of cases occurring among out of state residents,” city leaders said in a statement.

Host Chris Wallace alleged that the Trumps turned up too late to be given a test, and were forced to go by the “honour system” out of necessity.

Meanwhile, Fox News - which broadcast the debate - has been testing employees for the virus.

Among those monitored for infection include Mr Wallace, Rupert Murdoch’s son Lachlan, host Sean Hannity, and the broadcaster’s chief executive and president, Suzanne Scott and Jay Wallace, repectively.

[3 October 2020 13:22 · Andy Gregory]

Backlash as Twitter says posts wishing harm on Trump violate social network’s rules

In a surprise move, Twitter has warned that anyone who expresses a wish for harm or death for another person could face a suspension.

The announcement of the new policy from the Twitter Communications team has prompted fierce accusations of double standards in its application of rules, as the site is well known for being riddled with aggressive abuse, Harry Cockburn reports.

[3 October 2020 14:11 · Peter Stubley]

Tracking Trump’s inner circle Covid-19 diagnoses

President Donald Trump’s inner circle and others who work closely to the president are increasingly testing positive for Covid-19. 

Here’s everyone we know so far who has been in contact with the president in recent days and announced they were positive for the novel virus responsible for killing more than 200,000 Americans: 

President Donald Trump

First Lady Melania Trump

Kellyanne Conway

Bill Stepien

Hope Hicks

Ronna McDaniel

Father John Jenkins

Sen. Tom Tillis

Sen. Mike Lee

Sen. Ron Johnson

Governor Chris Christie

3 White House reporters

[3 October 2020 14:37 · Chris Riotta]

BREAKING: Third GOP senator announces he has Covid-19 this week

Ron Johnson is the third GOP senator to announce that he has the coronavirus this week, Louise Boyle writes. The Republican from Wisconsin said he is not experiencing symptoms and will remain in isolation.

[3 October 2020 14:54 · Andy Gregory]

Here’s Eric Trump’s tweet describing his father as a “true warrior”.

The Trump Organisation vice president’s choice of language was also shared by his sister, Ivanka.

[3 October 2020 15:01 · Andy Gregory]

White House physician to give statement on Trump’s condition

[3 October 2020 15:12 · Andy Gregory]

Debate commission accepts Biden campaign’s calls for social distancing, reports suggest

Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will be allowed to sit 12 feet apart at next week’s vice presidential debate.

The changes come after the debate commission ceded to health and safety concerns raised by the Biden campaign, a source familiar with the discussions told Politico.

The pair will likely remain seated rather than standing, which is the preference of the Trump campaign, the website reported.

Some 11 people are known to have been infected as a result of Tuesday’s debate.

[3 October 2020 15:16 · Andy Gregory]

Trump ‘spooked’ by diagnosis

The president was “spooked” by his positive test result and became increasingly alarmed he developed symptoms overnight, including a fever, a person familiar with his reaction told CNN.