Trump calls on Congress to pass a second COVID stimulus package and thanks his medical team for helping him fight the 'plague' in tweets from Walter Reed after doctors said he is still busy working

 President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a stimulus package as he remains hospitalized with coronavirus

'OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!' Trump tweeted on Saturday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have spent the past week in talks over a potential new coronavirus aid package to respond to the economic fallout from a pandemic that has killed more than 207,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.   

A spokesman for Pelosi said she and Mnuchin spoke for 65 minutes on Friday, discussing areas of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans. The spokesman said negotiations are ongoing. 

Trump posted his stimulus tweet shortly after his doctors held a press briefing to give updates on his condition. 

He also tweeted his thanks to the medical team, writing: 'Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!! Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!'

President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a stimulus package in a tweet on Saturday

President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a stimulus package in a tweet on Saturday

He also tweeted his thanks to the medical team at Walter Reed hospital, where he is currently undergoing experimental treatments after testing positive for coronavirus on Thursday

He also tweeted his thanks to the medical team at Walter Reed hospital, where he is currently undergoing experimental treatments after testing positive for coronavirus on Thursday

The president, 74, gave a 'thumbs up' as he walked from the White House to Marine One to be airlifted to hospital on Friday evening

The president, 74, gave a 'thumbs up' as he walked from the White House to Marine One to be airlifted to hospital on Friday evening

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted Saturday he had a 'great' call with President Trump and he 'sounds well and says he's feeling good'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted Saturday he had a 'great' call with President Trump and he 'sounds well and says he's feeling good'

Congress and the White House approved more than $3trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year, but Mnuchin, as well as members of Congress from both parties, have argued more stimulus is needed.

In a letter to her fellow Democrats on Friday, Pelosi outlined the areas where she and Mnuchin still have differences.

'Our negotiations with the administration continue, and I am hopeful that we can reach agreement,' she said. 'However, we sill have significant disagreement in key areas.'

These areas included aid to state and local governments, unemployment insurance, provisions on testing and tracing, and Democratic demands for a child tax credit, she said.


Pelosi said the White House was also seeking to reduce a section of the bill that appropriates money for many priorities to $100billion, from $144billion. She gave no details but said: 'We await the changes they are suggesting.'

Democrats have proposed spending $2.2trillion on coronavirus relief. Their plan was approved by the Democratic-majority House of Representatives on Thursday night, but it has no future in the Republican-run Senate.  

Trump's negotiating team has suggested a $1.6trillion response, and dismissed Democrats' $2.2trillion plan as not serious.

The president's tweet about expediting the negotiations came as he continues working from Walter Reed hospital after having been diagnosed with coronavirus on Thursday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have spent the past week in talks over a potential new coronavirus aid package
Congress and the White House approved more than $3trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year, but Mnuchin (pictured), as well as members of Congress from both parties, have argued more stimulus is needed

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (right) have spent the past week in talks over a potential new coronavirus aid package

Confusion erupted over Trump's condition on Saturday after the president's doctors said he is doing 'very well' while White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows claimed his vitals are 'very concerning'.  

Trump's personal physician Sean Conley offered an update on his condition outside Walter Reed on Saturday morning alongside several other members of the president's medical team.  

'This morning, the president is doing very well. The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. He's been fever free for 24 hours and we are cautiously optimistic,' Conley said, adding that Trump has been working and walking in his hospital suite. 

Conley's depiction was far more optimistic than one put forward by Meadows, who spoke to Bloomberg Business pooler Cheryl Bolen on background immediately after the briefing ended. 

'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 told Bolen, who passed that information along to the press pool.   

Trump's personal physician Sean Conley (pictured) offered an update on his condition outside Walter Reed on Saturday morning. 'This morning, the president is doing very well,' he said

Trump's personal physician Sean Conley (pictured) offered an update on his condition outside Walter Reed on Saturday morning. 'This morning, the president is doing very well,' he said

After the presser Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (pictured) told a pool reporter: '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'

After the presser Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (pictured) told a pool reporter: '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'


The briefing raised more questions than answers as Conley declined to say what temperature the president had when he had a fever, whether he was on oxygen and when he last tested negative for COVID. 

Conley told reporters the team was 72 hours into Trump's diagnosis. But that would put the timeline at the president testing positive Wednesday morning. Trump tweeted shortly before 1 am on Friday he had tested positive. On Thursday he flew to his golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, for a fundraiser with about 100 people.

'Just 72 hours into the diagnosis now, the first week of COVID, in a particular day seven to day 10, are most critical in determining the likely course of this illness. At this time the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. Thursday he had a mild cough with nasal congestion and fatigue all of which are now resolving and improving,' Conley said. 

Dr Shaun Dooley, a critical care physician, also spoke at the briefing and said Trump's heart, liver and kidney functions are being monitored and are currently in good condition. 

'He's in exceptionally good spirits,' Dooley said of the president. 'In fact, as we were completing our multidisciplinary round this morning, the quote he left us with is "I feel like I could walk out of here today" and that was a very encouraging comment from the president.'  

Multiple sources said that Trump was administered oxygen while at the White House on Friday, before he checked into the hospital. 

Trump is currently undergoing a range of treatments including a polyclonal antibody cocktail made by Regeneron that is not available to the public, remdesivir - an ebola drug that has already been shown to work against the virus - and vitamin D. He is also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine (the generic name for Pepcid AC), melatonin and daily aspirin.   

Asked about the discrepancy with Trump's testing timeline, Conley said Thursday night was when the team got a PCR confirmation of positive. It's unclear what kind of COVID tests the president receives on a daily basis. Trump and those around him are regularly tested.

'So Thursday afternoon following, following the news of a close contact is when we repeated testing and given kind of clinical indication, a little bit more concern and that's when -- late that night we got the PRC confirmation,' Conley said.

But a White House official clarified later that Conley meant it's day three of the president's diagnosis, not 72 hours and clarified the timing of medication administered to Trump. 

'The doctor meant it's day three, not yet 72 hours,' the official told DailyMail.com. 'Diagnosis was made Thursday night, Regeneron administered later that night (2 days ago), not 48 hours ago.'

Dr Brian Garabaldi told reporters at the briefing: 'About 48 hours ago the president received a special antibody therapy directed at the coronavirus.' 

Conley issued a statement clarifying his own remarks after the briefing, writing: 'This morning while summarizing the President's health, I incorrectly used the term "seventy two hours" instead of "day three" and "forty eight hours" instead of "day two" with regards to his diagnosis and the administration of the polyclonal antibody therapy. 

'The President was first diagnosed with COVID-19 on the evening of Thursday, October 1st and had received Regeron's antibody cocktail on Friday, October 2nd.' 

White House senior staff and people meeting with the president receive the Abbott test, a 15 minute rapid response test that is said to be about 50 per cent accurate. The PCR test that Conley referred to has a more accurate response rate.

Conley said it was 'likely' President Trump will be in the hospital five days.

But the confusion raises more questions particularly after reports White House officials wanted to keep it a secret that Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, tested positive for COVID on Thursday after not feeling well Wednesday night, when she was with President Trump in Minnesota for a campaign rally.

Trump spoke for only 45 minutes at that rally - unusually short for him as he tends to speak for over an hour - and was reported to have fallen asleep on the Air Force One during the trip back to Washington, which is also unusual for the president.

Trump says he 'thinks he's doing very well' as he heads to Walter Reed
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A video was tweeted from President Trump's account as he was transported to the hospital. In the 18-second clip, Trump thanked the American public for their support after he announced his coronavirus diagnosis on Friday morning

A video was tweeted from President Trump's account as he was transported to the hospital. In the 18-second clip, Trump thanked the American public for their support after he announced his coronavirus diagnosis on Friday morning 

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