IN A LITTLE BIT.
THANKS FOR GETTING UP "WAY TOO
EARLY" WITH US.
STICK AROUND BECAUSE "MORNING
JOE" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> DID THE PRESIDENT’S -- WE’VE
BEEN TOLD HE’S BEEN TESTED AND
WHEN HE WAS TESTED ON THURSDAY
MORNING --
>> YEAH, I WON’T GIVE YOU A
DETAILED READOUT AT EVERY TIME
THAT HE’S TESTED, HE’S TESTED
REGULARLY AND THE FIRST POSITIVE
TEST HE RECEIVED WAS AFTER THE
RETURN FROM BEDMINSTER.
>> WAS HE TESTED THURSDAY
NIGHT --
>> I WON’T GIVE A DETAILED
READOUT BUT SAFE TO SAY HIS
FIRST POSITIVE TEST WAS UPON
RETURN OR AFTER BEDMINSTER, THAT
TRIP.
THANK YOU.
>> THAT IS HOW FORTHCOMING THE
WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN WITH
INFORMATION REGARDING THE
PRESIDENT’S COVID-19 TESTING.
WE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN HE ACTUALLY
TESTED POSITIVE.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO
"MORNING JOE."
IT IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 5th.
WITH US WE HAVE WHITE HOUSE
REPORTER FOR THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS, JONATHAN LEMIRE.
NBC NEWS CAPITOL HILL
CORRESPONDENT AND HOST OF "WAY
TOO EARLY," KASIE HUNT.
FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER FOR
POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA, DR. EZEKIEL
EMANUEL IS WITH US.
AND DR. VIN GUPTA, A
PULMONOLOGIST AND GREAT TO HAVE
YOU.
THE WHITE HOUSE IS GIVING OUT
CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION.
WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS GIVEN
DEXAMETHASONE, USED TO TREAT
SEVERELY ILL COVID-19 PATIENTS.
SOME HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THAT’S A
RED FLAG RIGHT THERE.
WHILE THE DRUG CAN REDUCE THE
RISK OF DEATH, IT CAN CAUSE HARM
TO THOSE WITH LESS SEVERE
SYMPTOMS.
DEXAMETHASONE IS THE THIRD DRUG
THE PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN SINCE
BEING HOSPITALIZED ON FRIDAY.
HE’S ALSO TAKEN THE ANTIVIRAL
DRUG REMDESIVIR AND AN
EXPERIMENTAL ANTIBODY COCKTAIL
BY REGENERON.
SEAN CONLEY SAID THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS EXPERIENCED TWO
EPISODES WHERE HIS OXYGEN
SATURATION LEVELS DIPPED.
ONE OF THOSE INSTANCES WAS ON
FRIDAY WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS
RUNNING A FEVER AND HE WAS GIVEN
SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS ON
SATURDAY, DR. CONLEY REPEATEDLY
EVADED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT RECEIVING OXYGEN.
YESTERDAY, HE TRIED TO CLEAR THE
MATTER UP.
>> HAS HE EVER BEEN ON
SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN?
>> RIGHT NOW HE IS NOT ON --
>> I KNOW YOU KEEP SAYING THAT
RIGHT NOW, BUT SHOULD WE READ
TO --
>> YESTERDAY AND TODAY HE HAS
NOT BEEN ON OXYGEN.
>> SO HE’S NOT BEEN ON --
>> HE’S NOT ON OXYGEN RIGHT NOW.
>> OVER THE COURSE OF HIS
ILLNESS THE PRESIDENT HAS
EXPERIENCED TWO EPISODES OF
TRANSIENT DROPS IN HIS OXYGEN
SATURATION.
THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY
MORNING WHEN I LEFT THE BEDSIDE,
THE PRESIDENT WAS DOING WELL AND
HIS OXYGEN WAS IN THE HIGH 90s.
LATE FRIDAY MORNING WHEN I
RETURNED TO BEDSIDE HE HAD A
HIGH FEVER AND THE OXYGEN
SATURATION WAS TRANSIENTLY
DIPPING BELOW 94%.
YESTERDAY THERE WAS ANOTHER
EPISODE WHERE HE DROPPED ABOUT
93%.
>> -- HIS LUNGS --
>> TO DISCLOSE THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED
OXYGEN.
>> IT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I WAS TRYING TO REFLECT THE
UPBEAT ATTITUDE THAT THE TEAM,
THE PRESIDENT, HIS COURSE OF
ILLNESS HAS HAD.
I DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE ANY
INFORMATION THAT MIGHT STEER THE
COURSE OF ILLNESS IN ANOTHER
DIRECTION.
AND IN DOING SO, YOU KNOW IT
CAME OFF THAT WE WERE TRYING TO
HIDE SOMETHING WHICH ISN’T
NECESSARILY TRUE.
HE IS -- THE FACT OF THE MATTER
IS HE’S DOING REALLY WELL.
>> DR. CONLEY WENT ON TO SAY
THAT THE PRESIDENT COULD BE
DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL AS
EARLY AS TODAY.
>> SO JONATHAN LEMIRE, YOU HAVE
BEEN ON GROUND ZERO OF THIS
STORY FROM THE BEGINNING.
AND YOU HAVE BEEN AT WALTER
REED.
WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SORT
THROUGH AS ALL YOUR REPORTERS
HAVE BEEN DOING.
TRYING TO SORT THROUGH EXACTLY
WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON.
WHAT WE KNOW MONDAY MORNING IS
THIS.
THE WHITE HOUSE LIED REPEATEDLY
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S CONDITION
ON FRIDAY.
THE WHITE HOUSE DOCTORS LIED
REPEATEDLY ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDITION ON SATURDAY.
THE WHITE HOUSE DOCTORS ADMITTED
ON SUNDAY IN FACT THAT THEY HAD
LIED ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDITION ON SATURDAY AND I
THINK THERE WAS THE SUGGESTION
THAT THEY DID SO SO NOT TO UPSET
THEIR PATIENT WHICH IS THEIR
PRIMARY CONCERN.
YESTERDAY ON SUNDAY THE NUMBER
OF INCOMPLETE ANSWERS, HEDGES,
REGARDING HOW LOW HIS OXYGEN
WENT, HOW OFTEN -- WAS IT IN THE
80s, HOW ABOUT THE LUNG SCANS,
WHAT ARE THE TESTS REVEALING,
WE -- DO WE HAVE ANY ASSURANCE
AT ANY THAT ANYTHING THE DOCTORS
ARE TELLING US ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT’S CONDITION IS
TRUTHFUL?
>> LET’S SAY THIS RIGHT UPFRONT,
JOE.
THIS IS NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
AND THE WHITE HOUSE HAS A
CREDIBILITY CRISIS.
THERE’S BEEN MIXED MESSAGING AND
NONANSWERS AND OUTRIGHT LIES
SINCE FRIDAY WHEN THE PRESIDENT
WAS TAKEN FROM -- ON MARINE ONE
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO WALTER
REED MEDICAL CENTER.
I WAS THERE AS YOU SAID ON
SATURDAY WHEN WE PRESSED THE
DOCTORS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE
PRESIDENT HAD EVER RECEIVED
SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN.
HE DODGED, HE EVADED, HE WAS
VERY CAGEY, DR. CONLEY, CUTE IN
HIS ANSWERS SUGGESTING WELL HE’S
NOT ON IT RIGHT NOW OR NO, HE
WASN’T ON IT YESTERDAY, HE
HASN’T BEEN ON OXYGEN SINCE THIS
TEAM WAS ASSEMBLED AND THEN
REVEALED HOURS LATER HE HAD
INDEED RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL
OXYGEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON
FRIDAY BEFORE HE WAS TRANSPORTED
BECAUSE THE OXYGEN SATURATION
LEVEL HAD DIPPED.
WE KNOW THAT HAPPENED ON
SATURDAY, THE OXYGEN LEVEL
DIPPED.
AND NOW HE’S ON A POWERFUL
STEROID WHICH IS USUALLY
RESERVED FOR CRITICAL COVID
CASES AND ALSO USED IN TANDEM
WITH OXYGEN.
BUT YET WE’RE STILL NOT GETTING
STRAIGHT ANSWERS AS TO WHEN HE
MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED ANOTHER DOSE
OF OXYGEN.
COMPOUNDING THE CONFUSION, AFTER
THAT BRIEFING ON SATURDAY, GIVEN
BY THE DOCTORS, WITHIN AN HOUR
CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS
PROVIDED AN ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT -- A DIFFERENT
ACCOUNTING OF THE CONDITION OF
THE PRESIDENT.
PAINTING A MUCH MORE SORT OF
SOBER ASSESSMENT, REVEALING THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAD BEEN IN
TOUGHER SPOTS FRIDAY MORNING.
YESTERDAY, WE ALSO SAW AGAIN
THOUGH SOME MORE INFORMATION WAS
PRESENTED, OTHER QUESTIONS WERE
DODGED.
THE DOCTOR DID NOT GET INTO
WHETHER THE PRESIDENT HAD A LUNG
SCAN OR EVADED SOME QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHAT OTHER TREATMENTS HE
MAY BE RECEIVING.
HE OFFERED A VERY ROSY TIMETABLE
SUGGESTING THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
COULD -- COULD -- GO HOME AS
EARLY AS TODAY WHICH FLIES IN
THE FACE OF WHAT WE WERE TOLD
OVER THE WEEKENDED THAT HE WAS
ON A FIVE DAY TREATMENT OF
REMDESIVIR AND OF THE HIGHLY
UNLIKELY HE’D LEAVE BEFORE THEM.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE MORNING AFTER
THE PRESIDENT GOT INTO THE
MOTORCADE AND DID A BRIEF TOUR
OF SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE WALTER
REED MEDICAL CENTER.
WHEN HE STEPPED INTO THE SUV
WITH SECRET SERVICE AGENTS WHO
HAD TO BE CLOTHED HEAD TO TOE IN
PROTECTIVE GEAR, WEARING FACE
SHIELDS AND MASKS SO THE
PRESIDENT COULD SEE THE
SUPPORTERS.
THE PRESIDENT PUTTING THEM IN
DANGER, BEING IN A CLOSED SPACE.
A COVID-19 PATIENT WITH THESE
AGENTS WHO OF COURSE ARE SWORN
TO PROTECT HIM.
AMERICA WAKES UP MONDAY MORNING
STILL NOT REALLY KNOWING HOW THE