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Trump walks to Marine One to fly to the hospital

The visual of Trump striding out alone to the helicopter is likely to be seen as a reassurance that his case of coronavirus is still mild.

The president did not stop to answer questions.

Why fly Trump to the hospital? It’s a normal choice, some experts say

Is it significant that Trump is being flown to Walter Reed in Marine One rather than taking a motorcade to the hospital?

A former Secret Service agent says no, not really: this is a typical choice.

“Flying is always the safer option,” Jonathan Wackrow wrote.

Journalist Yashar Ali made a similar point:

Trump still has not left the White House

It’s been more than 45 minutes now that Marine One has been waiting on the South Lawn to fly the president to Walter Reed medical center.

How sick is Donald Trump? News of hospitalization prompts questions

White House officials have described the choice to move Trump to Walter Reed medical center as a choice made “out of an abundance of caution,” and have described him as “working from” Walter Reed for the next few days. But the move has prompted obvious questions: if the president has only “mild symptoms,” why move him to the hospital?

All eyes on Washington as reporters wait for Trump to be flown to the hospital

Reporters at the White House have been standing by as they wait for Trump to be flown to Walter Reed medical center, where he’s expected to stay for the next few days, according to White House officials.

It’s a striking contrast to months of campaign talking points that Joe Biden is not healthy enough to be president, as journalist Joshua Green notes:

Trump is not transferring power to the vice-president, Mike Pence, as he heads to the hospital for what is expected to be a few days, NBC News reports.

“The president is in charge,” a White House spokeswoman said.

“Absolutely not” another spokesperson said.

The White House has confirmed that the president will go to Walter Reed medical center and stay there for “the next few days”.

The Associated Press reported that Marine One just arrived on the White House lawn to fly Trump to Walter Reed medical center, known as the “president’s hospital”.

A White House pool reporter stationed at Walter Reed medical center in advance of the news wrote a few minutes ago that they were still awaiting the president’s arrival.

The full White House statement on the president’s hospitalization:

“President Trump remains in good spirts, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day. 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.”

That’s it from me on this historic Friday. My west coast colleague, Lois Beckett, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

• The White House physician said Trump “remains fatigued but in good spirits” after testing positive for coronavirus. In a statement released by the White House, Dr Sean Conley said Trump was being treated with an experimental coronavirus antibody cocktail, as well as zinc, vitamin D and melatonin. The first lady, who also tested positive, “remains well with only a mild cough and headache”, Conley added.
• Joe Biden said Trump’s positive test result was a “bracing reminder” of the seriousness of coronavirus. Speaking in Grand Rapids, Michigan, moments ago, Biden said, “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.” Before traveling, the Democratic nominee and his wife, Jill, tested negative for the virus.
• The Trump campaign has postponed events involving the president and his family. All of Trump’s planned events will be postponed or moved to a virtual setting. Vice-president Mike Pence, who has tested negative for coronavirus, intends to move forward with his planned campaign travel.
• Supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett reportedly had coronavirus this summer and has recovered. Senate Republicans have said they still plan to hold Barrett’s confirmation hearings starting October 12, despite the health crisis in the White House.
• The US unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in September. The latest report from the labor department, which was overshadowed by news of Trump contracting coronavirus, showed the US economy added just 661,000 jobs last month.

Lois will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Joe Biden closed his speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by once again sending his best wishes to Trump and his family.

“May God protect the First Family, and every family that is dealing with this virus,” Biden said. “And may God protect our troops.”

With that, the Democratic nominee left the podium without taking questions from reporters. Biden kept his surgical mask on for the entirety of his speech.

Biden emphasized the importance of wearing masks while delivering a speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Democratic nominee noted data indicates 100,000 lives could be saved in the coming months if Americans consistently wear masks.

“Be patriotic. It’s not about being a tough guy; it’s about doing your part. Wearing a mask is not only going to protect you, but it also protects those around you,” Biden said.

“Don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for the people you love, the people you work with.”

Interestingly, the Democratic nominee has kept his own surgical mask on since he started speaking. At other recent events, Biden has taken his mask off once he started speaking and put it back on after he concluded.

Joe Biden is now delivering a campaign speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after he tested negative for coronavirus.

The Democratic nominee apologized for his late arrival, saying he wanted to ensure they were “doing everything by the numbers” after the president announced he had contracted coronavirus.

Biden said he received two coronavirus tests this morning, both of which were negative.

“We wanted to make sure everything was clear before I came,” Biden said.

Biden also noted he canceled an event scheduled at one of his Michigan campaign offices, on the advice of health experts.

The nominee offered his prayers to the president and the first lady for a rapid recovery from coronavirus.

“My wife, Jill, and I pray that they’ll make a quick and full recovery,” Biden said.

He went on to say, “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.”

Biden encouraged all Americans to take every possible precaution to avoid spreading the virus, including wearing masks, frequently washing their hands and practicing social distancing.

The biotechnology company Regeneron released a report earlier this week on its experimental coronavirus antibody cocktail, which the president is now taking to treat his symptoms.

CNN reports:

Regeneron released some early results of tests using its antibody cocktail in coronavirus patients Tuesday, and said it seemed to reduce levels of the virus and improve symptoms in patients.

The greatest improvements were seen in patients who hadn’t already mounted a natural response to the infection, the company said. …

The treatment also showed positive trends at reducing medical visits for the patients, none of whom were sick enough to be hospitalized at the start of the trial, the company said.

It’s important to note the results only involved 275 patients, and the Regeneron data has not yet been peer-reviewed.