White House

President Trump says he's getting ready to leave the hospital, and is even telling Americans there's no reason to be afraid of COVID-19 ... despite the fact he wasn't treated like a typical patient.

POTUS says he'll be out of Walter Reed Medical Center at 6:30 PM ET. While at the hospital, he's been getting round-the-clock treatment while a team of a dozen doctors help him combat COVID-19.

The odd part of the President's tweet was his suggestion there's nothing to fear from the coronavirus ... which has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

Trump said, "Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life." He says his administration has developed great "drugs and knowledge" about combatting the virus, adding ... "I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"

If the President's condition has improved that much, that's great for him -- however, his statement ignores the fact he's gotten, and will continue to get, treatment far beyond what the average American would get if they needed to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Remember, the Prez even got an experimental cocktail of antibodies not even available to the general public.

Not a great message from the President ... who just yesterday claimed to have finally learned so much about the disease which has been a deadly plague on Americans for more than 6 months now. His own physician, Dr. Sean Conley, declined to comment on Trump's tweet.

We now know Trump received supplemental oxygen over the past three days at least twice -- and that he's been placed on a number of medications, including Remdesivir and dexamethasone ... among others.

Here's the big problem and the most suspicious thing about these press briefings. Dr. Sean Conley mentioned certain meds and therapies the President was getting, but when it came to talking about lung damage and other potential complications, the doctor invoked HIPAA. Why is the doctor so willing to talk about treatment when the President is responding well, but when asked about possible serious problems, he invokes HIPAA ... something frankly we've never heard invoked by a President before.

It's unclear what exactly will be done at the White House to protect staffers from a potentially contagious COVID-19 patient. Doctors say they won't approve his return to the campaign trail until there is no trace of live virus in his system.

They also say he will get the same round-the-clock, top-notch medical treatment he's been receiving. Let's hope the same is true for the growing number of people around the President who've been exposed to the virus.

Several others working under Kayleigh McEnany have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus -- including two key aides -- Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt -- as well as other mid-level staffers in the White House press shop.

Another White House staffer has tested positive for coronavirus -- this time, it's the Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who says she's asymptomatic ... and eager to keep working.

McEnany shared the news Monday, saying she'd contracted COVID-19 after days of testing negative since Trump's positive diagnosis announcement Thursday. She says she's experiencing no symptoms, adding no members of the press are reported as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit -- so presumably, they should be alright.

She also claims she had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' positive status prior to holding her last press briefing last week, explaining she's been doing her public service for the American people as diligently as possible.

Now that she's positive, however, McEnany says she'll begin to quarantine right away -- but goes on to say she'll continue to work remotely. She's the latest person in Trump's orbit who's been infected over the past week -- at least 5 others have also tested positive.

Unclear who might've started the super-spreading going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but what seems clear is that the virus was front and center at the Amy Coney Barrett nomination ceremony. Among those present who now have COVID ... Donald and Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Rev. John Jenkins, Chris Christie, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis as well as Hope Hicks.

President Trump is still hard at work while batting COVID-19 at Walter Reed, or at least that's how it seems at a quick glance -- but a closer look at a photo of him signing a document has some folks skeptical.

The White House released photos of the President working in his suite at the hospital Saturday night, his second night of hospitalization after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Two of his kids, Ivanka and Eric, shared the pics on Twitter, with Ivanka saying ... "Nothing can stop him from working for the American people. RELENTLESS!" and Eric adding ... "If only all elected officials had this work ethic."

Soon after, though, eagle-eyed viewers noticed Trump appears to be signing his name in the middle of a blank piece of paper ... suggesting it was all staged.

Furthermore, Jon Ostrower -- the editor in chief of an aviation publication -- pulled data from the 2 photos shared by The White House and revealed they were taken 10 minutes apart ... despite being in 2 separate rooms with Trump wearing different clothing.

So, signs are there it might have been a PR setup... which only prompts more distrust of the administration about the President's health ... and other stuff.

Add Kellyanne Conway to the ever-growing list of President Trump's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19.

Trump's trusted advisor just announced her test results, and it totally makes sense when you see the people she was exposed to last weekend at the White House.

Kellyanne was seated in a Bermuda Triangle of sorts at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement in the Rose Garden -- smack in the middle of First Lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee and Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins. All 3 have tested positive.

Kellyanne tweeted she's experiencing a "mild cough," but her often outspoken daughter begs to differ. Shortly before KC announced she'd caught the coronavirus, Claudia Conway was giving Mom the business on TikTok.

She posted an image of herself looking annoyed with the caption, "my mom coughing all around the house after Trump tested positive for covid."

Initially, it seemed like Claudia was just giving her mother crap, as she tends to do, but now ... not so much.

Kellyanne is the 12th known person at the Judge Barrett event to contract the virus. It's getting hot in DC.

President Trump just delivered his own update on his health ... he says he's feeling much better now after being diagnosed with COVID-19, but his Chief of Staff says the President's not out of the woods by a long shot.

Trump sat down on camera for a four-minute update from the "Presidential Suite" at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, explaining he wasn't feeling so well when he was first hospitalized but is doing a lot better.

It's now clear Trump was going downhill Friday before going to the hospital. We now know he was having breathing issues and he received supplemental oxygen. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said bluntly, Trump's health Friday was "very concerning."

The Prez is optimistic he'll be out of the hospital soon and he's vowing to return to the campaign trail to finish what he started ... but he also admits the next few days will be key in determining the course of the virus. Meadows called the next 48 hours "critical."

Trump sounded pretty much like his normal self while delivering his remarks, and he says he's gonna beat this thing. POTUS says the therapeutics he's receiving are working. He did not say anything about being on oxygen.

Melania's doing well too, Trump says, and he's thankful for all the medical professionals at Walter Reed.

It's interesting ... Trump says he was given the option of isolating at the White House, but claims he was told he would have to shy away from others and the Oval Office. Trump says he just didn't want to be cooped up in a room, so he went to Walter Reed.

That makes no sense. He's now confined to a hospital suite and when he's released he'll go right back to being confined to the White House residence quarters until he tests negative.

Trump says he's thankful for all the support pouring in from both sides of the aisle and across the country and the globe.

Donald Trump's doctors just gave the low down on his condition, but the chief doctor dropped some alarming information, including Trump tested positive way before he revealed it, exposing hundreds of people to COVID.

Dr. Sean Conley said Trump was diagnosed 72 hours ago ... well, that would be Wednesday. That's stunning, because Trump was active Wednesday and Thursday ... remember, he held a fundraiser with hundreds of people. He did not reveal he was COVID positive until late Thursday.

Dr. Conley just said Trump's doing "very well," adding he does not have a fever anymore and is up and about in his hospital suite.

What Dr. Conley wouldn't answer -- if Trump has been on oxygen. He kept repeating Trump's not on oxygen "right now," but he repeatedly ignored reporters' questions as to whether he was on oxygen earlier. He finally said he was not on oxygen Thursday or Friday, but he simply would not say if Trump was ever on oxygen.

There was a gaggle of doctors and nurses at the news conference, but they dodged a number of questions, including how high Trump's temperature was.

Dr. Conley said Trump's symptoms were mild. -- nasal congestion, cough, a temperature, and lethargy. He says Trump is in his suite working, telling doctors, "I feel like I could walk out of here today."

There are reports a source with knowledge of Trump's health disputed the doctor's assessment, saying his condition was far more serious and he is by no means out of the woods.

It's looking increasingly like Donald Trump's Rose Garden event a week ago where he unveiled his Supreme Court nominee was ground zero for what is increasingly looking like a super-spreader COVID event, and ironically, it could sink Trump's SCOTUS nominee.

So far, people attending the event who have tested positive for coronavirus include President Trump, Melania Trump, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Thom Tillis, Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks and Univ. of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins.

As you know, almost no one was wearing masks or social distancing as Judge Amy Coney Barrett was introduced by President Trump.

The problem for Trump ... now 2 Republican Senators must isolate while they recover from the virus. If they're sidelined for Barrett's confirmation vote, the Republicans could fall short of a majority to confirm.

The ripple effect of the event is staggering. A number of people in the West Wing, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were front and center at the event. So far, they've tested negative, but Hicks and others were all over the West Wing last week in close, narrow quarters. Beyond that, Trump went to a fundraiser in New Jersey Thursday with hundreds of people in attendance, and at the time he knew Hicks had tested positive and he had close interactions with her. Now the people at the event are being tested.

Kanye West is on the California ballot ... as a VICE PRESIDENTIAL candidate.

The mail-in ballots are being mailed out, and Ye's on the American Independent Party. The A.I.P.'s presidential candidate is Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente Guerra.

So how, you ask, can Kanye be both the presidential candidate for the Birthday Party and the vice presidential candidate for the American Independent Party?  Well, from what we can see, it's entirely possible/likely Kanye didn't consent to the nom, but then again ...

As we reported, Ye's pick for Veep on the Birthday ticket is Michelle Tidball. She has not publicly said if she's down with the nom.

Oh, and if you're wondering who Roque is ... he's the owner of De La Fuente car dealerships. He has lots of cash and some political ambition. He ran for Prez as a Democrat years ago, and then switched parties to Independent in 2016. He's challenged Senator Dianne Feinstein ... in fact, he's run for U.S. Senate in 9 different states at the same time.

President Trump will be flown to Walter Reed Military Hospital for continued treatment for COVID-19.

The White House just announced the President will be flown to the renowned Bethesda, MD facility on Friday afternoon. It's a dramatic turn, considering the administration previously said he was "fatigued" and experiencing "mild symptoms."

The Marine One helicopter has already landed on the South Lawn at the White House ... ready to transport Trump.

The White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany says, "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.”

Sources connected to the White House tell us the move is primarily because they want an added level of safety for the President, considering he's high risk due to his age and weight.

We're told his illness was obvious Friday during conference calls, and he was unusually quiet. There were early signs Thursday night when he called in to Sean Hannity's show on Fox News around 9:30 PM Eastern time -- he sounded like he had low energy and a case of the sniffles.

We're told, at that point, Trump already suspected he had COVID-19 ... although, he didn't announce his test results on Twitter until almost 1 AM Eastern time.

Story developing ...

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both contracted the coronavirus.

The President broke the news with a tweet -- at nearly 1 AM Friday in D.C. -- saying ... "Tonight @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER."

The alarming news comes hours after we learned one of the President's aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive. Hope had been traveling on Air Force One all week with POTUS ... going to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland ... and also to his rally in Minnesota.

The impact is far-reaching. Trump came into contact with numerous people over the last 5 days, including Joe Biden on the debate stage, and his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. And, then there's his treasury secretary -- someone who frequently meets with the president -- who had a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Vice President Pence has tested negative, but there's still a window of risk since he's been in contact with Trump over the last week.

Trump was not feeling well on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News, so it's also unclear how long Trump has been COVID positive.

Furthermore, what's unclear -- who gave the virus to whom? Did Trump contract the virus from Hope Hicks or vice versa, or did they contract it from someone else?

There's no good time to contract the virus, but it comes at a particularly critical time for the President ... less than 5 weeks before Election Day. We don't yet know if he and Melania are experiencing symptoms, but the First Lady tweeted that they are "feeling good."

Trump has made no secret of how much he hates wearing face masks, and has done it in public very rarely since the pandemic began.

The last time we saw him wearing one in public was a week ago at the public viewing for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court.

During the debate on Tuesday night, he did pull one out of his pocket as he claimed to have no issue with wearing face coverings. It's worth noting, at 74 years old he is in a high-risk category for COVID-19. Melania is only 50.

As you know, Trump has logged a lot of miles this week -- traveling with his inner circle of aides and attending large scale events. Once contact tracing is done ... it's possible a large number of people will need to be tested immediately and quarantined.

So far, the administration is saying the Prez and Melania will remain in their White House residence while they quarantine. It's unclear how long that will last, but typically doctors recommend 14 days.

And, if you're wondering ... the next presidential debate is exactly 14 days away.

President Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after flying on Air Force One this week with the Prez.

Hope's positive COVID-19 test comes on the heels of her traveling to and from Tuesday's debate in Cleveland -- as well as a roundtrip flight to Trump's Wednesday rally in Minnesota ... according to a Bloomberg News report.

The report says she is experiencing symptoms now ... however, there's no indication POTUS has contracted the virus.

Hope is working for Trump again as a "counselor to the President" after previously serving as his communications director, and working on his 2016 campaign.

We reached out to the White House, and deputy press secretary Judd Deere would not comment about Hope or the President's health. He did tell us, "The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously."

He continued, "White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling."

No, Hassan Whiteside did NOT threaten to leave America and move to Hawaii in the wake of that insane debate Tuesday night ... insisting he was framed on social media.

After the Trump vs. Biden debate, someone posted a tweet that appeared to be from the 31-year-old NBA star's official account, saying "i can't do this for four more years f*** america bro im moving to Hawaii"

The quote went viral (because it's hilarious) -- and was even picked up by some pretty big websites.

But, Hassan -- the REAL Hassan -- went to Instagram on Wednesday to call BS on the whole thing.

"If you want some clout, ya ain't gotta make fake tweets about me! You ain't gotta make fake tweets," Hassan said.

So, fake news ... but glad he cleared it all up.

JoJo's coming through with an uplifting message for folks disillusioned by the first presidential debate ... and it's all in her new song.

The singer joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to download us on her track called "The Change" ... which was written by mega hitmaker Diane Warren. JoJo says it will remind you why it's so important to vote, and although it's not a political song -- she admits it has added meaning coming so soon after President Trump and Joe Biden's showdown.

"The Change" drops Friday, which is gonna be a huge day for JoJo ... she's been a huge fan of the Crash Bandicoot video game ever since she was a kid ... and Friday also marks the release of "Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time" on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Earlier this week, we surprised JoJo by getting Crash himself to make a cameo on Sunset Blvd, and ya gotta see her reaction!!! Yeah, you can tell she's ready to play the first brand-new Crash game in more than 10 years.

Congressman Dwight Evans says President Trump was out of line with his jab at Philadelphia, and thinks that lashing out is gonna backfire on him come Election Day.

The U.S. Representative went to bat for his home district -- which includes West Philly -- when we got him in D.C. Wednesday. Evans blasted Trump for disrespecting the City of Brotherly Love during the debate by saying, "Bad things happen in Philadelphia."

Trump was specifically talking about an alleged poll watchers controversy when he made the comment, but Rep. Evans believes the dig goes deeper than that ... and shows POTUS doesn't value Ben Franklin's home turf.

The Congressman also claims Trump has zero support in Philadelphia as it is, and suggests the Prez might have sealed his fate in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the diss.

As for Philadelphians ... it seems they're embracing Trump's hate, even as his campaign threatens to sue the city over allegations poll watchers were banned.

President Trump refusing to condemn white supremacists and continuing to undermine confidence in the election has Rev. Al Sharpton concerned about division and voter intimidation.

Sharpton was on "TMZ Live" Thursday to address the President's ominous words -- "Stand back and stand by" -- for alt-right group the Proud Boys ... and his apparent encouragement of supporters to take to the streets if he's dissatisfied with the election.

According to Rev. Al, the message is clear -- Trump stands by white supremacy, and gave a hate group his stamp of approval Wednesday night.

Sharpton believes this could have dire consequences and deliver a blow to our democracy if voters are intimidated to go to the polls ... something he suggests is Trump's motive.

Americans are preparing in droves to get outta Dodge after the disaster that was the first presidential debate ... or so it seems based on the line to get a passport.

The passport office in Times Square drew a flock of customers, all lined up Wednesday morning less than 12 hours after the debate ... or as CNN put it, the "s**tshow."

The NYC crowd played like a response to the head-to-head war of words between President Trump and Joe Biden, because fleeing the country is one of those things ya hear people -- on both sides -- say when they're pissed about politics.

We're told the folks in line were waiting for appointments with the Dominican Republic Consulate.

After last night, virtually everyone's unhappy. As we reported ... some lowlights of the chaotic debate included Biden referring to the President as a "clown," and Trump refusing to denounce white supremacy.

There were plenty of other disturbing comments and verbal attacks, and it's all resonating with the public.

As many viewers and pundits have said ... to hell with the candidates, the American people lost last night.