6:00 PM PT -- Crede Bailey, a top White House security official, is gravely ill with the virus and has been hospitalized since last month, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
President Trump says his COVID diagnosis was a blessing from God in disguise ... and he wants the American people to get the same treatment he did -- for free.
Trump just released another video update on his health, and he says he's feeling great after getting treated with Regeneron. Trump promised to give the therapeutic to Americans who come down with COVID, and it's all gonna be free.
Ok ... lots of issues. First, Trump was speaking at The White House with NO MASK, despite the fact he has COVID, is contagious, and a hundred people who work in the residence quarters may be compromised.
What's even more ridiculous ... Trump says he's the one who decided he should take Regeneron. So, with all the doctors at Walter Reed, Trump decided he knows best so he's self-medicating.
And, there's this ... people with COVID can take a dramatically bad turn 5 to 7 days in, even if they feel good. In other words, he's not out of the woods. And, he's on steroids, which mask the symptoms.
Watch the video ... one minute in, you see Trump, and as he says "A short 24 hours later," spittle shoots out of his mouth. We point this out to show the dangers of the President being around people while he's still recovering from the virus.
BTW ... Trump's medical treatment for COVID would have cost more than $100,000 in our health care system, according to The New York Times.
Trump claims there are huge amounts of Regeneron just waiting to get sent to hospitals all over the country. He's also strangely calling it a cure and saying there are vaccines right around the corner.
If nudity and democracy don't seem like 2 things that go hand in hand -- welcome to 2020, where celebs are seamlessly pairing booties and ballots.
A bunch of A-listers stripped down to their birthday suits to warn voters this year about "naked" ballots -- that's when your voter card isn't properly filled out or placed in the right number of envelopes (in certain states). Those don't get counted, and that's no bueno.
To avoid that ... folks like Sarah Silverman, Mark Ruffalo, Chelsea Handler, Naomi Campbell, Josh Gad, Chris Rock and others disrobed to emphasize the point. They might be naked, but that doesn't mean your absentee ballot has to follow (birthday)suit.
The PSA was put together by an org called RepresentUs, and their whole purpose seems to be spreading awareness about voting from home this election cycle -- something that's been hotly debated, and incorrectly described as corrupt by the Trump administration.
You can check out what the stars have to say about mail-in ballots yourself -- but the gist is ... follow directions, and make sure you know your state's protocol for mailing in your vote.
Oh, and most important -- get your paperwork in the system early and often, otherwise, it might not be counted.
Americans should absolutely be concerned the man with our nuclear codes is on steroids, because the reality is President Trump's judgment could be impaired ... according to Dr. Robert Wachter.
Dr. Wachter, considered the father of the hospitalist field, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us older COVID patients sick enough to be hospitalized have a decent chance of experiencing cognitive problems.
He added ... coupling that with steroids increases the odds POTUS might not be thinking straight.
Dr. Wachter, who's the chair of UC San Francisco's Dept. of Medicine, says Trump could be experiencing euphoria or sometimes even mania due to the steroids ... which might explain some of the President's recent tweetstorms. Let's be honest, its hard to tell.
Just to give you an idea how impairing steroids can be ... Dr. Wachter says the FAA wouldn't allow the Prez to fly a plane -- if he were a pilot -- due to his steroid dosage.
The hard part for President Trump's doctors has everything to do with the patient himself ... and this good doc told us what they're up against.
Frickin' raccoons, man ... they're feisty little beasts -- especially the ones in DC -- as CNN reporter Joe Johns learned while trying to report on President Trump's schedule.
The hilarious moment of levity went down early Wednesday morning on one of the White House lawns as a pesky raccoon interrupted Joe setting up for a live shot.
Joe stood his ground and yelled, "Get!!! AHHHHHH!!!!" ... trying to scare off the furry photobomber. He even threw a large object in its direction, but the raccoon kept coming.
JJ inched closer to losing his cool, and had some harsh words ... but we'll give him credit for not cursing while wearing a hot mic.
Apparently, this is an ongoing problem at 1600 Pennsylvania -- Joe later tweeted it's the second time in 2 weeks a raccoon's shown up during his morning show shift. He also dropped an important fact ... "No animals were harmed. I threw something to scare it off."
The coronavirus outbreak in the White House continues to spread -- Stephen Miller, one of President Trump's most trusted advisers, is the latest to contract the disease.
Trump's senior aide reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday ... less than a week after he was seen hopping onto Marine One alongside Hope Hicks, who got her positive test result on Friday.
That was the first of what is now well over a dozen people, including the President, to be infected.
Miller -- Trump's top speechwriter and policy adviser -- has reportedly been working remotely for the last 5 days and tested negative every day through Monday before today's test came back positive ... according to NBC News.
This is not the first time the virus has hit home for Miller. Just last May, his wife -- Katie Miller -- also tested positive. She's VP Mike Pence's communications director.
A number of White House correspondents also caught the 'rona ... resulting in the press briefing room getting sanitized to help stem the spread of the virus.
Melania Trump referred to her husband's alleged mistress, Stormy Daniels, as "the porn hooker" ... while talking to a friend, who was secretly recording her for a book.
The First Lady's former BFF and adviser, Stephanie Wolkoff, just released the audio, recorded in 2018, and you hear Melania going off about the fact Stormy was getting A-list treatment with a Vogue cover story. The September 2018 issue was a big deal at the time of this recording because it's when the Stormy hush-money scandal was making headlines
Anyway, Melania says ... "Go Google and read it, Annie Leibovitz shot the porn hooker, and she will be in one of the issues" Wolkoff responded with confusion about the term "porn hooker," forcing Melania to say Stormy's name.
The recording, which Wolkoff reveled on Michael Cohen's 'Mea Culpa' podcast, shows Melania had the exact kinda disdain you'd expect her to have for Stormy.
CNN
This is just the latest embarrassing convo Melania was recorded having with Wolkoff -- who's been slowly releasing the audio clips to pimp out her own tell-all book about her relationship with Mrs. Trump.
Prior to this, she dropped a clip of Melania shrugging off the immigrant children in cages controversy, and getting pissed about having to deal with White House Christmas decorations.
It's cleanup on EVERY aisle inside the White House press room these days with staffers in full HAZMAT gear to deal with the coronavirus hot spot.
Workers armed with sanitizing guns sprayed the bejeezus out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room Monday ... as President Trumpwas returning home ... to defiantly take his mask off right away, despite still being contagious.
Anyway, the press room ... talk about the hot zone! As you know, the President, his Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, 2 of her aides and 3 members of the press corps have recently tested positive for COVID-19.
The outbreak follows the Supreme Court nomination event for Amy Coney Barrett in the Rose Garden. Nearly a dozen people there ended up with COVID, like Trump ... who was hospitalized at Walter Reed.
Still, POTUS continues to downplay the gravity of the pandemic and suggest Americans live with it like it's the flu ... despite the fact it's resulted in tens of thousands more deaths, and Trump still appears to be having trouble breathing after 3 full days of the best medical care in the country.
Even though the President continues to be reckless, the good news is the WH staff seems to be taking the situation much more seriously now ... just look at how workers were sanitizing back in March!!!
President Trump is having trouble breathing ... and he's trying like hell not to show it.
Check out this video of Trump climbing a set of stairs at the White House after being discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center. Look closely -- Trump appears to be gasping for air after reaching the top and shedding his face mask.
While Trump says he's feeling better than he has in 20 years after getting pumped full of drugs at Walter Reed to combat COVID-19, the video tells an entirely different story.
Remember ... we now know Trump received supplemental oxygen at least twice over the past 3 days, and Dr. Sean Conley refused to answer questions about lung damage and other potential complications, strangely invoking HIPAA.
Trump's wondering if he's already immune from the virus too ... but it seems he's not out of the woods yet.
Kanye West isn't a top choice on the Presidential ticket in Cali -- but the reason he's been tapped to be VP to someone else is all about an attempt to screw Joe Biden.
You mighta heard Kanye will be a Vice Presidential candidate in the Golden State, the running mate alongside a guy named Rocky De La Fuente ... who's running for Prez from the American Independent Party. The AIP admits choosing Ye as Veep was an anti-Dems strategy.
Markham Robinson -- Vice Chairman of the AIP -- tells TMZ party leaders nominated Kanye to be on the ticket with De La Fuente at their state convention in late August ... and no, they did NOT run it by KW or RDLF for that matter. That's just how the AIP does it.
Anyway, Robinson says Kanye was right up their alley as far as political views -- but also, they thought he was perfect to help siphon votes from CA Dems, plus "Never Trump" Republicans. There's more of the former in California, so this move clearly has Biden in mind.
If you're wondering how De La Fuente feels about all this ... he's not all that happy about the process of choosing Ye, but accepts the way it worked out in the end and wants to make of the most of it at the polls. He tells us Ye's popular with voters in the 18-25 demographic, and even though he acknowledges he won't win CA ... he's hoping for a strong third place.
Here's the fatal flaw in the plan ... California is a winner-take-all state when it comes to Electoral College votes. The winner gets all 55 votes, and there's no chance Trump's gonna win in the Golden State. So putting Ye on the ballot won't affect anything.
Between De La Fuente and Kanye each running in several other states as the top-dog candidate -- it'll be interesting to see how their combined forces play on the West Coast.
5:30 PM PT -- Trump is feeling pretty confident after his hospital stay, wondering if he's already immune from coronavirus.
UPDATE
A maskless Trump just filmed a video at the White House, saying ... "maybe I'm immune, I don't know."
UPDATE
The Prez, who was pumped full of drugs at Walter Reed, says he's feeling better than he has in 20 years and is again telling Americans to not let the virus "dominate you."
UPDATE
4:08 PM PT -- POTUS is back at The White House, and made sure to let the cameras see him take off his mask as he arrived ... and stuff it in his pocket.
UPDATE
It's a questionable move for sure, as it appears several photographers and staffers are standing near him on the WH balcony ... and he's still contagious. Fact is ... The White House is riddled with COVID, and Trump seems unconcerned about further spreading it.
UPDATE
UPDATE
Trump just walked out of the front doors of Walter Reed, tapping the handrails as he made his way to a vehicle to take him to board Marine One ... and continue on back home to The White House.
UPDATE
The President gave a thumbs up and said "thank you" as he left the hospital, but ignored one reporter's question about if he thinks he's a coronavirus super-spreader.
FOX News
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.
Fox News
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.
As we reported, Trump says he's doing well ... well enough, apparently, he could be discharged Monday. However, these pics create lingering questions about whether his doctors are being straight with the American people.
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.
12:07 PM PT -- Trump was on oxygen Friday at the White House before taking Marine One to Walter Reed ... according to a report from CBS.
UPDATE
It's interesting ... Dr. Conley said Trump was not on oxygen today or Friday, which is in square contradiction to the CBS report.
UPDATE
11:30 AM PT -- Dr. Conley is clarifying Trump's coronavirus timeline, saying the President was first diagnosed Thursday evening and claiming he misspoke when he said Trump was diagnosed 72 hours ago, which would have been Wednesday.
UPDATE
In a statement, Dr. Conley says ... "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 the regards to his diagnosis and the administration of polyclonal antibody therapy."
UPDATE
He adds ... "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."
UPDATE
Worth noting ... Dr. Conley's clean-up statement actually misspells Regeneron. Rough day for him.
UPDATE
UPDATE
For his part, Trump's Twitter account claims he's "feeling well" and gives a shoutout to the doctors, nurses and staff at Walter Reed.
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.
Footage from the White House event last weekend is unbelievable. No masks, no social distancing, lots of hugging and lots of handshakes.
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.
Here's what's trending on twitter ... #RoseGardenMassacre.
