Trump given supplemental oxygen on Friday: White House doctor

White House physician Sean Conley on Sunday disclosed that President Trump had received supplemental oxygen following his coronavirus diagnosis, a day after the doctor sidestepped questions about whether the president had received oxygen over the course of his treatment. Conley said that he recommended the president be given supplemental oxygen on Friday. He indicated it was possible Trump also received supplemental oxygen on Saturday. "Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94 percent," Conley told reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday.  Conley also said that Trump has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen levels since he was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus late Thursday evening. The second episode, which the doctor said occurred Saturday morning, led doctors to begin treating Trump with dexamethasone, a steroid that is used to reduce inflammation. Conley disclosed the new information after dancing around questions on Saturday about whether the president had received supplemental oxygen during his first briefing about the Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. Asked why it took him so long to disclose that Trump had been given supplemental oxygen, Conley said that he was trying to “reflect the upbeat attitude” that the team and president have had over the course of his illness. Conley denied that he was trying to conceal any information. “I didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction and in doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true,” Conley told reporters. “The fact of the matter is that he is doing really well.” The president’s team of doctors continued to offer a positive assessment of Trump’s condition, saying that his symptoms have improved and that he could be discharged as soon as Monday. Even as Conley disclosed more specific information about the president’s treatment, he avoided answering questions about what X-rays and CT scans had revealed and whether Trump’s lungs had been damaged...MORE