President, who is receiving treatment intended for severe Covid cases, could leave hospital on Monday

President Donald Trump sparked criticism for briefly leaving Walter Reed military hospital in an SUV to thank supporters on Sunday, in a political stunt that raised questions about the coronavirus infection risk to his driver and security team.
His escape from hospital, where the president has been treated for Covid-19 since Friday, capped a tumultuous three days during which he was given oxygen after his levels fell dangerously low. It also followed a weekend of misleading statements from the White House doctor and other officials that painted an overly rosy picture of his health. Mr Trump’s doctors said he could be discharged on Monday if he continued to improve.
Hours after doctors revealed that Mr Trump was taking a steroid normally reserved for patients with severe cases of Covid-19, the president was driven slowly past hundreds of fans in a vehicle with two others inside on Sunday evening.
James Phillips, a George Washington University doctor who also practises at Walter Reed, criticised Mr Trump over the move.
“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” Dr Phillips tweeted. “They might get sick. They may die. For political theatre. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theatre. This is insanity.”
The White House refused to say whether the driver and passenger in the SUV were members of the president’s Secret Service security detail. It said “appropriate precautions” had been taken and the trip had been “cleared” by the president’s medical team.
Before taking the drive, Mr Trump recorded a video in which he said he had come to understand Covid-19. “It’s been a very interesting journey. I learnt a lot about Covid. I learnt by really going to school . . . the real school.
Earlier on Sunday, Robert O’Brien, US national security adviser, said Mr Trump wanted to return to the White House but would stay at the hospital as he neared a critical phase. “Day seven and eight are the critical days, so I think the doctors want to make sure they’re there for the president.”
Sean Conley, the White House doctor who came under scrutiny for evading important questions about Mr Trump’s health during two news conferences at the weekend, on Sunday said the president “continued to improve”.
But he triggered new questions about whether he was giving a full picture after acknowledging that Mr Trump’s oxygen levels had dropped twice over three days, requiring him to receive oxygen on Friday. On Saturday, he had repeatedly obfuscated when asked about Mr Trump’s oxygen levels.
Asked why he had painted an overly optimistic picture on Saturday, the White House doctor Sean Conley said he was reflecting the ‘upbeat attitude’ of the president © REUTERS
While Mr Trump looked healthier in Sunday’s video than in one he tweeted on Saturday, his doctors revealed that he was being administered an anti-inflammatory steroid called dexamethasone to help him breathe.
The WHO recommends the steroid for patients with “severe” Covid-19. The US National Institutes of Health recommends it only be given to patients who need ventilation machines to breathe or supplemental oxygen.
Derek Angus, chair of the critical care medicine department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said it was a “bad idea” to give dexamethasone to Covid-19 patients who did not require “significant oxygen support” given the safety concerns associated with steroids.
But he said it was hard to evaluate the situation as the president’s doctors had given him “several therapies for which there is no proof of benefit”.
“It could be he is now quite sick, or it could mean that his medical team has reached once more for an unproven therapy,” said Dr Angus.
Asked why he had painted an overly optimistic picture on Saturday, Dr Conley said he was reflecting the “upbeat attitude” of the president.
“I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,” Dr Conley said on Sunday. “And in doing so . . . came off like we were trying to hide something which wasn’t necessarily true.”
An SUV with Donald Trump inside drives past supporters outside Walter Reed military hospital © AFP via Getty Images
After the news briefing by Dr Conley on Saturday, Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff, told reporters that the situation had been more severe than the doctor had described.
“The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,” Mr Meadows said.
Critics have also asked why Dr Conley refused to say when Mr Trump received his last negative test, before testing positive. On Saturday, he suggested Mr Trump had tested positive on Wednesday, not on Thursday as claimed. He later issued a clarification that failed to quell the speculation.
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday said Mr Trump had already tested positive on Thursday when he appeared on Fox television and said he was waiting for a test result after Hope Hicks, an aide, tested positive. The second test showed the same result — that he had contracted Covid-19.
Mr Trump has been put on several medications, including an experimental antibody cocktail manufactured by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. He is also taking a five-day course of remdesivir, an antiviral treatment manufactured by Gilead Sciences that has not yet been given full regulatory approval. 
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Jonathan Reiner, a George Washington University doctor and cardiologist for former vice-president Dick Cheney, raised questions on Twitter about the implications of Mr Trump receiving the combination of drugs.
“His condition was felt to be so ominous as to require compassionate use of monoclonal antibodies, the antiviral remdesivir, as well as dexamethasone,” wrote Dr Reiner. He added that Mr Trump may be the only patient ever to receive that combination of drugs.
Mr Trump’s illness struck at a crucial point for his re-election campaign. He had recently started campaigning more in swing states as he tried to reel in with Joe Biden, his Democratic rival who is increasing his poll lead.
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll gave Mr Biden a 14-point lead, up 6 points from several weeks ago. Mr Biden also leads in every swing state, underscoring the tough battle the president faces over the next 30 days.
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