What Was President Trump’s Point in His Video Message?

After being infected with COVID-19 and hospitalized, President Donald Trump posted a video message on Twitter saying “the next period of a few days, I guess that’s the real test.” We had a reporter analyze Trump’s meaning behind the message.

What Was the Point of the Message?

Reporter: I think his point was that they would be able to ascertain his health in the next few days. Trump and his attending physicians are indicating that he is getting better.

On the other hand, someone knowledgeable about the president’s condition admitted that the next 48 hours would be critical as the medical data over the last 24 hours have been cause for concern. Therefore, with such conflicting information circulating, it’s hard to grasp what’s truly going on.

In this situation, it is important that the president himself set a clear deadline for “the next period of a few days” to determine whether he is getting better.

If he can’t actually proclaim that he is getting better in a few days, this would raise more worry. Therefore it’s surprising that these words came from the president’s own mouth.

Why Send the Message Now?

Reporter: I think more than anything he’s trying to diminish public concern. There has been widespread anxiety since the top official in the nation contracted COVID-19 and has been hospitalized.

I believe that is why the president, who is both responsible for the administration and is running in the election which will take place next month, decided it would be best for him to release the information himself early.

Another thing is that there was a meeting of his physicians on the morning of Oct. 3 (Japan time). They emphasized that his condition was improving but notably avoided answering any direct questions about his condition.

For this reason, this could be interpreted as meaning that his condition isn’t as great as the doctors are saying, and the president may have wanted to dispel this view.