"But in terms of the succession, that's an ongoing process. Sadly at this time, it comes to the forefront."
President Donald Trump's physicians are giving him several different treatments — including investigational drugs — in the hope of relieving his Covid-19 symptoms and possibly shortening his course of illness.
While many questions remain about the President's condition and when he was first diagnosed with the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, here is what has been revealed so far about what he was been treated with — and when.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday wished US President Donald Trump a "prompt and effective recovery" from coronavirus, despite calling him a “bloody enemy of Venezuela."
In a televised address to the nation, Maduro said that Trump "sadly underestimated all precautionary measures" regarding the virus. He added that Venezuela expresses its "human solidarity" with Trump since "no human being should get infected."
But there was also a smaller, private reception inside the White House — one that did not include wearing masks and did not include social distancing.
After the public event, dozens of attendees gathered inside the White House's Diplomatic Reception Room and the adjoining hallway. The reception lasted between 30 and 45 minutes, one source with knowledge of the event told CNN.
CNN is told the attendees did not wear masks, and pictures of the event show no social distancing.
Pictures of the reception taken by the New York Times' photographer Doug Mills and White House photographer Andrea Hanks capture a group of people talking very close together, with one image showing first lady Melania Trump, Barrett and her family posing shoulder to shoulder and directly behind Trump in the Oval Office.
The White House Management Office just sent its first staff-wide email since President Trump tested positive for coronavirus early Friday morning.
Until now, staffers had gotten no word about whether to come into work or to remain home given several of their colleagues tested positive for coronavirus. Stunningly, the email states they should not contact the White House testing office if they have symptoms.
"As a reminder, if you are experiencing any symptoms such as sore throat, cough, fever, headache, new loss of taste or small, muscle aches, chills, diarrhea, or difficulty breathing, please stay home and do not come to work until you are free of symptoms," the email, viewed by CNN, read.
"Affected staff should inform their supervisors and seek care from their primary care provider."
The email instructed staff to go home if they develop symptoms and contact their primary care provider about getting tested.
Officials with possible exposure to someone who has Covid-19 were told to notify the management office and "ONLY return to work when you have been cleared by the White House Medical Unit."
President Trump has no events on his schedule for Monday as he continues to be hospitalized at Walter Reed medical center.
Trump completed a second dose of remdesivir on Saturday and "today he feels well," Garibaldi said.
"He has been up and around. Our plan today is to have him eat and drink, be up out of bed," Garibaldi said. "[I]f he continues to look and feel as well as he does today our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course."
At least seven people attending the event, including the President and first lady, have tested positive. University of Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins, former counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway and Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who were seated relatively close to each other, tested positive.
Conway, Christie, Trump's senior adviser Hope Hicks and his campaign manager Bill Stepien — who have all tested positive — were also all involved in debate prep ahead of Trump's Tuesday clash with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
It "seems highly likely this originated at the SCOTUS announcement last week," a senior administration official told CNN's Jake Tapper of the outbreak among GOP officials. "It may have come from the Hill. The next major concern will be securing Capitol Hill and protecting lawmakers," the official added.
Trump did not address anyone else's diagnosis during a video message from Walter Reed Saturday.
As he praised the medical care he had received at Walter Reed, he sought to spin his hospitalization to his advantage by making it sound like his diagnosis had been inevitable, even though he took few precautions to prevent it.
“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity,” Dr. James Phillips tweeted.
Phillips has been an attending physician for almost three years at Walter Reed medical center and is also a board certified emergency medicine physician and assistant professor at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
“That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play,” Phillips tweeted.
Speaking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer this evening, Phillips, who has not participated in the care of the President, went on to say it was unlikely the President's motorcade had been approved by medical professionals without outside political influence.
"That's not standard practice by any means and I have a hard time believing that without undo influence, based on their chain of command, that those physicians would have cleared that," he said of the President's motorcade.
"When we take care of patients in the emergency department, or in the thousands of hours I've spent in the inpatient wards and surgery and medicine and ICU, we don't let the patients leave the hospital when they're sick, unless they sign out against medical advice," he added. "...The idea that this would be cleared without any medical indication is absurd."