President Donald Trump is reportedly furious at his chief of staff Mark Meadows after he contradicted the president’s doctor on Saturday, CNN reports.
Citing two sources with knowledge of the situation, the news network reported that Trump is upset with his chief of staff after Meadows told reporters an on-background message about the president’s health that conflicted with what Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley told reporters publically.
“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,” Meadows said, while requesting not to be named. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Meadows talked to pool reporters after Conley’s briefing, according to the Associated Press.
Conley had said during the press conference that Trump was doing “very well” and “in exceptionally good spirits.”
A senior Trump adviser told CNN that the president was angry at Meadows for the conflicting message. Another White House official confirmed Trump is upset with Meadows as advisers say the chief of staff’s comments have nicked the medical briefings’ credibility.
The president took to Twitter hours after the reported comments saying “I’m feeling well!” He also released a four-minute video of him speaking from a conference table, saying he “wasn’t feeling so well” but he felt “much better now” and signaled he would return to the White House shortly.
Meadows on Saturday attempted to backtrack from his on-background comments telling Reuters, “The president is doing very well.” He also told Fox News that Trump had “unbelievable courage” and experienced “unbelievable improvement,” while acknowledging that his blood oxygen level had “dropped rapidly.”
When asked about Saturday’s conflicting messages, Conley said during a Sunday press conference that Meadows’ comments were “misconstrued.”
Conley also said on Sunday that he decided not to say the president was given oxygen on Saturday because he wanted to “reflect the upbeat attitude of the team.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
