🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa074)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html","crawl_time":1772889661,"first_indexed_time":1613077045,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Trump Was Sicker Than Acknowledged With Covid-19 - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["When he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Advertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\nWhen he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator.\nPresident Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus.\nCredit...\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nPublished Feb. 11, 2021\nUpdated Feb. 28, 2021\nWASHINGTON — President Donald J.\nTrump\nwas sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition.\nHis prognosis became so worrisome before he was\ntaken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center\nthat officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said.\nThe people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an\nacute case of the disease\n. They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white.\nMr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s.\nIt has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency.\nThe new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition.\nThe former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said.\nWhile Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team\nsought to downplay the severity of the situation\n, saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was\nat risk for severe disease\n, and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief\nride in his armored sport-utility vehicle\nto wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building.\nA person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick.\nThere are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a\npresidential debate on Sept. 29\n, just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed.\nMr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.”\nImage\nDr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health.\nCredit...\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nDr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.”\nMr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times.\nWhile still at the White House, Mr. Trump\nreceived a drug\ndeveloped by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off.\nAfter Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen.\nAnd he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time\nbelieved that his medication course was a clear signal\nof significant issues related to his lungs.\nIn news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.”\nMedical experts say a spirometry test is\nvirtually meaningless\nwith Covid-19 patients.\nWhen Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him.\nOn Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley\nacknowledged\nthat he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition.\n“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.”\nMr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday.\nMr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen.\nImage\nMr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease.\nCredit...\nAnna Moneymaker for The New York Times\nOn the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump.\nA top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call.\nMr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn.\nDr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment.\nRegeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said.\nThe extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office.\nOnly in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug.\nAround that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time.\nIn the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.”\nThat line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said.\nNoah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York.\nNoah Weiland\nis a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago.\nMaggie Haberman\nis a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\nMark Mazzetti\nis a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of \"The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth.\" \nAnnie Karni\nis a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News.\nA version of this article appears in print on\nFeb. 12, 2021\n, Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On\n.\nOrder Reprints\n|\nToday’s Paper\n|\nSubscribe\nRelated Content\nThe Covid-19 Pandemic\nCallaghan O'Hare for The New York Times\nEric Lee\/The New York Times\nTierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\nMore in Politics\nBrenda BazáN\/Associated Press\nThom Bridge\/Independent Record, via Associated Press\nTierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\nEditors’ Picks\nJames Devaney\/Getty Images\nJustin Sullivan\/Getty Images\nTrending in The Times\nAyush Kumar\/Getty Images\nMPTV Images, via Reuters Connect\nNatalie Keyssar for The New York Times\nTarini Sharma\nLindsey Whitaker\nAmanda Shae Home Team Realty Group\nArtu Nepomuceno\nNicole Hester\/USA Today Network, via Reuters\nAdvertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2021%252F02%252F11%252Fus%252Fpolitics%252Ftrump-coronavirus.html&asset=masthead)\n\nSaturday, March 7, 2026\n\n[Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper)\n\nU.S. Health Policy\n\n- [F.D.A Vaccine Regulator Resigning](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/health\/fda-prasad-resigns.html)\n- [Kennedy’s Nutrition Plan](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/05\/us\/rfk-medical-schools-nutrition-curriculum.html)\n- [Vaccine Schedule Lawsuit](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/24\/health\/vaccine-schedule-california-lawsuit.html)\n- [Moderna Flu Vaccine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/18\/health\/fda-moderna-flu-vaccine-mrna.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-top)\n\nSupported by\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-sponsor)\n# Trump Was Sicker Than Acknowledged With Covid-19\nWhen he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator.\n\n- Share full article\n- 220\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health1\/merlin_178046361_1bfc6f54-5281-47cb-a208-54c85e8aceed-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\n[![Noah Weiland](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/07\/23\/reader-center\/author-noah-weiland\/author-noah-weiland-thumbLarge.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/noah-weiland)[![Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/12\/multimedia\/author-maggie-haberman\/author-maggie-haberman-thumbLarge-v2.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman)[![Mark Mazzetti](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/12\/multimedia\/author-Mark-Mazzetti\/author-Mark-Mazzetti-thumbLarge-v4.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mark-mazzetti)[![Annie Karni](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/02\/05\/multimedia\/author-annie-karni\/author-annie-karni-thumbLarge-v4.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/annie-karni)\n\nBy [Noah Weiland](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/noah-weiland)[Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman)[Mark Mazzetti](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mark-mazzetti) and [Annie Karni](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/annie-karni)\n\nPublished Feb. 11, 2021Updated Feb. 28, 2021\n\nWASHINGTON — President Donald J. [Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-cpac-republicans.html) was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition.\n\nHis prognosis became so worrisome before he was [taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-hospitalized-with-coronavirus.html) that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said.\n\nThe people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an [acute case of the disease](https:\/\/www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov\/overview\/clinical-spectrum\/). They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white.\n\nMr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s.\n\nIt has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency.\n\nThe new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition.\n\nThe former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said.\n\nWhile Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team [sought to downplay the severity of the situation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-covid-updates.html), saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was [at risk for severe disease](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus-risks.html), and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief [ride in his armored sport-utility vehicle](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/trump-vs-biden) to wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building.\n\nA person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick.\n\n## Editors’ Picks\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/05\/magazine\/screenland-animalai-04\/screenland-animalai-04-thumbLarge.jpg)Are A.I.-Generated Videos Changing How We See Animals?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/07\/magazine\/ai-generated-videos-animals.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10\/well\/04WELL-HOT-WATER1\/04WELL-HOT-WATER1-thumbLarge.jpg)TikTok’s New Favorite Drink? It’s Hot Water.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/04\/well\/eat\/health-benefits-hot-water-tiktok.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/multimedia\/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg\/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg-thumbLarge.jpg)Can a Bride Ban a Hairstyle?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/style\/wedding-planning-bridesmaid-hair-rules.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-pp_edpick)\n\nThere are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a [presidential debate on Sept. 29](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/09\/29\/us\/politics\/debate-live-stream-analysis.html), just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed.\n\nMr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.”\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health2\/merlin_178099569_07ab6eb9-633f-4d63-a7c7-5bb38b22b175-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\nDr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.”\n\nMr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times.\n\nWhile still at the White House, Mr. Trump [received a drug](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/health\/trump-antibody-treatment.html) developed by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off.\n\nAfter Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen.\n\nAnd he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time [believed that his medication course was a clear signal](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/04\/health\/trump-covid-treatment.html) of significant issues related to his lungs.\n\nIn news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.”\n\nMedical experts say a spirometry test is [virtually meaningless](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/06\/health\/trump-virus-doctors.html) with Covid-19 patients.\n\nWhen Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him.\n\nOn Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley [acknowledged](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/trump-vs-biden#trumps-doctors-said-they-downplayed-the-seriousness-of-his-illness-in-earlier-briefings) that he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition.\n\n“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.”\n\nMr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday.\n\nMr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health3\/merlin_178106625_24cdeb32-b723-4884-8ca3-3aa3711c9d8e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease.Credit...Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times\n\nOn the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump.\n\nA top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call.\n\nMr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn.\n\nDr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment.\n\nRegeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said.\n\nThe extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office.\n\nOnly in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug.\n\nAround that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time.\n\nIn the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.”\n\nThat line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said.\n\nNoah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York.\n\nTrump’s Battle With Covid-19\n\n[![]()Trump’s Symptoms Described as ‘Very Concerning’ Even as Doctors Offer Rosier Picture Oct. 3, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-covid-updates.html)\n\n[![]()As Trump Seeks to Project Strength, Doctors Disclose Alarming Episodes Oct. 4, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/politics\/trump-virus.html)\n\n[![]()Trump Leaves Hospital, Minimizing Virus and Urging Americans ‘Don’t Let It Dominate Your Lives’ Oct. 5, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/05\/us\/politics\/trump-leaves-hospital-coronavirus.html)\n\n[Noah Weiland](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/noah-weiland) is a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago.\n\n[Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\n\n[Mark Mazzetti](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mark-mazzetti) is a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of \"The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth.\"\n\n[Annie Karni](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/annie-karni) is a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News.\n\nA version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2021, Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On. [Order Reprints](https:\/\/nytimes.wrightsmedia.com\/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscriptions\/Multiproduct\/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY)\n\nSee more on: [Donald Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/donald-trump), [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/topic\/company\/regeneron-pharmaceuticals-inc), [Sean Conley](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/topic\/sean-conley), [Food and Drug Administration](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/topic\/organization\/food-and-drug-administration), [U.S. Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\nRead 220 comments\n\n- Share full article\n- 220\n\n## Related Content\n### [The Covid-19 Pandemic](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/news-event\/coronavirus)\n- [As Kennedy Turns From Vaccines, MAHA Allies See a ‘Betrayal’](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/health\/kennedy-maha-vaccines.html)\n  \n  ![Derrick Wynne was discharged from the Army for refusing a Covid shot. “He was using our movement to gain a huge amount of traction,” he said of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/12\/05\/multimedia\/00hs-antivax-pqbj\/00hs-antivax-pqbj-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times\n- [C.D.C.’s New Acting Director Draws Unexpected Praise From Agency Staff](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/26\/health\/cdc-bhattacharya-vaccinations-measles.html)\n  \n  ![Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is also serving as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/18\/multimedia\/26hs-cdc\/26hs-cdc-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Lee\/The New York Times\n- [Trump Administration Tells States It Aims to ‘Reimagine’ Jobless Benefits](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/24\/us\/politics\/trump-unemployment-benefits-fraud.html)\n  \n  Tierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\n\n### [More in Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n- [A Sex Scandal and ‘Mein Kampf’ Give Democrats Hope in West Texas Race](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/us\/politics\/texas-democrats-brandon-herrera-youtube.html)\n  \n  ![Brandon Herrera had forced a run-off with the incumbent, the Republican Tony Gonzales, before Mr. Gonzales ended his re-election bid.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl\/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Brenda BazáN\/Associated Press\n- [From 1994: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Dies of Cancer at 64](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/us\/politics\/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dead.html)\n  \n  ![Mrs. Onassis in an undated photo in New York City.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh\/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n- [A Sly Political Switcheroo Stuns Montana and Starts a New Senate Fight](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/05\/us\/politics\/steve-daines-montana-senate-alme.html)\n  \n  ![Kurt Alme, who has been serving as the U.S. attorney for Montana, was endorsed by Senator Steve Daines and President Trump to succeed Mr. Daines in a race for what will now be an open seat.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/05\/us\/politics\/pol-montana\/pol-montana-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Thom Bridge\/Independent Record, via Associated Press\n- [Kristi Noem Survived Many Crises. Then She Crossed a Trump Red Line.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/us\/politics\/trump-noem.html)\n  \n  ![Kristi Noem testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, where her comments led the president to fire her later in the week.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc\/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Tierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\n\n### Editors’ Picks\n- [Timothée Chalamet Has a Point About Ballet](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/arts\/dance\/timothee-chalamet-ballet-opera.html)\n  \n  ![Timothée Chalamet at a Knicks game in 2019. He said this week, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.’”](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/09\/multimedia\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  James Devaney\/Getty Images\n- [Why Are We Spending So Much Money on Home Renovations?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/05\/realestate\/why-are-we-spending-so-much-money-on-home-renovations.html)\n  \n  ![Renovating a kitchen this year will likely cost between \\$20,000 to \\$75,000, according to research by the remodeling platform Houzz.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/travel\/05re-calculator\/05re-calculator-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images\n\n### Trending in The Times\n- [Are A.I.-Generated Videos Changing How We See Animals?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/07\/magazine\/ai-generated-videos-animals.html)\n- [Traveling Around the Turbulent World With Mark Carney](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/07\/world\/canada\/canada-mark-carney-iran-india-australia.html)\n  \n  ![Mark Carney let his guard down after a speech in Australia.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07\/multimedia\/07canadaletter-lowy-zght\/07canadaletter-lowy-zght-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Ayush Kumar\/Getty Images\n- [From 1969: Judy Garland, 47, Found Dead](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/movies\/judy-garland-dead.html)\n  \n  ![Judy Garland around 1941.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/obituaries\/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01\/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  MPTV Images, via Reuters Connect\n- [The Allure of ‘Slop Bowls’ Fades as Consumers Tighten Spending](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/business\/chipotle-cava-sweetgreen-bowl-sales-prices.html)\n  \n  ![Consumers are growing weary of healthy-but-kinda-mushy meals.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/26\/business\/00biz-bowl-bust\/00biz-bowl-bust-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times\n- [Opinion: He Didn’t Kill Anyone. Alabama Is About to Execute Him Anyway.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/05\/opinion\/governor-ivey-sonny-burton-alabama-clemency.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/opinion\/05Vartkessian\/05Vartkessian-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Tarini Sharma\n- [The New Mega-Casino Coming to Queens](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/realestate\/commercial\/100000010705671\/the-new-mega-casino-coming-to-queens.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/realestate\/commercial\/THUMBNAIL3\/THUMBNAIL3-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- [At Least 6 Dead as Tornadoes Slam Michigan and Oklahoma](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/weather\/storm-forecast-missouri-kansas-oklahoma.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/arts\/Tornado-Thumb2\/Tornado-Thumb2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Lindsey Whitaker\n- [\\$550,000 Homes in Kentucky, Florida and Maryland](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/04\/realestate\/florida-maryland-kentucky-home-sales.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/04\/realestate\/04re-wyg-Louisville\/04re-wyg-Louisville-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Amanda Shae Home Team Realty Group\n- [Their Favorite Projects? Inventing Cocktails and Card Games.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/style\/alelli-tanghal-jai-lennard-wedding.html)\n  \n  ![Alelli Tanghal and Jai Lidell hosted a wedding celebration on Feb. 28 at the Palacio de Memoria, a prewar mansion in Metro Manila.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/multimedia\/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv\/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Artu Nepomuceno\n- [The Firing of Kristi Noem](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/06\/podcasts\/the-daily\/trump-fires-kristi-noem.html)\n  \n  ![Kristi Noem on Thursday shortly after her firing was announced. President Trump said he would replace Ms. Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg\/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Nicole Hester\/USA Today Network, via Reuters\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-bottom)\n\n## Site Index\n[Go to Home Page »](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/)\n\nNews\n\n- [Home Page](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/)\n- [U.S.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/us)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world)\n- [Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n- [New York](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/nyregion)\n- [Education](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/education)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/sports)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/business)\n- [Tech](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/technology)\n- [Science](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/science)\n- [Weather](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/weather)\n- [The Great Read](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/the-great-read)\n- [Obituaries](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/obituaries)\n- [Headway](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/headway)\n- [Visual Investigations](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/visual-investigations)\n- [The Magazine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/magazine)\n\nArts\n\n- [Book Review](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/books\/review)\n- [Best Sellers Book List](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/books\/best-sellers\/)\n- [Dance](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/dance)\n- [Movies](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/movies)\n- [Music](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/music)\n- [Pop Culture](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/pop-culture)\n- [Television](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/television)\n- [Theater](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/theater)\n- [Visual Arts](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/design)\n\nLifestyle\n\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/health)\n- [Well](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/food)\n- [Restaurant Reviews](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reviews\/dining)\n- [Love](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/fashion\/weddings)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/travel)\n- [Style](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/style)\n- [Fashion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/fashion)\n- [Real Estate](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/realestate)\n- [T Magazine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/t-magazine)\n\nOpinion\n\n- [Today's Opinion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion)\n- [Columnists](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/columnists)\n- [Editorials](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/editorials)\n- [Guest Essays](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/contributors)\n- [Op-Docs](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/column\/op-docs)\n- [Letters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/letters)\n- [Sunday Opinion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/sunday)\n- [Opinion Video](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/opinion-video)\n- [Opinion Audio](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/series\/opinion-audio)\n\nMore\n\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/podcasts)\n- [Games](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/crosswords)\n- [Cooking](https:\/\/cooking.nytimes.com\/)\n- [Wirecutter](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/wirecutter\/)\n- [The Athletic](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/)\n- [Jobs](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/jobs)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video)\n- [Graphics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/graphics)\n- [Trending](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/trending\/)\n- [Live Events](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/nyt-events)\n- [Corrections](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/corrections)\n- [Reader Center](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/reader-center)\n- [TimesMachine](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/browser)\n- [The Learning Network](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/learning)\n- [School of The NYT](https:\/\/nytedu.com\/)\n- [inEducation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/nytimesineducation)\n\n### News\n- [Home Page](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/)\n- [U.S.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/us)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world)\n- [Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n- [New York](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/nyregion)\n- [Education](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/education)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/sports)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/business)\n- [Tech](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/technology)\n- [Science](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/science)\n- [Weather](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/weather)\n- [The Great Read](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/the-great-read)\n- [Obituaries](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/obituaries)\n- [Headway](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/headway)\n- [Visual Investigations](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/visual-investigations)\n- [The Magazine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/magazine)\n\n### Arts\n- [Book Review](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/books\/review)\n- [Best Sellers Book List](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/books\/best-sellers\/)\n- [Dance](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/dance)\n- [Movies](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/movies)\n- [Music](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/music)\n- [Pop Culture](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/pop-culture)\n- [Television](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/television)\n- [Theater](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/theater)\n- [Visual Arts](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/arts\/design)\n\n### Lifestyle\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/health)\n- [Well](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/food)\n- [Restaurant Reviews](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reviews\/dining)\n- [Love](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/fashion\/weddings)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/travel)\n- [Style](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/style)\n- [Fashion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/fashion)\n- [Real Estate](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/realestate)\n- [T Magazine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/t-magazine)\n\n### Opinion\n- [Today's Opinion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion)\n- [Columnists](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/columnists)\n- [Editorials](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/editorials)\n- [Guest Essays](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/contributors)\n- [Op-Docs](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/column\/op-docs)\n- [Letters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/letters)\n- [Sunday Opinion](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/opinion\/sunday)\n- [Opinion Video](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/opinion-video)\n- [Opinion Audio](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/series\/opinion-audio)\n\n### More\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/podcasts)\n- [Games](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/crosswords)\n- [Cooking](https:\/\/cooking.nytimes.com\/)\n- [Wirecutter](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/wirecutter\/)\n- [The Athletic](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/)\n- [Jobs](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/jobs)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video)\n- [Graphics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/graphics)\n- [Trending](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/trending\/)\n- [Live Events](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/nyt-events)\n- [Corrections](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/corrections)\n- [Reader Center](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/reader-center)\n- [TimesMachine](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/browser)\n- [The Learning Network](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/learning)\n- [School of The NYT](https:\/\/nytedu.com\/)\n- [inEducation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/nytimesineducation)\n\n### Account\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription)\n- [Manage My Account](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/account)\n- [Home Delivery](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription\/home-delivery)\n- [Gift Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/gift)\n\n- [Group Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription\/groups?Pardot_Campaign_Code_Form_Input=89FQX)\n- [Gift Articles](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/gift-articles)\n- [Email Newsletters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/newsletters)\n\n- [NYT Licensing](https:\/\/nytlicensing.com\/)\n- [Replica Edition](https:\/\/nytimes.pressreader.com\/)\n- [Times Store](https:\/\/store.nytimes.com\/)\n\n## Site Information Navigation\n- [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014792127-Copyright-Notice)\n\n- [NYTCo](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times)\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015727108-Accessibility)\n- [Work with us](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/careers\/)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/)\n- [T Brand Studio](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/custom-content\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/privacy\/cookie-policy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893428-Terms-of-Service)\n- [Terms of Sale](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/sitemap\/)\n- [Canada](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/ca\/)\n- [International](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/international\/)\n- [Help](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us)\n- [Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)","attrs_readable_markdown":"Advertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-top)\n\nWhen he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator.\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health1\/merlin_178046361_1bfc6f54-5281-47cb-a208-54c85e8aceed-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\nPublished Feb. 11, 2021Updated Feb. 28, 2021\n\nWASHINGTON — President Donald J. [Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-cpac-republicans.html) was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition.\n\nHis prognosis became so worrisome before he was [taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-hospitalized-with-coronavirus.html) that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said.\n\nThe people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an [acute case of the disease](https:\/\/www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov\/overview\/clinical-spectrum\/). They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white.\n\nMr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s.\n\nIt has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency.\n\nThe new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition.\n\nThe former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said.\n\nWhile Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team [sought to downplay the severity of the situation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-covid-updates.html), saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was [at risk for severe disease](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus-risks.html), and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief [ride in his armored sport-utility vehicle](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/trump-vs-biden) to wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building.\n\nA person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick.\n\nThere are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a [presidential debate on Sept. 29](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/09\/29\/us\/politics\/debate-live-stream-analysis.html), just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed.\n\nMr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.”\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health2\/merlin_178099569_07ab6eb9-633f-4d63-a7c7-5bb38b22b175-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\nDr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.”\n\nMr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times.\n\nWhile still at the White House, Mr. Trump [received a drug](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/health\/trump-antibody-treatment.html) developed by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off.\n\nAfter Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen.\n\nAnd he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time [believed that his medication course was a clear signal](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/04\/health\/trump-covid-treatment.html) of significant issues related to his lungs.\n\nIn news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.”\n\nMedical experts say a spirometry test is [virtually meaningless](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/06\/health\/trump-virus-doctors.html) with Covid-19 patients.\n\nWhen Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him.\n\nOn Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley [acknowledged](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/trump-vs-biden#trumps-doctors-said-they-downplayed-the-seriousness-of-his-illness-in-earlier-briefings) that he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition.\n\n“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.”\n\nMr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday.\n\nMr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/11dc-trump-health3\/merlin_178106625_24cdeb32-b723-4884-8ca3-3aa3711c9d8e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease.Credit...Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times\n\nOn the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump.\n\nA top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call.\n\nMr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn.\n\nDr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment.\n\nRegeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said.\n\nThe extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office.\n\nOnly in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug.\n\nAround that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time.\n\nIn the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.”\n\nThat line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said.\n\nNoah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York.\n\n[Noah Weiland](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/noah-weiland) is a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago.\n\n[Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\n\n[Mark Mazzetti](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mark-mazzetti) is a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of \"The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth.\"\n\n[Annie Karni](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/annie-karni) is a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News.\n\nA version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2021, Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On. [Order Reprints](https:\/\/nytimes.wrightsmedia.com\/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscriptions\/Multiproduct\/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY)\n\n## Related Content\n[The Covid-19 Pandemic](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/news-event\/coronavirus)\n\n- ![Derrick Wynne was discharged from the Army for refusing a Covid shot. “He was using our movement to gain a huge amount of traction,” he said of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/12\/05\/multimedia\/00hs-antivax-pqbj\/00hs-antivax-pqbj-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times\n- ![Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is also serving as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/18\/multimedia\/26hs-cdc\/26hs-cdc-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Lee\/The New York Times\n- Tierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\n\n[More in Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\n- ![Brandon Herrera had forced a run-off with the incumbent, the Republican Tony Gonzales, before Mr. Gonzales ended his re-election bid.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl\/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Brenda BazáN\/Associated Press\n- ![Mrs. Onassis in an undated photo in New York City.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh\/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n- ![Kurt Alme, who has been serving as the U.S. attorney for Montana, was endorsed by Senator Steve Daines and President Trump to succeed Mr. Daines in a race for what will now be an open seat.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/05\/us\/politics\/pol-montana\/pol-montana-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Thom Bridge\/Independent Record, via Associated Press\n- ![Kristi Noem testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, where her comments led the president to fire her later in the week.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc\/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Tierney L. Cross\/The New York Times\n\nEditors’ Picks\n\n- ![Timothée Chalamet at a Knicks game in 2019. He said this week, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.’”](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/09\/multimedia\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc\/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  James Devaney\/Getty Images\n- ![Renovating a kitchen this year will likely cost between \\$20,000 to \\$75,000, according to research by the remodeling platform Houzz.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/travel\/05re-calculator\/05re-calculator-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images\n\nTrending in The Times\n\n- ![Mark Carney let his guard down after a speech in Australia.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07\/multimedia\/07canadaletter-lowy-zght\/07canadaletter-lowy-zght-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Ayush Kumar\/Getty Images\n- ![Judy Garland around 1941.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/obituaries\/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01\/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  MPTV Images, via Reuters Connect\n- ![Consumers are growing weary of healthy-but-kinda-mushy meals.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/26\/business\/00biz-bowl-bust\/00biz-bowl-bust-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/opinion\/05Vartkessian\/05Vartkessian-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Tarini Sharma\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/realestate\/commercial\/THUMBNAIL3\/THUMBNAIL3-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/arts\/Tornado-Thumb2\/Tornado-Thumb2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Lindsey Whitaker\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/04\/realestate\/04re-wyg-Louisville\/04re-wyg-Louisville-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Amanda Shae Home Team Realty Group\n- ![Alelli Tanghal and Jai Lidell hosted a wedding celebration on Feb. 28 at the Palacio de Memoria, a prewar mansion in Metro Manila.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/multimedia\/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv\/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Artu Nepomuceno\n- ![Kristi Noem on Thursday shortly after her firing was announced. President Trump said he would replace Ms. Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/multimedia\/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg\/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Nicole Hester\/USA Today Network, via Reuters\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html#after-bottom)","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

1 month ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	1.4 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html
Last Crawled	2026-03-07 13:21:01 (1 month ago)
First Indexed	2021-02-11 20:57:25 (5 years ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	Trump Was Sicker Than Acknowledged With Covid-19 - The New York Times
Meta Description	When he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator.
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT When he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator. President Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Published Feb. 11, 2021 Updated Feb. 28, 2021 WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. His prognosis became so worrisome before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said. The people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an acute case of the disease . They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white. Mr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s. It has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency. The new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition. The former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said. While Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team sought to downplay the severity of the situation , saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was at risk for severe disease , and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief ride in his armored sport-utility vehicle to wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building. A person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick. There are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a presidential debate on Sept. 29 , just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed. Mr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.” Image Dr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Dr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.” Mr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times. While still at the White House, Mr. Trump received a drug developed by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off. After Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen. And he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time believed that his medication course was a clear signal of significant issues related to his lungs. In news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.” Medical experts say a spirometry test is virtually meaningless with Covid-19 patients. When Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him. On Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley acknowledged that he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition. “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.” Mr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday. Mr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen. Image Mr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times On the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump. A top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call. Mr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn. Dr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment. Regeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said. The extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office. Only in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug. Around that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time. In the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.” That line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said. Noah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York. Noah Weiland is a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago. Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. Mark Mazzetti is a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of "The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth." Annie Karni is a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2021 , Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On . Order Reprints \| Today’s Paper \| Subscribe Related Content The Covid-19 Pandemic Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times Eric Lee/The New York Times Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times More in Politics Brenda BazáN/Associated Press Thom Bridge/Independent Record, via Associated Press Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times Editors’ Picks James Devaney/Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Trending in The Times Ayush Kumar/Getty Images MPTV Images, via Reuters Connect Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times Tarini Sharma Lindsey Whitaker Amanda Shae Home Team Realty Group Artu Nepomuceno Nicole Hester/USA Today Network, via Reuters Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2021%252F02%252F11%252Fus%252Fpolitics%252Ftrump-coronavirus.html&asset=masthead) Saturday, March 7, 2026 [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) U.S. Health Policy - [F.D.A Vaccine Regulator Resigning](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/health/fda-prasad-resigns.html) - [Kennedy’s Nutrition Plan](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/rfk-medical-schools-nutrition-curriculum.html) - [Vaccine Schedule Lawsuit](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/health/vaccine-schedule-california-lawsuit.html) - [Moderna Flu Vaccine](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/health/fda-moderna-flu-vaccine-mrna.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-top) Supported by [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-sponsor) # Trump Was Sicker Than Acknowledged With Covid-19 When he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator. - Share full article - 220 ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health1/merlin_178046361_1bfc6f54-5281-47cb-a208-54c85e8aceed-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times [![Noah Weiland](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/07/23/reader-center/author-noah-weiland/author-noah-weiland-thumbLarge.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/noah-weiland)[![Maggie Haberman](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/12/multimedia/author-maggie-haberman/author-maggie-haberman-thumbLarge-v2.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman)[![Mark Mazzetti](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/12/multimedia/author-Mark-Mazzetti/author-Mark-Mazzetti-thumbLarge-v4.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti)[![Annie Karni](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/02/05/multimedia/author-annie-karni/author-annie-karni-thumbLarge-v4.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni) By [Noah Weiland](https://www.nytimes.com/by/noah-weiland)[Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman)[Mark Mazzetti](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti) and [Annie Karni](https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni) Published Feb. 11, 2021Updated Feb. 28, 2021 WASHINGTON — President Donald J. [Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/us/politics/trump-cpac-republicans.html) was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. His prognosis became so worrisome before he was [taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-hospitalized-with-coronavirus.html) that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said. The people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an [acute case of the disease](https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/overview/clinical-spectrum/). They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white. Mr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s. It has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency. The new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition. The former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said. While Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team [sought to downplay the severity of the situation](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/us/politics/trump-covid-updates.html), saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was [at risk for severe disease](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-risks.html), and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief [ride in his armored sport-utility vehicle](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/04/us/trump-vs-biden) to wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building. A person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick. ## Editors’ Picks [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/05/magazine/screenland-animalai-04/screenland-animalai-04-thumbLarge.jpg)Are A.I.-Generated Videos Changing How We See Animals?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/magazine/ai-generated-videos-animals.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/10/well/04WELL-HOT-WATER1/04WELL-HOT-WATER1-thumbLarge.jpg)TikTok’s New Favorite Drink? It’s Hot Water.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/well/eat/health-benefits-hot-water-tiktok.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/multimedia/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg/08ST-SBB-WEDDINGS-bmhg-thumbLarge.jpg)Can a Bride Ban a Hairstyle?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/style/wedding-planning-bridesmaid-hair-rules.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-pp_edpick) There are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a [presidential debate on Sept. 29](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/29/us/politics/debate-live-stream-analysis.html), just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed. Mr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.” Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health2/merlin_178099569_07ab6eb9-633f-4d63-a7c7-5bb38b22b175-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Dr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times Dr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.” Mr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times. While still at the White House, Mr. Trump [received a drug](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/health/trump-antibody-treatment.html) developed by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off. After Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen. And he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time [believed that his medication course was a clear signal](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/health/trump-covid-treatment.html) of significant issues related to his lungs. In news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.” Medical experts say a spirometry test is [virtually meaningless](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/health/trump-virus-doctors.html) with Covid-19 patients. When Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him. On Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley [acknowledged](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/04/us/trump-vs-biden#trumps-doctors-said-they-downplayed-the-seriousness-of-his-illness-in-earlier-briefings) that he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition. “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.” Mr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday. Mr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health3/merlin_178106625_24cdeb32-b723-4884-8ca3-3aa3711c9d8e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease.Credit...Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times On the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump. A top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call. Mr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn. Dr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment. Regeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said. The extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office. Only in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug. Around that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time. In the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.” That line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said. Noah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York. Trump’s Battle With Covid-19 [![]()Trump’s Symptoms Described as ‘Very Concerning’ Even as Doctors Offer Rosier Picture Oct. 3, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/us/politics/trump-covid-updates.html) [![]()As Trump Seeks to Project Strength, Doctors Disclose Alarming Episodes Oct. 4, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/us/politics/trump-virus.html) [![]()Trump Leaves Hospital, Minimizing Virus and Urging Americans ‘Don’t Let It Dominate Your Lives’ Oct. 5, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/us/politics/trump-leaves-hospital-coronavirus.html) [Noah Weiland](https://www.nytimes.com/by/noah-weiland) is a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago. [Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. [Mark Mazzetti](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti) is a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of "The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth." [Annie Karni](https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni) is a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2021, Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On. [Order Reprints](https://nytimes.wrightsmedia.com/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY) See more on: [Donald Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/donald-trump), [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/company/regeneron-pharmaceuticals-inc), [Sean Conley](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/sean-conley), [Food and Drug Administration](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/food-and-drug-administration), [U.S. Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) Read 220 comments - Share full article - 220 ## Related Content ### [The Covid-19 Pandemic](https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus) - [As Kennedy Turns From Vaccines, MAHA Allies See a ‘Betrayal’](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/health/kennedy-maha-vaccines.html) ![Derrick Wynne was discharged from the Army for refusing a Covid shot. “He was using our movement to gain a huge amount of traction,” he said of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/12/05/multimedia/00hs-antivax-pqbj/00hs-antivax-pqbj-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times - [C.D.C.’s New Acting Director Draws Unexpected Praise From Agency Staff](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/health/cdc-bhattacharya-vaccinations-measles.html) ![Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is also serving as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/18/multimedia/26hs-cdc/26hs-cdc-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Eric Lee/The New York Times - [Trump Administration Tells States It Aims to ‘Reimagine’ Jobless Benefits](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/us/politics/trump-unemployment-benefits-fraud.html) Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times ### [More in Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) - [A Sex Scandal and ‘Mein Kampf’ Give Democrats Hope in West Texas Race](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/us/politics/texas-democrats-brandon-herrera-youtube.html) ![Brandon Herrera had forced a run-off with the incumbent, the Republican Tony Gonzales, before Mr. Gonzales ended his re-election bid.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Brenda BazáN/Associated Press - [From 1994: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Dies of Cancer at 64](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/us/politics/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis-dead.html) ![Mrs. Onassis in an undated photo in New York City.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) - [A Sly Political Switcheroo Stuns Montana and Starts a New Senate Fight](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/steve-daines-montana-senate-alme.html) ![Kurt Alme, who has been serving as the U.S. attorney for Montana, was endorsed by Senator Steve Daines and President Trump to succeed Mr. Daines in a race for what will now be an open seat.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/05/us/politics/pol-montana/pol-montana-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Thom Bridge/Independent Record, via Associated Press - [Kristi Noem Survived Many Crises. Then She Crossed a Trump Red Line.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/us/politics/trump-noem.html) ![Kristi Noem testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, where her comments led the president to fire her later in the week.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times ### Editors’ Picks - [Timothée Chalamet Has a Point About Ballet](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/arts/dance/timothee-chalamet-ballet-opera.html) ![Timothée Chalamet at a Knicks game in 2019. He said this week, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.’”](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/09/multimedia/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) James Devaney/Getty Images - [Why Are We Spending So Much Money on Home Renovations?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/realestate/why-are-we-spending-so-much-money-on-home-renovations.html) ![Renovating a kitchen this year will likely cost between \$20,000 to \$75,000, according to research by the remodeling platform Houzz.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/travel/05re-calculator/05re-calculator-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ### Trending in The Times - [Are A.I.-Generated Videos Changing How We See Animals?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/magazine/ai-generated-videos-animals.html) - [Traveling Around the Turbulent World With Mark Carney](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/world/canada/canada-mark-carney-iran-india-australia.html) ![Mark Carney let his guard down after a speech in Australia.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/07/multimedia/07canadaletter-lowy-zght/07canadaletter-lowy-zght-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Ayush Kumar/Getty Images - [From 1969: Judy Garland, 47, Found Dead](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/movies/judy-garland-dead.html) ![Judy Garland around 1941.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/obituaries/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) MPTV Images, via Reuters Connect - [The Allure of ‘Slop Bowls’ Fades as Consumers Tighten Spending](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/business/chipotle-cava-sweetgreen-bowl-sales-prices.html) ![Consumers are growing weary of healthy-but-kinda-mushy meals.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/26/business/00biz-bowl-bust/00biz-bowl-bust-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times - [Opinion: He Didn’t Kill Anyone. Alabama Is About to Execute Him Anyway.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/opinion/governor-ivey-sonny-burton-alabama-clemency.html) ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/opinion/05Vartkessian/05Vartkessian-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Tarini Sharma - [The New Mega-Casino Coming to Queens](https://www.nytimes.com/video/realestate/commercial/100000010705671/the-new-mega-casino-coming-to-queens.html) ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/realestate/commercial/THUMBNAIL3/THUMBNAIL3-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) - [At Least 6 Dead as Tornadoes Slam Michigan and Oklahoma](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/weather/storm-forecast-missouri-kansas-oklahoma.html) ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/arts/Tornado-Thumb2/Tornado-Thumb2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Lindsey Whitaker - [\$550,000 Homes in Kentucky, Florida and Maryland](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/realestate/florida-maryland-kentucky-home-sales.html) ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/04/realestate/04re-wyg-Louisville/04re-wyg-Louisville-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Amanda Shae Home Team Realty Group - [Their Favorite Projects? Inventing Cocktails and Card Games.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/style/alelli-tanghal-jai-lennard-wedding.html) ![Alelli Tanghal and Jai Lidell hosted a wedding celebration on Feb. 28 at the Palacio de Memoria, a prewar mansion in Metro Manila.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/multimedia/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Artu Nepomuceno - [The Firing of Kristi Noem](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/podcasts/the-daily/trump-fires-kristi-noem.html) ![Kristi Noem on Thursday shortly after her firing was announced. President Trump said he would replace Ms. Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Nicole Hester/USA Today Network, via Reuters Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-bottom) ## Site Index [Go to Home Page »](https://www.nytimes.com/) News - [Home Page](https://www.nytimes.com/) - [U.S.](https://www.nytimes.com/section/us) - [World](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world) - [Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) - [New York](https://www.nytimes.com/section/nyregion) - [Education](https://www.nytimes.com/section/education) - [Sports](https://www.nytimes.com/section/sports) - [Business](https://www.nytimes.com/section/business) - [Tech](https://www.nytimes.com/section/technology) - [Science](https://www.nytimes.com/section/science) - [Weather](https://www.nytimes.com/section/weather) - [The Great Read](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/the-great-read) - [Obituaries](https://www.nytimes.com/section/obituaries) - [Headway](https://www.nytimes.com/section/headway) - [Visual Investigations](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/visual-investigations) - [The Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/section/magazine) Arts - [Book Review](https://www.nytimes.com/section/books/review) - [Best Sellers Book List](https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/) - [Dance](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/dance) - [Movies](https://www.nytimes.com/section/movies) - [Music](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/music) - [Pop Culture](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/pop-culture) - [Television](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/television) - [Theater](https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater) - [Visual Arts](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/design) Lifestyle - [Health](https://www.nytimes.com/section/health) - [Well](https://www.nytimes.com/section/well) - [Food](https://www.nytimes.com/section/food) - [Restaurant Reviews](https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/dining) - [Love](https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion/weddings) - [Travel](https://www.nytimes.com/section/travel) - [Style](https://www.nytimes.com/section/style) - [Fashion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion) - [Real Estate](https://www.nytimes.com/section/realestate) - [T Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/section/t-magazine) Opinion - [Today's Opinion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion) - [Columnists](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists) - [Editorials](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/editorials) - [Guest Essays](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/contributors) - [Op-Docs](https://www.nytimes.com/column/op-docs) - [Letters](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/letters) - [Sunday Opinion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/sunday) - [Opinion Video](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/opinion-video) - [Opinion Audio](https://www.nytimes.com/series/opinion-audio) More - [Audio](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/podcasts) - [Games](https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords) - [Cooking](https://cooking.nytimes.com/) - [Wirecutter](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/) - [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/) - [Jobs](https://www.nytimes.com/section/jobs) - [Video](https://www.nytimes.com/video) - [Graphics](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/graphics) - [Trending](https://www.nytimes.com/trending/) - [Live Events](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/nyt-events) - [Corrections](https://www.nytimes.com/section/corrections) - [Reader Center](https://www.nytimes.com/section/reader-center) - [TimesMachine](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser) - [The Learning Network](https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning) - [School of The NYT](https://nytedu.com/) - [inEducation](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/nytimesineducation) ### News - [Home Page](https://www.nytimes.com/) - [U.S.](https://www.nytimes.com/section/us) - [World](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world) - [Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) - [New York](https://www.nytimes.com/section/nyregion) - [Education](https://www.nytimes.com/section/education) - [Sports](https://www.nytimes.com/section/sports) - [Business](https://www.nytimes.com/section/business) - [Tech](https://www.nytimes.com/section/technology) - [Science](https://www.nytimes.com/section/science) - [Weather](https://www.nytimes.com/section/weather) - [The Great Read](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/the-great-read) - [Obituaries](https://www.nytimes.com/section/obituaries) - [Headway](https://www.nytimes.com/section/headway) - [Visual Investigations](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/visual-investigations) - [The Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/section/magazine) ### Arts - [Book Review](https://www.nytimes.com/section/books/review) - [Best Sellers Book List](https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/) - [Dance](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/dance) - [Movies](https://www.nytimes.com/section/movies) - [Music](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/music) - [Pop Culture](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/pop-culture) - [Television](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/television) - [Theater](https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater) - [Visual Arts](https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/design) ### Lifestyle - [Health](https://www.nytimes.com/section/health) - [Well](https://www.nytimes.com/section/well) - [Food](https://www.nytimes.com/section/food) - [Restaurant Reviews](https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/dining) - [Love](https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion/weddings) - [Travel](https://www.nytimes.com/section/travel) - [Style](https://www.nytimes.com/section/style) - [Fashion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion) - [Real Estate](https://www.nytimes.com/section/realestate) - [T Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/section/t-magazine) ### Opinion - [Today's Opinion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion) - [Columnists](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists) - [Editorials](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/editorials) - [Guest Essays](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/contributors) - [Op-Docs](https://www.nytimes.com/column/op-docs) - [Letters](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/letters) - [Sunday Opinion](https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/sunday) - [Opinion Video](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/opinion-video) - [Opinion Audio](https://www.nytimes.com/series/opinion-audio) ### More - [Audio](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/podcasts) - [Games](https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords) - [Cooking](https://cooking.nytimes.com/) - [Wirecutter](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/) - [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/) - [Jobs](https://www.nytimes.com/section/jobs) - [Video](https://www.nytimes.com/video) - [Graphics](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/graphics) - [Trending](https://www.nytimes.com/trending/) - [Live Events](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/nyt-events) - [Corrections](https://www.nytimes.com/section/corrections) - [Reader Center](https://www.nytimes.com/section/reader-center) - [TimesMachine](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser) - [The Learning Network](https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning) - [School of The NYT](https://nytedu.com/) - [inEducation](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/nytimesineducation) ### Account - [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription) - [Manage My Account](https://www.nytimes.com/account) - [Home Delivery](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/home-delivery) - [Gift Subscriptions](https://www.nytimes.com/gift) - [Group Subscriptions](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/groups?Pardot_Campaign_Code_Form_Input=89FQX) - [Gift Articles](https://www.nytimes.com/gift-articles) - [Email Newsletters](https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters) - [NYT Licensing](https://nytlicensing.com/) - [Replica Edition](https://nytimes.pressreader.com/) - [Times Store](https://store.nytimes.com/) ## Site Information Navigation - [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014792127-Copyright-Notice) - [NYTCo](https://www.nytco.com/) - [Contact Us](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times) - [Accessibility](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015727108-Accessibility) - [Work with us](https://www.nytco.com/careers/) - [Advertise](https://advertising.nytimes.com/) - [T Brand Studio](https://advertising.nytimes.com/custom-content/) - [Privacy Policy](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy) - [Cookie Policy](https://www.nytimes.com/privacy/cookie-policy) - [Terms of Service](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893428-Terms-of-Service) - [Terms of Sale](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale) - [Site Map](https://www.nytimes.com/sitemap/) - [Canada](https://www.nytimes.com/ca/) - [International](https://www.nytimes.com/international/) - [Help](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us) - [Subscriptions](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)
Readable Markdown	Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-top) When he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, his blood oxygen levels had plunged and officials feared he was on the verge of being placed on a ventilator. ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health1/merlin_178046361_1bfc6f54-5281-47cb-a208-54c85e8aceed-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Donald J. Trump arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October after testing positive for the coronavirus.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times Published Feb. 11, 2021Updated Feb. 28, 2021 WASHINGTON — President Donald J. [Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/us/politics/trump-cpac-republicans.html) was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. His prognosis became so worrisome before he was [taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-hospitalized-with-coronavirus.html) that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said. The people familiar with Mr. Trump’s health said he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an [acute case of the disease](https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/overview/clinical-spectrum/). They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan, when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white. Mr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s. It has been previously reported that Mr. Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on Oct. 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious. But the new details about his condition and about the effort inside the White House to get him special access to an unapproved drug to fight the virus help to flesh out one of the most dire episodes of Mr. Trump’s presidency. The new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus also underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition. The former president resisted being taken from the White House to Walter Reed, relenting when aides told him that he could walk out on his own, or risk waiting until the U.S. Secret Service was forced to carry him out if he got sicker, two people familiar with the events said. While Mr. Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his medical team [sought to downplay the severity of the situation](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/us/politics/trump-covid-updates.html), saying that he was on an upswing. At 74 and overweight, he was [at risk for severe disease](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-risks.html), and was prescribed an aggressive course of treatments. He left the hospital after three days in which he at one point staged a brief [ride in his armored sport-utility vehicle](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/04/us/trump-vs-biden) to wave at the crowd of supporters outside the building. A person close to the former president denied that he had been seriously ill, echoing comments Mr. Trump himself made after he was sick. There are still unanswered questions about whether Mr. Trump was already sick with Covid-19 when he participated in a [presidential debate on Sept. 29](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/29/us/politics/debate-live-stream-analysis.html), just two days before the public announcement that he had been diagnosed with the disease and three days before his deteriorating condition forced him to go to Walter Reed. Mr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s condition during his illness. At one briefing, Dr. Conley said Mr. Trump was receiving X-ray and CT scans. But when asked about whether there was evidence of pneumonia or damage to the tissue, he would only say there were “expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.” Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health2/merlin_178099569_07ab6eb9-633f-4d63-a7c7-5bb38b22b175-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Dr. Sean P. Conley, Mr. Trump’s physician, repeatedly downplayed concerns about Mr. Trump’s health.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times Dr. Conley also told reporters that while Mr. Trump’s oxygen level had dropped to 93 percent, it had never dropped to the “low 80s.” Mr. Trump had trouble breathing at the White House. He was twice given oxygen before being taken to Walter Reed, as Dr. Conley acknowledged after it was reported by The New York Times. While still at the White House, Mr. Trump [received a drug](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/health/trump-antibody-treatment.html) developed by the biotechnology firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibody cocktail — not widely available at the time — helps people infected with the virus fight it off. After Mr. Trump was hospitalized, he began a regimen for a steroid, dexamethasone, which is usually recommended only for Covid-19 patients who have severe or critical forms of the disease, often those who need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen. And he received a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Medical experts at the time [believed that his medication course was a clear signal](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/health/trump-covid-treatment.html) of significant issues related to his lungs. In news conferences outside the hospital that weekend, Dr. Conley offered data that made it appear his patient was recovering quickly. He noted that Mr. Trump had fared well on a spirometry test, which measures lung capacity. “He’s maxing it out,” Dr. Conley said. “He’s doing great.” Medical experts say a spirometry test is [virtually meaningless](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/health/trump-virus-doctors.html) with Covid-19 patients. When Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, tried to surreptitiously tell reporters that the situation was more dire, Mr. Trump erupted in anger, according to people who spoke with him. On Sunday, Oct. 4, Dr. Conley [acknowledged](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/04/us/trump-vs-biden#trumps-doctors-said-they-downplayed-the-seriousness-of-his-illness-in-earlier-briefings) that he had given a rosy version of Mr. Trump’s condition. “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of illness has had,” he said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true.” Mr. Trump’s medical team said that on that Friday, he had a “high fever” and that his oxygen level dropped, requiring him to be administered oxygen. Mr. Trump’s oxygen level dropped again on Saturday. Mr. Trump appeared to still be struggling with the disease when he returned to the White House, where he stationed himself on a balcony in a choreographed scene, tearing his mask off and saluting his helicopter. Doctors at the time noted how Mr. Trump used his neck muscles to help him breathe in those moments, a classic sign that someone’s lungs are not taking in enough oxygen. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/11/us/politics/11dc-trump-health3/merlin_178106625_24cdeb32-b723-4884-8ca3-3aa3711c9d8e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump removed his mask immediately after returning to the White House from the hospital, although he still appeared to be struggling with the disease.Credit...Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times On the night of his diagnosis, Oct. 1, White House officials scrambled to get the Regeneron antibody cocktail — not at that point authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment — to Mr. Trump. A top lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office, Patrick F. Philbin, called Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner at the time, to discuss how the agency could approve the drug’s use for two senior administration officials he did not want to identify, according to one person who heard about the call. Mr. Philbin was exploring how the president could quickly get access to the drug through normal F.D.A. procedures. Regeneron had already signed off on the use of the doses, Mr. Philbin told Dr. Hahn. Dr. Hahn and other F.D.A. officials, including Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the top federal drug regulator, worked to clear the drug through a standard process known as an emergency investigational new drug application, often used for very ill patients who agree to take an experimental drug still being tested in clinical trials. The agency reviews the medical histories of those patients to identify whether there might be severe risks to take a treatment. Regeneron shipped a package of doses that included extras, “in case of any administration issues,” a company spokeswoman said. The extras were never returned. Dr. Conley at one point told associates they had been sitting in a refrigerator in the White House’s medical office. Only in the days following the application’s approval did White House officials acknowledge that the doses were for Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus but turned down the drug, which is infused intravenously for about an hour. The person close to the former president also denied that Mrs. Trump had turned down the drug. Around that time, as other people close to Mr. Trump started getting sick, his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, offered to facilitate getting the Regeneron treatment for them, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. An aide to Mr. Kushner disputed that he had made such an offer at that time. In the weeks after his hospitalization, Mr. Trump was convinced that the Regeneron treatment had saved his life, telling aides, “I’m proof it works.” That line became a running joke among top health officials, who would ask each other whether anyone was going to break it to Mr. Trump that he was in fact a failed clinical trial result for Regeneron, since the aim is to prevent people from being hospitalized after receiving it, one former senior administration official said. Noah Weiland, Mark Mazzetti and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Katie Thomas contributed reporting from Chicago, and Denise Grady from New York. [Noah Weiland](https://www.nytimes.com/by/noah-weiland) is a reporter in the Washington bureau, covering health care. He was raised in East Lansing, Mich., and graduated from the University of Chicago. [Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. [Mark Mazzetti](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti) is a Washington investigative correspondent, and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is the author of "The Way of the Knife: the C.I.A, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth." [Annie Karni](https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni) is a White House correspondent. She previously covered the White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign for Politico, and covered local news and politics for the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2021, Section A, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump’s Bout With Covid-19 Was More Dire Than Officials Had Let On. [Order Reprints](https://nytimes.wrightsmedia.com/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY) ## Related Content [The Covid-19 Pandemic](https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus) - ![Derrick Wynne was discharged from the Army for refusing a Covid shot. “He was using our movement to gain a huge amount of traction,” he said of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/12/05/multimedia/00hs-antivax-pqbj/00hs-antivax-pqbj-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times - ![Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is also serving as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/18/multimedia/26hs-cdc/26hs-cdc-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Eric Lee/The New York Times - Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times [More in Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) - ![Brandon Herrera had forced a run-off with the incumbent, the Republican Tony Gonzales, before Mr. Gonzales ended his re-election bid.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl/06nat-AKguy-tx-kgvl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Brenda BazáN/Associated Press - ![Mrs. Onassis in an undated photo in New York City.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh/06WHM-Kennedy-Obit-lwmh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) - ![Kurt Alme, who has been serving as the U.S. attorney for Montana, was endorsed by Senator Steve Daines and President Trump to succeed Mr. Daines in a race for what will now be an open seat.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/05/us/politics/pol-montana/pol-montana-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Thom Bridge/Independent Record, via Associated Press - ![Kristi Noem testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, where her comments led the president to fire her later in the week.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc/06dc-trump-noem-gmpc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times Editors’ Picks - ![Timothée Chalamet at a Knicks game in 2019. He said this week, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.’”](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/09/multimedia/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc/06cul-chalamet-notebook-pmjc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) James Devaney/Getty Images - ![Renovating a kitchen this year will likely cost between \$20,000 to \$75,000, according to research by the remodeling platform Houzz.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/travel/05re-calculator/05re-calculator-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Trending in The Times - ![Mark Carney let his guard down after a speech in Australia.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/07/multimedia/07canadaletter-lowy-zght/07canadaletter-lowy-zght-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Ayush Kumar/Getty Images - ![Judy Garland around 1941.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/obituaries/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01/06WHM-Garland-Obit-01-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) MPTV Images, via Reuters Connect - ![Consumers are growing weary of healthy-but-kinda-mushy meals.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/26/business/00biz-bowl-bust/00biz-bowl-bust-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times - ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/opinion/05Vartkessian/05Vartkessian-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Tarini Sharma - ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/realestate/commercial/THUMBNAIL3/THUMBNAIL3-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) - ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/arts/Tornado-Thumb2/Tornado-Thumb2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Lindsey Whitaker - ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/04/realestate/04re-wyg-Louisville/04re-wyg-Louisville-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Amanda Shae Home Team Realty Group - ![Alelli Tanghal and Jai Lidell hosted a wedding celebration on Feb. 28 at the Palacio de Memoria, a prewar mansion in Metro Manila.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/multimedia/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv/06ST-VOWS-PHILIPPINES-01-kmjv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Artu Nepomuceno - ![Kristi Noem on Thursday shortly after her firing was announced. President Trump said he would replace Ms. Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/06/multimedia/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg/06DAILY-noem-alt-mftg-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Nicole Hester/USA Today Network, via Reuters Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html#after-bottom)
Shard	84 (laksa)
Root Hash	4566504020376537684
Unparsed URL	com,nytimes!www,/2021/02/11/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html s443