According to a new report in Vanity Fair from reporter Gabriel Sherman, President Donald Trump’s recent behavior has his family members — specifically Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka — concerned.
Donald Trump Jr. in particular is reportedly “deeply upset by his father’s decision to drive around Walter Reed National Military Medical Center [on Sunday] with members of the Secret Service while he was infected with COVID-19,” according to Sherman’s Monday report. On Sunday, the president took a short ride outside the hospital and waved at his supporters from behind a closed car window, which alarmed many observers because of the potential for the president to spread the disease. According to Sherman, Donald Jr. “thinks Trump is acting crazy” — but reportedly, he’s been so far unsuccessful in trying to get his siblings (and Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner) to join him in some kind of de facto intervention. “Jared and Ivanka keep telling Trump how great he’s doing,” according to one of Sherman’s sources.
Nevertheless, according to Sherman, the family was reportedly united in their concern after the president posted a surprisingly lengthy series of all-caps tweets on Monday morning. The tweets, in which he rattled off a list of campaign topics seemingly at random and added “VOTE!” alongside each one, came after White House physician Dr. Sean Conley revealed that the president had been administered a steroid treatment amidst the ongoing concerns about his health. The steroid — dexamethasone, which would be meant to support his physical health against the threat of Coronavirus symptoms — could “affect mood, causing euphoria or a general happiness,” as The New York Times reports.
According to a source described as close to the family, in the wake of the tweets, the president’s kids are “all worried” and have “tried to get him to stop tweeting.” This effort has seemingly been unsuccessful. In all, the president posted over a dozen all-caps tweets in a row on Monday morning.
Going forward, it’s not immediately clear what the next step for the president might be. There’s been talk of an imminent discharge from the hospital, but the Coronavirus has been known to leave symptoms that may last well beyond the initial course of infection. Trump’s age (he’s in his 70s) puts him at high risk for complications. (UPDATE: On Monday, Trump announced that he’d be leaving Walter Reed.)
