President 'bored' at hospital, not 'out of the woods'
Chief of staff Mark Meadows says he was "very concerned" on Friday.
The mystery surrounding the President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and condition deepened Saturday after several rounds of confusing and contradictory information from the White House and the president's medical staff.
Amid the swirl of developments, sources told ABC News that Trump, who remains hospitalized, had been given supplemental oxygen and experienced shortness of breath, a potentially worrisome picture that appeared to contradict both the rosier statements from Trump's doctor and assessments that he was doing well both on Twitter and elsewhere.
Speaking outside Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday, Trump's physician would not offer a clear, declarative statement about whether the president had received oxygen treatment since testing positive.
The press pool was told soon after by a "source familiar with the president's health" that Trump's "vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care."
The lack of transparency and clarity from the White House contributed to a troubling pattern surrounding the events of the last week, including learning of Hope Hicks' diagnosis by a media leak, as the U.S. faces a potential crisis of governance just a month before the election.
Numerous questions remained including how many people at the highest levels of government had been exposed after a week of events involving the president where social distancing and mask-wearing were lax and the integrity of the testing efforts at the White House and elsewhere.
Since Trump announced he had coronavirus, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Ron Johnson, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway have announced they tested positive for COVID-19.
Saturday's headlines:
Trump campaign staff wore masks at event
In a notable shift, just hours after Trump campaign staffers and surrogates campaigned in Iowa on Saturday with no masks, indoors and with no social distancing, the team is now wearing masks at the second stop Saturday on the "Team Trump" bus tour through the state.
Trump campaign spokesperson Marc Lotter posted photos on Twitter of the second stop of the day on the bus tour, with staff outdoors and wearing masks, including Lotter, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Trump Victory senior adviser Eric Branstad.
However, supporters in attendance at the event did not appear to be social distancing, were mostly not wearing masks and many appeared to be in the age range that would put them at a higher risk for coronavirus complications.
ABC News' Will Steakin contributed to this report.
Pence and Harris will be 12-feet apart at debate, as Pence continues to campaign as usual
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will be 12-feet apart on the debate stage in Salt Lake City Wednesday night, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, following a request from the Biden campaign to have more space between the candidates.
The Trump-Pence campaign had previously said it was open to putting more space between the vice presidential candidates for the seated debate, with Trump 2020 Communications Director Tim Murtaugh calling it "just a matter of moving farther apart at the table."
Following a negative COVID-19 test Saturday morning, the campaign announced Pence will return to the campaign trail the day after the debate in Salt Lake City, heading over to the battleground state of Arizona for a “Make America Great Again” event in Peoria.
Asked by ABC News Saturday if there would be any changes to health precautions at Pence’s future campaign events, the Trump campaign said it will go on as usual -- which means supporters will only be encouraged to follow health guidelines.
The campaign also continued its previously scheduled bus tour through Iowa Saturday, despite the president's hospitalization. According to a Republican source, there were no discussions on the ground about postponing the events.
Pence's physician in a memorandum Friday cleared him to “go about his normal activities,” citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that he was “not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for COVID, including President Donald J. Trump.”
However, Pence was among those in the Rose Garden for the Amy Coney Barrett announcement on Saturday (eight others who were there have tested positive for COVID-19) and he said he was with Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
ABC News' Molly Nagle, Avery Harper, Justin Gomez and Will Steakin contributed to this report.
McConnell awaiting Democrats' approval to postpone Senate schedule for two weeks
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Saturday afternoon that he intends to try to postpone the Senate's schedule for two weeks, as three of his colleagues have tested positive for COVID-19 -- but McConnell must get Democrats on board.
“On Monday, I intend to obtain a consent agreement for the Senate to meet in pro forma sessions for the next two weeks. Previously-scheduled floor activity will be rescheduled until after October 19th," McConnell said in a statement.
He also made clear that judiciary hearings will move forward as planned.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee will convene on October 12th as Chairman Graham has scheduled to begin confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination," the statement read.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement in response calling McConnell's move to recess the Senate while proceeding with Barrett's confirmation hearings, calling it “reckless and dangerous.”
“If it is too dangerous to have the Senate in session, it is also too dangerous for committee hearings to continue,” Schumer writes.
The change still will not push the full Senate floor vote to confirm Barrett past the election.
ABC News' Trish Turner and Allie Pecorin contributed to this report.
Trump was on oxygen on Friday, sources say
Sources close to Trump tell ABC News the president was having trouble breathing and received supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House after his oxygen levels dropped. This in part prompted the president to be transferred to Walter Reed Hospital late Friday afternoon.
In addition, following that health assessment provided by doctors at Walter Reed, a senior administration official told ABC News that "according to [the president's physician] Dr. [Sean] Conley, the next 48 hours are critical for monitoring of potential illness progression." This official added that some of the president’s vitals Friday morning were "concerning."
The pool was told by a "source familiar with the president's health" that Trump's "vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery."
As of Saturday morning, the president's medical team said in their briefing he is not currently on supplemental oxygen.
At one point, the president's doctor said, "yesterday and today he was not on oxygen" but in another answer later he said, "Thursday, no oxygen. None at this moment. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen."
Asked whether Trump has experienced difficulty breathing, Conley said, "No. No, he has not. Never did."
ABC News' Katherine Faulders and John Santucci contributed to this report.
Trump 'bored' at Walter Reed, sources say
President Trump completed a second dose of remdesivir on Saturday and still did not require supplemental oxygen, according to a memorandum. The president spent the afternoon at Walter Reed Medical Center on the phone speaking to aides and getting some work done, sources told ABC News.
"He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty," the memorandum from Dr. Sean Conley said. "While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic."
One source who spent time with the president this afternoon said they are encouraging him to rest and added he continues to be monitored closely. Multiple sources told ABC News on Saturday night that Friday was "scary," and added they were concerned about Trump. Sources told ABC News earlier in the day that Trump was having trouble breathing and received supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House after his oxygen levels dropped.
Trump himself, according to sources, wanted to bring in a camera to share how he was doing. The president filmed a four-minute video on Friday night and tweeted twice during the day -- once thanking his doctors and nurses and another referring to getting "stimulus" done, an apparent reference to disagreements between his administration and House Speak Nancy Pelosi over a funding bill.
Sources described Trump as "bored" and said he wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible, but as previously reported is expected to remain at Walter Reed for a few days.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is once again expected to spend the night at Walter Reed.
ABC News' John Santucci contributed to this report.