Trump Was 'In Pain' And 'Afraid' After Bout With COVID-19, New Book Says

Former President Donald Trump was “afraid” and “in pain” while he was receiving treatment for a severe COVID-19 infection, his niece Mary Trump has claimed in a new book.

In Mary Trump’s upcoming book “The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal,” the former president’s niece said Trump wore a pained expression and appeared as if he had difficulty breathing.

“He clenched his teeth and jutted out his jaw, just as my grandmother did when she was biting back anger or clamping down on her pain. In Donald, I saw the latter,” she wrote, as reported by The Guardian. “I have asthma, so I am acutely aware of what it looks like when somebody is struggling to breathe.”

Mary also claimed that her uncle refused to admit that he was in pain and was afraid of being seen as vulnerable.

“He was in pain, he was afraid, but he would never admit that to anybody – not even himself. Because, as always, the consequences of admitting vulnerability were much more frightening to him than being honest,” she added.

On Oct. 2, the White House announced that then-president Trump and former first lady Melania Trump both tested positive for COVID-19. While Melania underwent self-quarantine, her husband was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he received various treatments.

On Oct. 3, a memo from Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said that the then-president had made “substantial progress” since testing positive for coronavirus. However, he noted that he “is not yet out of the woods.”

Trump’s medical team had repeatedly downplayed the severity of his condition. But Dr. Conley later acknowledged that Trump’s oxygen levels dropped to 93% during his stay at Walter Reed. He also confirmed reports that the former president was given oxygen twice before being taken to the medical center on Oct. 2, according to The New York Times.

During his stay at Walter Reed, Trump was also given a cocktail of steroids and dexamethasone, which is usually given to patients suffering from a severe or critical case of COVID-19, or those who need supplemental oxygen.

On Oct. 5, three days after he was admitted to Walter Reed, Trump came back to the White House where he removed his mask for the cameras while appearing to struggle to breathe and wincing in pain.