Axios

The White House has given New Jersey health officials a list of at least 206 people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a fundraiser event attended by President Trump in Bedminster last week, the state's department of health tweeted Sunday.

Why it matters: The president has come under criticism for choosing to attend the event at the Trump National Golf Club on Thursday even after close aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus.

White House physician Sean Conley said at a press briefing Sunday that President Trump experienced two "transient" episodes in which his oxygen saturation level dropped below 94% and that he received supplemental oxygen on Friday after registering a "high fever."

Why it matters: Conley repeatedly evaded questions at Saturday's press briefing about whether Trump had received oxygen and insisted that the president was doing "extremely well."

White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Sunday that White House physician Sean Conley withheld specific details at Saturday's press briefing about Donald Trump's medical condition in order to "convey confidence" and "raise the spirits" of the president.

Driving the news: Conley and the White House have come under intense criticism after Chief of Staff Mark Meadows provided an anonymous statement to reporters on Saturday saying that Trump had a "very concerning" period on Friday, contradicting the more rosy assessment Conley had provided in a television briefing just moments earlier.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday a plan to close nonessential businesses and schools in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens, NBC New York reports.

Why it matters: It will mark the first time the city has backpedaled on reopening since the spring, when New York was the epicenter of the virus.

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that Vice President Mike Pence is "not in the clear" from getting the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Pence is expected to hit the campaign trail hard later this week, even as President Trump is in Walter Reed Medical Center for COVID-19 treatment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday she is receiving health updates on President Trump, who is in the hospital with the coronavirus, through the media and not through official briefings or contact with the White House.

Why it matters: Pelosi is second in the line of succession behind Vice President Mike Pence.

President Trump handing the powers of the presidency to Vice President Pence is "not something that's on the table at this point," White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Driving the news: The president "feels very well" and will remain at Walter Reed hospital, where he has been since Friday, for "at least another period of time," O'Brien said.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump's re-election campaign, argued on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that Joe Biden has often "used the mask as a prop" and defended the campaign's handling of the coronavirus even as Trump remained in the hospital with a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Why it matters: Trump has rarely worn a mask in public and often downplayed its usefulness. A large coronavirus outbreak in the White House has infected over a dozen people in Trump's inner circle, including many who attended a Rose Garden celebration to announce Amy Coney Barrett as the nominee for Supreme Court Justice. Photos of the event show hardly anyone wearing a mask.

Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes defended President Trump's family after they broke Cleveland Clinic rules by declining to wear masks at last week's presidential debate, saying on "Fox News Sunday" that "we believe in masks, but we also believe in some element of individual choice."

The backdrop: First lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and several guests entered the debate hall with masks on but took them off after being seated — a violation of the rules that both campaigns had agreed to. An official from the Cleveland Clinic offered the family masks but was waved away.

South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison faced off against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) from behind a plexiglass barrier at Allen University during a fiery first debate on Saturday night.

Why it matters Graham and Harrison are tied 48%-48% in the Senate election, per a Quinnipiac poll out last Wednesday. The race could be pivotal in deciding which party controls the Senate, Axios' Fadel Allassan notes.

The White House released images Saturday night of President Trump working from the Walter Reed Medical Center, hours after a video message was posted from his Twitter account in which he said he's "starting to feel good."

Why it matters: There have been conflicting reports on the state of Trump's health since it was announced Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the coronavirus. The timeline on when he fell ill is also unclear.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News Saturday night that officials were "concerned" about President Trump's condition after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus, but he's now "doing well."

Why it matters: There have been conflicting reports from the White House on Trump's condition. Meadows' remarks come after White House physician Sean Conley said Saturday that Trump "remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen," but that the president is "not yet out of the woods."

White House physician Sean Conley said in a statement Saturday night that President Trump is "not yet out of the woods," but the medical team "remains cautiously optimistic" about his condition following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Why it matters: There have been conflicting reports on the state of his health. "He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96% and 98% all day," Conley said, without clarifying whether Trump had been given oxygen, adding to the ambiguity surrounding the president's condition. Trump said in a video message from hospital earlier Saturday that he's "starting to feel good"

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