According to Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman, Donald Trump reportedly asked aides if he was doing to die from COVID-19 while being airlifted to the hospital – as a top official said his vitals are “very concerning” and the next 48 hours are “critical”.

It came on a morning of confusion over the president’s health as White House medics insisted he was in “great spirits” but Chief of Staff Mark Meadows suggested his condition had significantly deteriorated.

According to Sherman, Trump asked his aides: “Am I going out like Stan Chera? Am I?”

Trump was referencing his New York City friend and real estate developer who died of coronavirus in April.

Conversations w Republicans close to WH over last 12 hours indicate it’s been far more dire than WH has said. Before being taken to Walter Reed, Trump kept asking aides, “Am I going out like Stan Chera? Am I?” (Chera was Trump’s NYC friend who died of Covid in April)

— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) October 3, 2020

It comes as White House physician Dr. Sean Conley, alongside nine other members of the president’s medical team, provided an update on his condition from the Walter Reed medical center on Saturday morning.

Dr. Conley said the president was in “exceptionally good spirits” and that Trump had said to doctors: “I feel like I could walk out of here today.”

In extraordinary scenes at the White House on Friday, Trump was rushed via Marine One to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland out after being struck down with the dangerous virus on Thursday.

The medical team also confirmed that the president is likely to be on a five-day course of antiviral drug Remdesivir and has 13 doctors and nurses on hand.

Despite remaining in the hospital, Conley confirmed that Trump has “plenty of work to get done from the Chief of Staff.”

Sherman’s tweet definitely has people talking, take a look:

🔥WHOA—Trump was so sick yesterday that he basically asked if he was going to die like his friend Stan Chera, Trump’s personal friend who died of #COVID19 in April. https://t.co/AC8GAH5ZQJ

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 3, 2020

Conversations w Republicans close to WH over last 12 hours indicate it’s been far more dire than WH has said. Before being taken to Walter Reed, Trump kept asking aides, “Am I going out like Stan Chera? Am I?” (Chera was Trump’s NYC friend who died of Covid in April)

— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) October 3, 2020

The president is scared he’s going to die. https://t.co/GbjfIVXSxK

— Respectable Lawyer (@RespectableLaw) October 3, 2020

From April: "Trump learned that his close friend, 78-year-old New York real estate mogul Stan Chera, had contracted COVID-19 and fallen into a coma at NewYork-Presbyterian. “Boy, did that hit home. Stan is like one of his best friends,” https://t.co/yzkH1HV5sE

— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) October 3, 2020

It's the most Trump thing possible that when he started to realize he was dying of COVID-19, he kept asking his aides "Am I dying the same way my friend did?" in the most disdainful way possible.

He's probably called at least some coronavirus casualties "pussies" at some point. https://t.co/KDivJQWRmq

— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) October 3, 2020

I’m glad to hear .@realDonaldTrump was scared because it might give him a better perspective of what the world has been feeling for months. Of course, the minute he’s better, he’ll have forgotten he was scared shitless. #MAGA #COVID19 https://t.co/FDZ1G5Ynnd

— 🗳 “A Republic . . . IF you can keep it.” 🗳 (@BarbaraDarlin) October 3, 2020

While I'm obviously not a Trump supporter, it doesn't bring me joy to know that he is this ill. He's still in charge, and him being incapacitated and retaining power is a massive national security threat. He should pass power to the VP for the good of the country. https://t.co/yM1ePq5glG

— Ben Schwartz (@bls1999) October 3, 2020