The US has the highest number of coronavirus cases worldwide and now the most powerful man in the world is in the grip of COVID19. President Donald Trump shared the news over Twitter that him and First Lady- Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID19.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told media that Trump is "in good spirits" but is experiencing mild symptoms related to Covid-19 as of Friday morning. The President announced his positive test on Twitter on Friday night.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Upon news of President Trump testing positive, stock markets took a downturn and there was panic inside the White House, as staff worked to determine who else in the senior levels of government may have contracted the disease and whether the President -- who falls within the highest risk category for serious complications and who has been guarded about revealing details of his health -- was displaying symptoms.
Questions remained about why the President proceeded with his schedule on Thursday, including flying to attend a fundraiser in New Jersey, despite being in close contact with an aide, Hope Hicks, who was known by a small group of aides to have tested positive.
There was lots of chatter on social media by critics as they pointed out how the President had minimized the threat of the virus, neglected wearing a mask, and had taken risks like holding campaign rallies with little or no physical distancing and few if any masks. During the presidential debate on Tuesday, he mocked former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for wearing a mask.
The tweets ran the gamut of humour, cynicism, and sympathy. The whole world rejoices!” and the tweet which was liked 55,000 times in the hour after it was posted.
While others took the opportunity to ridicule Mr. Trump. Radoslaw Sikorski, a former foreign minister of Poland, wrote on Twitter, “Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, I suggest you do not try to treat yourself with bleach.”
Some took this as an opportunity to teach the President that the virus does not discriminate on the basis of socio economic status.
In Myanmar, a Baptist minister who met with Mr. Trump last year and told him about oppression and torture by the military, tweeted “Now, he is suffering himself and he should be compassionate for his people,”.
According to White House officials people in the President’s circle were tested. Both daughter Ivanka Trump and son in law Jared Kushner, and senior advisers to Trump tested negative for coronavirus Friday.
Barron Trump, the President and first lady's 14-year-old son, also tested negative for the coronavirus. Concerns also remain regarding the President’s election campaign for November with just a month left before Americans head to the polls.