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Early in the morning of October 2, President Donald Trump tweeted that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus. Immediately following the announcement, many supporters and opponents of the president alike were stunned in disbelief.
However, the news was no hoax or joke: both the president and first lady have tested positive for COVID-19.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife have both tested negative. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has tested negative for the virus as well.
Close to 1 AM Friday morning, Trump tweeted “Tonight, FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
According to top White House physician Dr. Sean Conley, Trump is not currently showing any symptoms. Melania Trump tweeted “Thank you for the love you are sending our way. I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery.”
The president and first lady will likely quarantine for the required fourteen days to allow the virus to run its course. The diagnosis came after top advisor Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus. President Trump appeared on Fox News hours before the news of his COVID test broke to discuss Hicks’ diagnosis.
Immediately following the announcement, politicians from both sides of the aisle issued well-wishes and “get well soon” comments. Democratic nominee Joe Biden was quick to wish his opponent well and hope for his speedy recovery.
Senators and representatives from both Republican and Democratic parties issued similar messages.
In the comments underneath Trump’s announcement on Twitter, however, an unusual trend can be observed. A number of users have posted bizarre, unnerving images, captioned with text in Arabic or other non-standard scripts.
This, coupled with some people on Twitter celebrating the news of Trump’s diagnosis, cast a grim energy over the announcement.
With only a month before the election, the diagnosis couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Trump campaign. There are still two presidential debates scheduled, though it’s unlikely Trump attends them while recovering from COVID-19.
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, DOW futures in early Friday trading plummeted.
The questions of what the campaign is going to do with the candidate sidelined for the foreseeable future lingers over the GOP. With Biden surging in polls and the election looming, the campaign will need to get creative and stay on the attack to keep Trump in the forefront of voters’ minds into November.
