The Coronavirus has spread far and wide around the United States and globe, and as concern has mounted over President Donald Trump’s own repeated exposure to the virus, he abruptly announced at a weekend press conference that he’d been tested… supposedly. Literally the night before, a personal Trump physician had released a letter claiming Trump didn’t even need a test, and this Saturday afternoon, he claimed there were still no results from the test the previous evening — but some say that his team might be hiding something because results come around a lot quicker than that.
A reporter asks @realDonaldTrump if his temperature was normal. He turned around right before leaving the briefing rooms and said: "Totally normal." #coronavirus #covid19
— Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) March 14, 2020
On Saturday, after Trump’s reveal that he’d supposedly been tested, virologist and epidemiologist Joseph Fair commented on MSNBC:
‘Yeah, I mean, typically a test like this… takes around two hours completely. And I would think if the president was tested, it would be a two-hour turn around on the assay. I’m surprised that there are no results yet.’
So where are they? Trump was apparently not even originally scheduled to attend the weekend press conference in question, so perhaps he wasn’t supposed to reveal that information yet? Besides his claim that he’d been tested the previous evening, Trump also complained — among other things — about criticism of his personal behavior, which one reporter suggested sends “mixed messages” because he’s been publicly shaking hands and interacting in other ways even while touting the dangers of the virus and importance of so-called social distancing.
President Trump says he was tested for the coronavirus: “I also took the test last night … and I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday” https://t.co/C3zbIzmSM7 pic.twitter.com/UPaEZcVaaM
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 14, 2020
Ironically, this situation is not the first in which the president’s personal medical state has been in question. Some have also cast a suspicious eye on past proclamations from White House doctors that Trump was in tip-top shape during routine physical exams.
This time, one commenter broke it down:
‘Get this: Last night Trump was tested for coronavirus. The test he took provides results within 2 hours. So he knew the results by midnight of last night. This morning Trump said the results will be out in 1-2 days. Another lie. What is he hiding?’
Get this:
Last night Trump was tested for coronavirus.
The test he took provides results within 2 hours.
So he knew the results by midnight of last night.
This morning Trump said the results will be out in 1-2 days.
Another lie.
What is he hiding?
— Nicholas Ponticello (@NickPonticello) March 14, 2020
Check out more Twitter reactions below. Trump is far from the first prominent public official to get exposed or tested — three cases have already been confirmed in people who recently visited Trump’s own Florida Mar-a-Lago resort, where he’s spent a lot of time.
Trump clearly has a problem with telling the truth, so I’m gonna need to see the test results before I take him at his word. We really don’t know what the health impact here is, because his administration was not prepared, and tests have been hard to come by. #coronavirusupdates
— Aaron Black (@BlackCatUnloads) March 14, 2020
Trump took the test. The results will be held with his taxes and Deutsche Bank records #coronavirus
— Sandi Bachom (@sandibachom) March 14, 2020
I trust the results of the @realDonaldTrump Covid-19 test about as much as I trust the scale used to weigh him in at his annual physical. #Resist #COVID19
— Wrath of Khan (@WrathOfKhan2016) March 14, 2020
Trump is at the podium now. He looks & sounds horrible- twitching & jerking. The microphone placement looks new- it’s 2 feet from his face. Google images show no set up like this. He says he took the COVID-19 test, results are coming. Something is sticking out behind his L ear pic.twitter.com/0o8725Nnov
— Tom Joseph (@TomJChicago) March 14, 2020
I don't believe he took the test.
I don't believe he took his temp before entering.
I won't believe whatever results of the test he claims.
I don't believe ANYTHING this self-serving pathologically-lying sociopath says.
Ever.#Trump #CoronaVirus— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) March 14, 2020
TRUMP: "I also took the test last night."
He's awaiting results.
Last night, the WH put out a letter from his doctor stating he didn't need to do so.
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) March 14, 2020
Turnaround time for #COVID19 test results in many other countries is as low as 4 hours. More than 12 hours later and Trump still doesn't haven't the results?
Yes we need more tests but we also need tests with results in hours not days. We are way behind. https://t.co/0nrgzG7Adq
— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) March 14, 2020
So he deserves a medal?
In typical Trump fashion, he’ll hide the true results and either lie or say it’s none of our business. https://t.co/diRzZpj70h
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) March 14, 2020
I figured it out: Trump did take the coronavirus test, but he can’t release the results till the audit is over.
— Joshua A. Geltzer (@jgeltzer) March 14, 2020
