Washington DC, US
Reuters
US President Donald Trump is moving to a military hospital for treatment after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a White House official said on Friday, as his administration and election campaign scrambled to adjust to an extraordinary twist in his turbulent presidency.
Trump, 74, will be moved to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days as a precautionary measure, the official said.
US President Donald Trump approaches reporters as he departs on campaign travel to Minnesota from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, US, om 30th September. PICTURE: Reuters/Carlos Barria
“Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days,” she said in a statement.
Trump has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P Conley wrote in a memo that he is “fatigued but in good spirits”.
It was the latest recent setback for the Republican President, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the 3rd November presidential election.
Trump, who has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, wrote on Twitter earlier on Friday that he and his wife Melania were going into quarantine after testing positive for the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and severely damaged the US economy.
An active Twitter user, Trump has not posted any messages since then.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Conley said Trump has received a single dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail, a technique that is used for treating a wide range of illnesses. Data is limited on its effectiveness for COVID-19 but US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci is among those saying it has promise.
Trump is also taking zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.
BIDEN SAYS MASKS NOT ABOUT BEING A ‘TOUGH GUY’
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said on Friday that President Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis shows the importance of taking the pandemic seriously, telling Americans that wearing masks is more important than being a “tough guy.”
The remarks, which came as Biden campaigned in the battleground state of Michigan hours after testing negative twice for the coronavirus, served as an implicit criticism of the Republican President. Trump has played down the deadliness of the virus for months, frequently eschews masks and has held huge campaign rallies with little social distancing.
At a union hall in Grand Rapids, Biden said he and his wife, Jill Biden, were praying that Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, had a swift and full recovery. He delivered the entire speech while wearing a blue medical mask, a departure from prior events where he typically took off his mask before speaking.
“This is not a matter of politics,” Biden said. “It’s a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously. It’s not going away automatically.”
Biden urged all Americans to follow scientific guidelines, including wearing masks, washing hands frequently and staying six feet (1.83 m) apart. Health officials, including the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, have said masks are a crucial tool for slowing the spread of the virus.
“Be patriotic,” Biden said. “It’s not about being a tough guy. It’s about doing your part.”
During Tuesday’s chaotic presidential debate, Trump mocked Biden for wearing a mask at his events, even when he is far away from other people.
Trump’s diagnosis is likely to reinforce Biden’s message about the President’s failed response to the disease, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States, and undermine Trump’s argument that the end of the pandemic is in sight. Polls show voters trust Biden to handle the coronavirus more than Trump.
“It’s hard to say ‘it’s under control’ when you fall victim to it,” said Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. “If we are talking about the pandemic for the next four weeks, Donald Trump loses.”
Michigan, which Trump narrowly won over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 but where Biden has led in most state polls, is a vital swing state in the election.
Biden leads Trump in national opinion polls, although surveys in the battleground states that will decide the contest show a closer race. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed Biden leading Trump by five percentage points among likely voters in Michigan.
– JEFF MASON and TREVOR HUNNICUTT, Reuters
Meanwhile, get well messages for US President Donald Trump poured in from foreign capitals on Friday after he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus, but some had little sympathy for a leader whose response to the pandemic has been widely criticised.
Trump, who is seeking re-election on 3rd November, denies accusations that he downplayed the severity of the outbreak as the world’s most powerful nation also became the worst hit, accounting for around 20 per cent of a global death toll that crossed a million this week.
Most diplomatic responses to news that Trump, 74, and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 observed the niceties, while governments everywhere assessed how it might impact the outcome of next month’s US election.
“COVID-19 is a battle we all continue to fight. Everyday. No matter where we live,” European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter, wishing America’s First Couple a speedy recovery.
But disappointed by Washington’s leadership during the global health crisis, some messages were laced with stinging barbs.
“This demonstrates that the virus spares no one, including those who have shown scepticism. I wish him a swift recovery,” said Gabriel Attal, spokesman for the French government.
If one of the United States’ most important NATO allies sounded somewhat terse, there was no hiding the satisfaction evident in China’s state-controlled media following news that their country’s chief antagonist had joined the COVID sick list.
“President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19,” tweeted Hu Xijin, editor in chief of China’s Global Times newspaper.
“The news shows the severity of the US’s pandemic situation. It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his reelection.”
Barely two weeks ago, Trump had told the UN General Assembly that China, where the virus first emerged late last year, should be held accountable for unleashing “this plague on the world”.
Just two days ago, during the acrimonious presidential debate, Democratic rival Joe Biden excoriated Trump for his handling of the crisis at home.
Having assured Americans in January that the looming threat of the disease spreading out of China was “totally under control”, and told them in February that the virus would disappear one day “like a miracle”, Trump tested their credulity in April by suggesting the possibility that disinfectant could be injected to clean out the virus.
The China Daily, the country’s official English language newspaper, piled on: “Since it emerged earlier this year, Trump, the White House and his campaign have played down the threat and refused to abide by basic public health guidelines – including those issued by his own administration – such as wearing masks in public and practicing social distancing. Instead, Trump has continued to hold campaign rallies that draw thousands of supporters. The virus has killed more than 200,000 Americans and infected more than 7 million nationwide.”
Warmth and concern for Trump was more plentiful in Israel and Taiwan, two governments that treasure their friendship with the United States.
“Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted, referring to his wife.
“The government & people of Taiwan stand with the US at this testing time,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
