President Donald Trump tweeted early Friday morning that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
The reaction was swift on social media and included expressions of sympathy, questions about the political ramifications and commentary on how the president has handled the pandemic.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden issued a statement on Twitter Friday morning.
- “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
One expression of sympathy came from political commentator and television host Rachel Maddow of MSNBC.
Both Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio and CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins called it a “nightmare scenario.”
Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast, wrote that Trump has “long downplayed the threat of the coronavirus.”
Here’s a small sampling of the reaction.