Joe Biden tests negative for COVID-19, says he learned about Trump positive test through media
Joe and Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 days after they attended the first debate with President Trump
The world learned earlier today that President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The diagnosis comes days after his contentious Tuesday night debate with presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Read More: Trump’s clownery coming back to bite him is a cautionary tale for virus naysayers
During the debate, Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace about the effectiveness of masks. He said he thought masks were “great” and pulled one out from a suit pocket. “I wear masks when needed,” Trump said. “I don’t wear a mask like him,” Trump said referring to Biden. “Every time I see him, he’s got a mask. You could be speaking 200 feet away from him and he’ll show up wearing the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
Despite his proximity to Trump during the debate, Biden, and his wife, Jill, have tested negative for the virus. But he says that he learned about Trump’s diagnosis like everyone else – through the media.
“I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID,” Biden said in a Twitter post. “Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
The couple offered their prayers to the president.
He said on Twitter Friday that they “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,” his post concluded.
Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, tested negative on Thursday and Friday, according to multiple reports.
The New York Times reports that Biden, after months of campaigning limited by the pandemic, had returned to in-person events, particularly in hard-fought “battleground states” like Michigan, where he was scheduled to appear in Grand Rapids on Friday.
Biden did a train campaign on Wednesday traveling via Amtrak, his preferred mode of transportation during his days as a senator in Delaware. His train tour went through cities in Pennsylvania and Ohio, two significant battleground states important to a presidential victory.
As reported by theGrio, Trump announced via Twitter in the wee hours of Friday morning that he and the first lady had tested positive. Reporter Yamiche Alcindor confirmed today that Trump did not give the Biden camp any advance notice of the positive test before his announcement on Twitter.
White House senior aide Hope Hicks was revealed to have tested positive for COVID on Thursday. The president still traveled to his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey where he interacted with supporters there, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows confirmed to CNN.
“I’m not going to get into the tick tock. I can tell you, in terms of Hope Hicks, we discovered that right as the Marine One was taking off yesterday,” Meadows told the outlet on Friday. “We actually pulled some of the people that have been traveling and in close contact. The reason why it was reported out, just frankly, is that we had already started to contact tracing just prior to that event,” he said.
Trump has canceled his public schedule and he and Melania are in isolation in the White House. It has been announced by CNN White House correspondent Kate Bennet via Twitter that the couple’s 14-year-old son, Barron has tested negative for the virus.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
More About:News
You Might Like
