Donald Trump’s Campaign Didn’t Contact Joe Biden’s Team After Coronavirus Diagnosis, Report Says
A Friday report from Raw Story claimed that Donald Trump’s campaign didn’t contact Joe Biden’s team after it learned the head of state tested positive for the coronavirus. The piece pointed to reporting from PBS News’ Yamiche Alcindor and CNN’s Sarah Mucha, which suggested that Biden’s campaign learned of the U.S leader’s infection via news reports.
CONFIRMED: There was no contact from the Trump campaign or the White House to alert the Biden campaign of possible exposure. The campaign learned of the situation from the news reports, a Biden campaign aide tells me.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) October 2, 2020
Hearing there was no contact from the Trump campaign or the White House to alert the Biden campaign of possible exposure to COVID-19.
— Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) October 2, 2020
“This is significant because Biden and Trump were just feet apart during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, which featured constant yelling and interrupting from the president,” Raw Story reported.
Per the National Post, Trump might have been infected at Tuesday night’s debate, as COVID-19 has an incubation period — the time between exposure to the virus and symptom emergence — of two to five days.
As reported by Global News, Biden tested negative the for coronavirus on Friday.
“I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern,” he tweeted.
The Democratic presidential nominee continued to encourage Americans to social distance, wear a mask, and wash their hands.
Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, along with her husband, Douglas Emhoff, also received a negative diagnosis.
Nevertheless, Biden’s team is reportedly angry about their possible exposure to COVID-19 via Trump and his allies, the National Post reported.
“Trump’s own family were pictured without masks as things got underway at the debate, despite having been seen on screen wearing masks as they entered the venue. White House aides are rarely seen wearing masks or social distancing, as the president looks to spur on a recovery and downplay the risk of the virus.”
Trump, who has been seen as pushing back against pandemic safety guidelines for months, notably used his performance to mock Biden for his frequent mask-wearing. Unlike other debates, both Trump and Biden were required to social distance. They also did not engage in the traditional handshake at the beginning of the event.
Along with Trump, his wife, Melania, also contracted the coronavirus. The spread allegedly began with the head of state’s senior adviser, Hope Hicks, before other members of the White House fell ill. Ronny Jackson, the U.S leader’s former White House physician, said on Friday that Trump’s diagnosis will have far-reaching implications for people in the president’s circle, who will now have to self-isolate.
Per The Inquisitr, Trump was allegedly taken to Walter Reed Medical Center and is set to undergo tests on his health, which is, thus far, not believed to be in immediate danger. However, he is reportedly a high-risk individual due to his age and obesity.
