By
Steve Muchoki
April 16th, 2024
Donald Trump’s coronavirus test came back negative, his personal physician revealed on Saturday. According to the doctor, the test was performed Friday night and the president “remains symptom-free”.
The United States President Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, according to a statement Saturday from the White House.
Sean Conley, the physician to the president said:
“Last night after an in-depth discussion with the President regarding COVID-19 testing, he elected to proceed. This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative.”
President Trump, 73, had reportedly been in contact with at least one person tested positive for coronavirus following a dinner party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last weekend.
That official, Fábio Wajngarten, is the press secretary for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and was photographed at the event alongside Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Brazil’s government said that Wajngarten had tested positive for the virus. Also, one more member of the Brazilian delegation that visited Mar-a-Lago was also tested positive for the coronavirus: Chargé d’Affaires Nestor Forster.
Two Senate Members Self-Quarantined
Conley added:
“One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free. I have been in daily contact with the CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force, and we are encouraging the implementation of all their best practices for exposure reduction and transmission mitigation.”
Meanwhile, two Senate Republicans, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Florida’s Rick Scott, announced they will self-quarantine following exposure to members of the Brazilian delegation.
However, doctor Deborah Birx, the task force coordinator warns:
“When you get a negative test, that means you’re negative that day. That doesn’t mean that you couldn’t get the virus spreading overnight, because it replicates in your nose and your nasal secretions, and you would have a positive test tomorrow. If you have a negative test, that doesn’t mean that you can discontinue precautions. It doesn’t mean you can start taking risks because you were negative.”
Trump went on to praise the bipartisan congressional funding package passed early Saturday and the rise in the stock markets following his Rose Garden address. He commented:
“I was honored to see that the stock market, you were mostly there with us, set a record in a short period of time, over 45-minute period that we had the press conference yesterday in the rose garden. That was a record. All-time record. I think we should do one of them every day perhaps. How about five times a day? We’ll do one five times a day.”
He also added that the United Kingdom and Ireland have been added to the United States’ travel ban countries amid the coronavirus spread.
US stock markets finished the last trading session of the week higher despite concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump also declared a national emergency, stating the government will provide $50 billion in funding to help curb the outbreak.
“I don’t take responsibility at all,” he said, insisting problems that led to slow test-kit distribution were the fault of previous administrations. “We were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time.”
The Dow Industrial Average was up 9.36% at the closing bell, gaining 1,985 points, while the Nasdaq 100 increased 10.07%. Intel Corp. was the best performing stock on both indexes, surging 19.50%. The S&P 500 jumped 9.29%, as Coty inc. rising 23.33%.