US1 min(s) read
Published 15:32 02 Oct 2020 GMT
Some people have pointed to recent comments made by President Trump, in which he appeared to mock Joe Biden for consistently wearing a face-covering - and the size of said face covering - just two days before being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The President tweeted that one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on October 2. Two hours later, Trump confirmed that he and the First Lady Melania, had also tested positive.
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The president wrote:
"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"
However, in a live debate which aired just two days before, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump about his often-shakey stance on face coverings, Trump responded by taking the opportunity to disparage Democrat candidate Joe Biden for wearing one in public so frequently.
Trump stated:
"I don't wear a mask like [Biden], every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from it, and he shows up with the biggest mask I've seen."
Trump was not seen wearing a face-covering in public until July:
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On the other hand, former Vice President Biden responded:
"Masks make a big difference. His own head of the CDC said if we just wore masks between now - if everybody wore a mask and [socially] distanced between now and January, we’d probably save up to a hundred thousand lives. It matters."
Upon hearing the news of Trump's diagnosis, Biden tweeted a message of support to his political rival, writing:
"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."
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Presidential physician James Conley has also written a memo to the White House Press Secretary, confirming that, at the moment, both Trumps are faring well.
Conley wrote:
"The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions.
"Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments."
According to the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Research Center, there have been 7,282,027 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, resulting in 207,867 deaths, as of the time of writing.
