Trump may take test; Us-china spat rages
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will “most likely” be tested for the novel coronavirus, even as the Us-china spat over the origins of the pandemic escalated.
Trump has now had multiple direct and indirect contacts with people who have tested positive for the pandemic virus, which on Friday prompted him to declare a state of emergency as schools and workplaces across the country shuttered, flights were cancelled and Americans braced for war against the threat.
Trump spent time last weekend at his private club in Florida with at least three people who have now tested positive.
The Brazilian Embassy in Washington announced late Friday that the country’s chargé d’affaires, Nestor Forster, tested positive after sitting at Trump’s dinner table. So, too, have a top aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and an individual who attended a fundraiser Sunday with Trump. Several top administration officials, including Attorney General William Barr and Trump’s daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump, also met last week with an Australian Cabinet minister who on Friday was confirmed positive.
The president is reportedly reluctant to take the test for fear it would project weakness or worry.
White House spokesman Judd
Deere said Ivanka Trump, who met with Dutton, worked from home Friday “out of an abundance of caution.”
US SUMMONS ENVOY OVER CHINESE CLAIMS The US on Friday summoned China’s ambassador after a senior official in Beijing tweeted the “ridiculous” suggestion that the US military started the pandemic, the state department said.
David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for Asia, issued a “stern representation” to ambassador Cui Tiankai a day after foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted the conspiracy theory.
“China is seeking to deflect criticism for its role in starting a global pandemic and not telling the world,” a state Department official said.
“Spreading conspiracy theories is dangerous and ridiculous. We wanted to put the government on notice we won’t tolerate it, for the good of the Chinese people and the world,” the official said.