World leaders react in shock, sympathy to Trump testing positive for coronavirus
News of the infection of the most powerful man in the world with the most notorious disease in the world drew instant reactions of shock, sympathy, undisguised glee and, of course, the ever-present outrage and curiosity that follow much of what President Trump does, even from 10,000 miles away.
Trump’s announcement Friday, on Twitter, that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, and the deep uncertainty that accompanied it, permeated the global news cycle, upending countless plans and sparking comment everywhere from presidential offices to the thousands looking to weigh in on social media.
The positive test reading for the leader of the world’s largest economy adds more uncertainty to investors’ worries, including how the infection might affect the November 3 election between Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. U.S. stock futures and most world markets fell on the news, as did the price of oil. World leaders were quick to weigh in, with official sympathy from the top and something approaching schadenfreude elsewhere.
Trump joins a growing list of the powerful who have contracted the virus, including many who were skeptical of the disease. “I’m sure that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus,” Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a direct message to Trump.
Italian right-wing opposition leader Matteo Salvini tweeted: “In Italy and in the world, whoever celebrates the illness of a man or of a woman, and who comes to wish the death of a neighbour, confirms what he is: An idiot without soul. A hug to Melania and Donald.”
British PM Boris Johnson, who was hospitalised for a week in April after he contracted COVID-19, wished Trump a “speedy recovery.”
Australian Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that
It just goes to show that a pandemic can in fact touch anybody, even the President of US – David Littleproud, Australian Agriculture Minister
Whoever celebrates the illness of a man or a woman, and who comes to wish the death of a neighbour, confirms what he is: an idiot without soul – Matteo Salvini, Italian right-wing opposition leader
Trump’s infection “demonstrates that no one is immune . ... It just goes to show that a global pandemic can in fact touch anybody, even the president of the United States.”
The satirical Australian news site, the Betoota Advocate, posted a story with the headline: “Trump Family Records More Cases Of Community Transmission Than Entire State Of Queensland.”
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, speaking at a weekly news conference, did not mention Trump’s reluctance to wear masks when asked about his infection, but she said the news “reminded me of how widely masks are worn in Japan.”
The positive test result for Trump and his wife was the most searched topic in China — after news about the holiday — on the widely used social media app Weibo a few hours after the announcement, with most comments mocking or critical. One user darkly joked that Trump had finally tweeted something positive.