White House Doctor Claims Trump Tested Negative for COVID-19 But We Have No Reason to Believe Him
White House physician Sean Conley says President has tested negative for the new . But the administration has been intentionally spreading disinformation, which gives us little confidence in the veracity of this most recent statement.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement on Saturday that said after Conley had “an in-depth” conversation with the president late Friday night, Trump “elected to proceed” with having a COVID-19 test.
Conley wrote that on Saturday that he “received confirmation that the test is negative.”
Trump’s doctor added, “One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free.” Two people that Trump came in contact with from that dinner have since tested positive for COVID-19.
At a press conference on Friday, Trump claimed he was symptom-free and said that since the guidelines called for those who fell in that category to refrain from seeking a test, that is what he would do. But the guidelines also recommend people who’ve been near or have come in contact with those who have contracted the virus, which Trump had, should get tested.
Then close to midnight on Friday, Conley released a strangely worded statement that contradicted the government’s recommendations. The White House physician wrote that there was not only any need for Trump to self-quarantine, as others have done in similar situations, but that “given the president himself remains without symptoms, testing for the COVID-19 is not currently indicated.”
JUST IN: White House puts out memo from Trump's physician saying his exposure to two people who developed coronavirus doesn't require self-quarantine or a test. pic.twitter.com/A0zIXM5gfL
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 14, 2020
On Saturday, during a press conference, Trump said he did indeed get tested, “I also took the test last night, and I decided I should, based on the press conference yesterday. People were asking.”
But if it’s true that Trump took the test Friday evening, it’s suspicious that the physician’s office would release a statement at midnight saying he didn’t need one.
At that same Saturday press conference, Trump also told reporters his temperature was “totally normal.”
If that’s true, that might be the only thing that could be considered normal in this administration.
