Team News Riveting
World’s most powerful man infected with the most notorious disease has been received with shock, sympathy besides mockery.
Donald Trump on Friday announced that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. A deep uncertainty accompanied the news and sparking comment everywhere from presidential offices to the thousands looking to weigh in on social media.
China, which is having a bitter relation with Trump, did not immediately comment. The positive test result for Trump and his wife was among the most searched topics in China social media apps a few hours after the announcement with most comments mocking or critical.
One user quipped: “Trump had finally tweeted something positive.” The Chinese government has bristled at Trump’s attempts to blame China, where the disease emerged, for the pandemic and called for global cooperation in fighting it, a message that has resonated with the public.
Hu Xijin, the outspoken editor of the state-owned Global Times newspaper, tweeted in English that President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the Covid-19.
Iranian state television announced that Trump had the virus and aired the news with an unflattering image of the U.S. president surrounded by what appeared to be giant coronaviruses. The U.S.-Iran ties have suffered since Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed crushing sanctions.
Trump moving freely without a mask has also been mocked in many platforms.
Though a section might be mocking, the positive test reading for the leader of the world’s largest economy had added more uncertainty to investors’ worries, including how the infection might affect the November 3 election between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
U.S. stock futures and Asian shares fell in the wake of the news. Oil prices also slipped and stock prices in Japan and Australia tumbled.
