Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ignited social media Friday morning after addressing President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis. Trump and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday night, confirming the news in separate Twitter posts just after midnight.
Reacting to the announcement Friday morning, McConnell, in a tweet, called on his followers and the American people to "continue to pray today and every day for our President and our First Lady and for all those impacted by COVID-19." He also said that he was "happy to hear" that Trump and the first lady "are feeling well."
As a result of the diagnoses, Trump and his wife are quarantining, something they began Thursday evening after Hope Hicks received positive test results. The couple's schedules have all but been wiped clean, though they are said to be doing well. Trump is even said to be in "good spirits," according to a senior White House official who spoke to CBS News. That source said catching a COVID-19 infection "early helps to mitigate the situation," as the November election is just a month away.
While McConnell marked just the latest political figure from both the United States and across the globe to speak out on the diagnosis, his message wasn't exactly met with much fanfare. As some people shared their own well wishes for the president, others reacted with anger over the president's handling of the pandemic, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 people in the United States, some even pointing to Trump's own past remarks on the virus. Some also opted direct attention away from Trump's diagnosis and to stimulus relief, Congress has yet to pass an additional bill.