After news broke early Friday morning of President Donald Trump testing positive for COVID-19, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has now tested negative.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor said. “I am reporting this out in my capacity as both Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden’s primary care physician.”
Additionally, Biden also shared the test results on Twitter.
The Biden campaign reported that the former vice president and his wife were both tested Friday morning as a precaution.
On Tuesday night, during the presidential debate in Cleveland, Biden joined Trump on stage for nearly two hours.
During the debate, neither candidate wore a mask on stage. In addition, neither did the debate’s moderator Chris Wallace. But, Trump and Biden’s podiums were around 8 feet apart, and the two men never got close to one another. The Centers for Disease Control’s current guidelines for social distancing suggest a distance of at least six feet apart.
Biden’s campaign was scheduled to travel to Michigan on Friday. His campaign aides are processing the news of Trump’s diagnosis and currently determining Biden’s next steps.
Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, left Washington midday on Friday to travel to Las Vegas to attend an event later today.
On Thursday, Harris got tested for COVID-19. Campaign aides reported that she tested negative. Additionally, she also tested negative on Friday.
Biden Campaign Taking Precautions After Trump’s Positive Test
Following news of Trump testing positive for COVID-19, both Biden and Harris wished the president and first lady a swift recovery.
On Friday morning, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon sent an email to their staff. It assured staff that the campaign was taking every health precaution to protect Biden, Harris, and their families. Furthermore, she also asked the staff not to post on social media regarding Trump’s diagnosis unless it was pre-approved.
NBC News acquired the email that highlighted the political sensitivity of the president’s diagnosis during the presidential race.
During Tuesday night’s debate, Trump mocked Biden for frequently wearing a mask. Yet, the CDC recommends a face covering as a key form of preventing infection.
“I don’t wear face masks like him,” Trump said of Biden. “Every time you see him he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away …and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
Later in the debate, Trump also mocked Biden for not holding larger rallies. In contrast, Trump has allowed much larger crowds at his rallies since late August.
Many attendees at Trump’s rallies have been seen close together, while many also did not utilize face masks. Additionally, several of them have been held in defiance of state and municipal orders, which forbid large gatherings.
Meanwhile, Biden has strictly enforced COVID-19 regulations including social distancing, masks and crowd limits at his events. As a result, his campaign events have featured chairs spread out and crowds consisting of only a few dozen people.
On Friday, Trump experienced some mild symptoms, according to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
[H/T CNBC]
