Multiple news organizations immediately hit the panic button following President Trump’s news that he had tested positive for COVID-19, despite assurances from White House physician Dr. Sean Conley that he expected the president to carry out his duties “without disruption” in the immediate future.
The doctor’s assurance did not resonate with the press.
“A country already unnerved by a devastating health catastrophe and a turbulent political season faced fresh upheaval Friday as Americans awoke to news President Donald Trump had contracted coronavirus,” CNN noted early Friday morning.
Discussion on CNN’s coverage, turned dire — parsing the possibility that Mr. Trump’s positive test could signal “the most dangerous moment the U.S. government has ever faced.”
CNN analysts also brought up Mr. Trump’s age and weight according to a Newsbusters.org analysis which tracked the news throughout the night. Other coverage, meanwhile, is ongoing.
“Donald Trump tests positive for coronavirus, and the nation expects chaos,” the New Yorker declared, while The Hill deemed the diagnosis a “bombshell” which had rattled the 2020 presidential race.
Trump’s positive coronavirus test upends the campaign in its final stretch. “With his health and the country’s stability at risk, strategists and even senior aides to the president said he would face a harsh judgment from voters,” the New York Times advised.
Axios noted that the coronavirus test result capped off a “month of hell” for the president while National Public Radio dwelled on a worst case scenario.
“What if the president is incapacitated? The 25th Amendment charts a course,” NPR said, citing the amendment that ensures the nation will have a chief executive should the president become become ill.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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