The White House, in a statement on Saturday, said that Trump tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The conclusion was made by Trump's personal physician, Sean P. Conley, and quickly disseminated among the media.
"Last night after an in-depth discussion with the president regarding COVID-2019 testing, he elected to proceed. This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative", Conley said.
Trump has been under pressure from US media after it became known that he had been in contact with individuals that reportedly had flu-type symptoms. On Friday, Trump stressed during a news conference that he had no coronavirus symptoms.
Earlier this week, a White House press report said that US Congressman Matt Gaetz, who chose to self-quarantine after coming in contact with an infected individual 11 days ago, was seen boarding Air Force One with Trump. The US president also met Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last Saturday. An official at that meeting reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States has topped 2,700, according to Johns Hopkins University, compiling federal and local data.
Trump declared a national emergency in the country due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, allocating some $50 bln to tackle the spread of COVID-19, among other measures that also envisage banning travel into the US from 26 European nations.