"Trump Concealed Testing Positive in Initial COVID-19 Rapid Test"

Tested Positive in Rapid Test on the 1st but No Mention in Interview
PCR Result Released Early Morning on the 2nd, Then Disclosed on Twitter
Strict Silence on COVID-19 Infection Even Among Closest Associates

President Donald Trump of the United States
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly concealed the fact that he had tested positive in a rapid test before publicly revealing his confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

On the 4th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing multiple sources, reported that President Trump did not disclose the positive result from a rapid test while waiting for the results of a more precise test on the 1st. Although President Trump received the initial positive result before his phone interview with Fox News on the night of the 1st, he only revealed that White House aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19, without disclosing the rapid test results for himself and First Lady Melania Trump.

President Trump publicly announced his confirmed positive result on Twitter around 1 a.m. on the 2nd. During the Fox News interview, he had said he was waiting for test results, which foreign media interpreted as referring to the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.

According to White House protocol, PCR tests are conducted only if the rapid test result is positive. The PCR test, which uses samples taken from deep inside the nasal cavity, is highly accurate. WSJ reported that multiple sources confirmed that President Trump’s testing followed this protocol. The White House did not respond to this report, WSJ explained.

Questions have long been raised about the timing of President Trump’s initial positive diagnosis. Earlier, White House physician Sean Conley mentioned at a medical team press conference held at Walter Reed Military Hospital on the 3rd that it had been 72 hours since President Trump was tested. At that time, only about 36 hours had passed since the announcement of his positive diagnosis, sparking controversy over the exact timing of the diagnosis. Dr. Conley later said he misspoke.

Additionally, WSJ reported that President Trump was furious after a comment expressing concern about his health was reported immediately following the press conference. He reportedly called an aide and demanded, "Who the hell said that?" using an expletive starting with 'f'. This aide was later identified as Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

President Trump has ordered his closest aides to maintain silence. Despite the spread of COVID-19, he reportedly told an aide, "Don’t tell anyone," according to WSJ sources. As a result, Bill Stepien, the campaign manager for the re-election campaign, reportedly did not know about Hope Hicks’ COVID-19 infection until it was reported on the evening of the 1st. Stepien himself was later confirmed positive for COVID-19, as the campaign announced on the evening of the 2nd.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.