Getty President Trump shaking hands with the president of Brazil on March 7, 2020.
President Donald Trump met the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, at Mar-a-lago as video shows. Now, there are reports out of Brazil that Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus. You can watch video of them meeting below. Photos show the Brazilian president and Trump having physical contact when they met on March 7, 2020.
However, Bolsonaro and his son then took to social media to deny the president of Brazil has coronavirus, adding to confusion over the issue.
President Trump later revealed that he tested negative for coronavirus.
Jair Bolsonaro’s official Facebook page stated on March 13, 2020 that he tested negative for coronavirus, writing, “HFA/SABIN atestam negativo para o COVID-19 o Sr. Pres. da República Jair Bolsonaro.” His son then tweeted, “Result of Jair Bolsonaro @jairbolsonaro for coronavirus it was NEGATIVE.”
In a news conference on March 13, 2020, Trump said he wasn’t planning to self-quarantine. “We have no symptoms whatsoever. We had a great meeting with the president of Brazil, Bolsonaro, great guy….and as you know, he tested negative… we did have dinner with him. We were sitting next to each other,” Trump said. “It was reported that he may have it, and he doesn’t, fortunately.”
John Roberts of Fox News wrote on Twitter, “After telling @FoxNews that his father had a preliminary POSITIVE test for coronavirus, Eduardo Bolsonaro now tells @FoxNews the test was NEGATIVE. Bolsonaro says has been in touch with the White House.”
That comes after news reports that Bolsonaro’s press aide tested positive for the virus. He was captured in a photo standing next to President Trump. Some have wondered: Could the president have coronavirus? Is that possible? The White House released a statement on March 12, 2020 in response to those concerns, stating that the president – and Vice President Mike Pence – have not been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19). The White House downplayed concerns.
Here’s video of Trump meeting Bolsonaro at Mar-a-Lago on March 7, 2020.
According to the New York Times, describing the meeting, “President Trump hosted President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil for a festive dinner at his Florida estate on Saturday but refused to rule out steel and iron tariffs that have created tension in the relationship between the two most populous countries of the Western Hemisphere.”
In the statement, the White House said: “The White House is aware of public reports that a member of the Brazilian delegation’s visit to Mar-a-Lago last weekend tested positive for COVID-19; confirmatory testing is pending. Exposures from the case are being assessed, which will dictate next steps. Both the President and Vice President had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive and do not require being tested at this time.”
“As stated before, the White House Medical Unit and the United States Secret Service has been working closely with various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the First & Second Families, and all White House staff healthy. To reiterate CDC guidelines, there is currently no indication to test patients without symptoms, and only people with prolonged close exposure to confirmed positive cases should self-quarantine. We are monitoring the situation closely and will update everyone as we get more information.”
That statement came before the latest reports that Bolsonaro has tested positive. They come from a leading Brazilian newspaper, according to The Guardian, after a day of conflicting reports about the Brazilian president’s health.
Statement from @PressSec.
Here’s what you need to know:
President Trump Met the Infected Press Aide & Dined With the President of Brazil
According to McClatchy DC, Trump “stood next to Fabio Wajngarten, an aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro” in an Instagram picture, which also features Bolsonaro and Pence. The president of Brazil met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last Saturday.
“We had dinner together in Florida in — at Mar-a-Lago, with the entire delegation. I don’t know if the press aide was there. If he was there, he was there,” Trump said to reporters, according to McClatchy.
The guy standing to Trump’s left just tested positive for coronavirus, according to Brazilian media. Fabio Wajngarten posted this photo, taken during meetings at Mar-a-Lago, five days ago.
NPR reported that, per the Brazilian government, Wajngarten has now tested positive for coronavirus. Trump added to reporters, according to NPR: “Let’s put it this way: I’m not concerned.” The site reported that Florida Sen. Rick Scott is self quarantining because of meeting Wajngarten.
There was conflicting information about whether Bolsonaro also has tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday March 12, 2020. Some Brazilian sites were reporting that he has; however, according to The Guardian, the reports “are being discredited as fake news and none of Brazil’s main media sites have confirmed them.”
He’s not concerned about his potential #coronavirus exposure, as a result of dining with @jairbolsonaro, @POTUS tells reporters.
The Guardian reported that the Brazilian president has taken a test but the results won’t be known until Friday, and his son tweeted that the president of Brazil “is not exhibiting any signs of the disease.”
However, on Friday, March 13, 2020 The Guardian reported that a major Brazilian newspaper now says the president of Brazil also does have coronavirus.
Jornal O Dia wrote of Bolsonaro: “His face was pale and haggard, his eyes a little teary from his live last Thursday. The President was tested positive for the coronavirus.” The underlying story reports, “the first test for coronavirus infection was positive in the President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro.”
The Mirror reported that Bolsonaro had tested positive but that a second test was being conducted to confirm the diagnosis.
According to the Guardian, Bolsonaro dined with Trump and Instagram photos show “the press secretary, Bolsonaro and Trump all in close proximity.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.”
CDC adds: “People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest). Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this occurring with this new coronavirus, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
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