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Trump Reportedly Has a Bonkers New Conspiracy Theory for How the Media Plans to Infect Him With Coronavirus
09 March 2020
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Donald Trump has been roundly criticized for his administration's dismissal of the severity of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, outbreak in the United States.
But a disturbing new report from Vanity Fair indicates that Trump is indeed highly concerned about the threat the virus poses...to him.
<p>The report, taken from multiple sources close to the White House, details Trump's view of the virus as less of a public health threat and more of an effort by the media to weaken his presidency and the prospects of his reelection.</p><p><div id="insticator-container" class="embedid-ee1b1245-7f34-4d5c-8a70-c8be74fe7696"><div id="div-insticator-ad-1"></div><div id="insticator-embed"></div><div id="div-insticator-ad-2"></div><script data-cfasync="false" type="text/javascript">Insticator.ad.loadAd("div-insticator-ad-1");Insticator.ad.loadAd("div-insticator-ad-2");Insticator.load("em",{id : "ee1b1245-7f34-4d5c-8a70-c8be74fe7696"})</script></div></p><p><strong>The report's author, Gabriel Sherman, was told of a conspiracy theory worrying Trump:</strong></p><blockquote><em>"Last week Trump told aides he's afraid journalists will try to purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him on Air Force One, a person close to the administration told me. The source also said Trump has asked the Secret Service to set up a screening program and bar anyone who has a cough from the White House grounds."</em></blockquote><p>Trump told aides that journalists are hoping to contract coronavirus themselves in hopes of giving it to him, thereby discrediting his repeated claims that the virus is being sensationalized.</p><p>The source also told Sherman: "He's definitely melting down over this."</p><p><strong>It's easy to see why people were concerned.</strong></p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="29251" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="LFPVZE1583789904"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237076029333745665" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We. Are. In. Danger. https://t.co/N41STWkl54</div> — Malcolm Nance (@Malcolm Nance)<a href="https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/statuses/1237076029333745665">1583776883.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="9c8fe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0U386P1583789904"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237090366635024393" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">OK... this is officially scary now. Trump thinks reporters are trying to kill him.
Much more of this and you'll he… https://t.co/sb15tdx1s0</div> — Seth Abramson (@Seth Abramson)<a href="https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/statuses/1237090366635024393">1583780302.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="db214" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="R0SHHI1583789904"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237096334928359430" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yes, he is certainly growing worse and will more rapidly. If we were smart, we would recognize the very obvious co… https://t.co/5BKpUnJt1z</div> — Bandy X Lee, MD, MDiv (@Bandy X Lee, MD, MDiv)<a href="https://twitter.com/BandyXLee1/statuses/1237096334928359430">1583781725.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="ddc55" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="HX4C9T1583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237079364115632128" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Emperor has no clothes, no brain, no plan. https://t.co/qUglMYb95o</div> — Paulette Feeney (@Paulette Feeney)<a href="https://twitter.com/PauletteParis1/statuses/1237079364115632128">1583777678.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="34992" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ZNVZ81583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237069854311616512" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I wish I could say I don’t believe this, but it fits entirely within Trump’s conspiratorial paranoia. https://t.co/VfHxMKkFUL</div> — Ahmed Baba (@Ahmed Baba)<a href="https://twitter.com/AhmedBaba_/statuses/1237069854311616512">1583775411.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Bizarrely enough, Trump is arguably more likely to contract coronavirus from his own allies, rather than members of the media.</p><p>An attendee at the popular Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where Trump himself spoke late last month, tested positive for coronavirus. A number of Republican lawmakers who also frequently interact with Trump, have self-quarantined after interactions with the person who contracted the virus.</p><p><strong>At least two of the lawmakers have had direct contact with Trump in the past five days.</strong><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9a0c0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3NZSOU1583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1236790420253954050" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today I released the following statement: https://t.co/XGXEa4ozcg</div> — Senator Ted Cruz (@Senator Ted Cruz)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/statuses/1236790420253954050">1583708789.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="ed542" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TN6LBN1583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237096863624507398" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This afternoon, I was notified by CPAC that they discovered a photo of myself and the patient who has tested positi… https://t.co/lWhLKxkPiq</div> — Rep. Doug Collins (@Rep. Doug Collins)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepDougCollins/statuses/1237096863624507398">1583781851.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="41687" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3ED3ZI1583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237099279627489281" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Doug Collins, who has self-quarantined, greeting Trump in Georgia last week (AFTER CPAC) https://t.co/EY0qeVIIHe</div> — Sam Stein (@Sam Stein)<a href="https://twitter.com/samstein/statuses/1237099279627489281">1583782427.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="ab44a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="QS7Z0T1583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237105148821938179" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Congressman Gaetz was informed today that he came into contact with a CPAC attendee 11 days ago who tested positive for COVID-19.</div> — Rep. Matt Gaetz (@Rep. Matt Gaetz)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/statuses/1237105148821938179">1583783826.0</a></blockquote></div>
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</p><div id="b3b7d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SEQGF81583789905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1236822800846864386" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">My statement on #COVID19: https://t.co/dyuq55fnBG</div> — Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepGosar/statuses/1236822800846864386">1583716509.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Many of Trump's closest allies have followed his lead and dismissed the seriousness of the virus as the product of a hysterical media.</p><p>This is not normal.</p>
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