Politics

‘Freaked Them Out’: Jonathan Karl Says Trump Diagnosis Has White House ‘Really, Really Rattled’

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Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl said that President Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis “really, really rattled” the administration.

Karl made an appearance Friday on “The View” to discuss the news that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus late Thursday night, and he claimed that while they were doing their best to stick to “business as usual,” the news had “freaked them out.” (RELATED: Joy Behar Tries To Get Jonathan Karl To Say Trump Is Mentally Ill)

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“In terms of the mood, there’s a real effort right now to try to portray this as business as usual,” Karl began, noting that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had come out of the White House to give an update on the situation.

Meadows said that Trump was still focused on the job at hand — the economy in particular — and planned to continue working despite being isolated at the White House until he receives a clean bill of health.

“But I’ve got to tell you that the ground truth of this is that the White House and the White House staff are really, really rattled,” Karl continued. “This is something that has really frankly freaked them out. They’re concerned about the president’s health.” (RELATED: Mark Meadows ‘Fully’ Expects More White House Staffers To Test Positive For Coronavirus)

Karl went on to say that Trump’s symptoms had been classified as “mild” — but suggested that the White House was not always up front with issues concerning the president’s health. He also added that staffers were concerned about Trump aide Hope Hicks, who he said was reportedly “quite sick.”

“This is something that has the White House rattled, concerned about their health, concerned about the president’s health and concerned about when this means for the campaign,” he concluded.