A baseless conspiracy theory suggesting President Donald Trump was intentionally infected with the novel coronavirus at the first presidential debate has received hundreds of thousands of views and shares on social media platforms and has also spread on far-right message boards.
Shortly after midnight on October 2, Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement came after one of his aides, Hope Hicks, had also tested positive for the virus. While it is not known exactly how Trump contracted the virus, the president is one of multiple people who have tested positive after attending the September 26 Supreme Court nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the White House Rose Garden.
Shortly after midnight on October 5, a fringe account tweeted a video of a man at Trump’s podium before the September 29 debate, writing, “Man wipes Trumps podium where he puts his hands, and wire connected to his mic? Corona virus on rag? Who is this man?” The video also included a voiceover speculating if the man had “coronavirus on this napkin or rag,” adding that “we need to find out.” The video has earned more than 250,000 views.
