World leaders wish Trump speedy recovery from COVID-19

World leaders have wished a speedy recovery to US President Donald Trump who tested positive for COVID-19, potentially upending his election campaign for the November 2 presidential poll.

Trump said on Thursday he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were in quarantine, after Hope Hicks, one of his closest advisers, tested positive for the disease that has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States.

“We will get through this TOGETHER!” 74-year-old Trump tweeted.

Trump and the first lady had attended a fundraising event in New Jersey on Thursday afternoon.

President Trump has joined a growing list of world leaders who have been infected with the virus, along with more than 10 million people globally.

Here are reactions from world leaders:

European Council chief Charles Michel

EU chief Charles Michel on Friday wished President Trump and his wife Melania a quick recovery after the US first couple tested positive for coronavirus.

“Wishing @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a speedy recovery. COVID-19 is a battle we all continue to fight. Everyday. No matter where we live,” Michel said in a tweet.

UK PM Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wished President Trump and his wife Melania a speedy recovery on Friday after they tested positive for COVID-19.

“My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady,” Johnson, who was the first world leader to be hospitalised after contracting COVID-19, said on Twitter. “Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.”

Indian PM Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Trump a quick recovery after the US president revealed he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Wishing my friend @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health,” Modi said on Twitter.

The Indian and US leaders appear to enjoy warm relations, with Modi hosting Trump at a huge US-style rally in his home state of Gujarat in February.

In September 2019 Trump and the Indian premier attended a similar event in Houston, Texas dubbed “Howdy Modi” in front of a huge crowd of Indian Americans.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, on Friday wished Donald Trump a speedy recovery after the US president and his wife Melania caught Covid-19.

In a tweet, Tedros wished the couple “a full and speedy recovery”. Trump is pulling the United States out of the WHO, accusing it of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic and being too close to China.

German Chancellor Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wished US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump a rapid recovery after they announced they tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I send Donald and Melania Trump all my good wishes,” her spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted on her behalf.

“I hope that they recover well from their corona infection and will be quite healthy again soon.”

Russian President Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump a speedy recovery in a telegram, saying he was sure the US leader’s qualities would help him fight off the coronavirus.

“I am convinced that your vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with this dangerous virus,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in the message.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier wished Trump “a speedy and easy recovery” on behalf of the Kremlin.

Peskov said Putin was considering whether to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, after Russia announced in August that it had developed a vaccine named “Sputnik V” after the historic Soviet-era satellite.