Trump reportedly told aides he fears journalists will purposefully try to infect him with coronavirus on Air Force One

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 9 March 2020

President Trump puts on a brave face when talking about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, but things are reportedly pretty different behind closed doors.

Vanity Fair reports that Trump — a self-professed germaphobe — is "melting down over this." Perhaps not shockingly, he's focused on the media, in particular, one person close to the White House said. That reportedly includes him telling aides last week that he was concerned journalists would purposefully contract COVID-19 in an attempt to infect him on Air Force One.

Another source painted an image more in line with Trump's public reaction to the virus, as well, telling Vanity Fair he reportedly wants the Justice Department to "open an investigation of the media for market manipulation" as he tries to stave off, or at least provide a more optimistic outlook for, the plummeting stock market.

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The White House did not respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment. Read more at Vanity Fair.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.