Trump’s positive coronavirus test result has raised concerns about the line of presidential succession. Vice President Mike Pence met with Trump at a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Monday. On Friday morning Pence’s office said the Vice President tested negative for coronavirus, though some people take longer than four days to register a positive result after exposure to an infected person.

President Trump is 74, has elevated blood pressure and is over the threshold for obesity — three factors linked to higher morbidity and mortality among COVID-19 patients. Early in the pandemic, Trump repeatedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19, publicly claiming the virus would go away “like a miracle,” even as he privately told journalist Bob Woodward it was airborne and far deadlier than the flu.

President Donald Trump: “This thing is a killer if it gets you. If you’re the wrong person, you don’t have a chance.”

Bob Woodward: “Yes, yes, exactly.”

President Donald Trump: “So, this rips you apart.”

Bob Woodward: “This is a scourge. And” —

President Donald Trump: “It is the plague.”