President Donald Trump says he “possibly did” but “possibly didn’t” take a test for coronavirus the day of the presidential debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
When asked if the doctors ever told him “that they saw pneumonia on your lung scan,” Trump told NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie during Thursday’s town hall about his COVID-19 infection, “I didn’t feel good.”
“When was your last negative test? When did you last remember having a negative test?” Guthrie pressed after noting Trump’s first positive test was on Oct. 1.
Trump responded that he tests “quite a bit,” before saying that he felt “fantastic” at the first presidential debate prior to testing positive for COVID-19 that week.
Asked again if he got tested the day of the debate, Trump answered, “I don’t know, I don’t even remember. I test all the time.”
Guthrie was unmoved, as she later added, “So you don’t know if you took a test the day of the debate?” As she pressed, Trump said, “I probably did…Possibly I did, possibly I didn’t.” The president also noted that he does not get tested every single day.
Watch the video below:
.@SavannahGuthrie: "Did you take a test on the day of the debate?"
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 16, 2020
President Trump: "I probably did" https://t.co/ljdI2byJxM #TrumpTownHall pic.twitter.com/Y1DwlylUgK
Trump’s positive COVID-19 test was made known days after the first presidential debate on Sept. 29 between him and Biden. The news was publicly announced by the president shortly before 1 a.m. EST on Oct. 2.
The president was treated for coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and returned to the White House days later. Since then, Trump has declared that he feels “so powerful” and returned to the campaign trail.
Two people involved in Biden’s campaign tested positive this week for COVID-19, including Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-Calif.) communications director. Harris is now pausing in-person events through Sunday.
Biden’s campaign announced that the former vice president and Harris tested negative for coronavirus on Thursday.
Both Trump and Biden held dueling town halls Thursday night, as Trump appeared on NBC News while Biden appeared on ABC News. This came after the second presidential debate was canceled after Trump said he would not participate in a virtual debate. The next presidential debate for Oct. 22 is still expected to occur.