Donald Trump Admits He's 'Concerned' About Russian Plague

Donald Trump is publicly concerned about a plague-like outbreak in Russia, Us Weekly reports.

Asked by a reporter outside the White House on Monday, October 5, whether he was worried about the outbreak, Trump, 80, said he was concerned but hasn't had a chance to discuss it with Vladimir Putin.

"The pneumonia plague, if you call it a plague," Trump told the press gaggle. "I hate to see them having it. It's a rough disease. That's a disease we used to be able to control. But somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter. They're like an army."

The Outbreak Details

The pneumonic plague, the most virulent form of plague per the World Health Organization, can incubate in as little as 24 hours and spreads via respiratory particles. Recovery chances are high if caught within 24 hours of symptoms.

Us Weekly notes that Trump added that despite "great advancement" in medicine, the "germs have really become relatively stronger than they were." He said, "Things that used to work on pneumonia don't work as well anymore. But we'll help them."

The comments come after reports that a female staffer at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute died from a "pneumonia of undetermined" origin last week. Regional governor Igor Kobsev stated no "microorganisms linked to the employee's professional activities were detected" in her body, per NBC News, as cited by Us Weekly.

A Russian hospital was placed under quarantine and nearly 200 contacts were under medical observation. Kobsev said there had been "no new cases" at the time of publication. A State Department spokesperson told NBC News: "Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 55, addressed the situation Monday, saying, "We know what we know, obviously, about whatever the Russians have provided, which is it seems that there was a worker at the lab that was infected, and there's concern that that could have spread, at least internally." Rubio added that there's "very limited travel" between the U.S. and Russia but that something like that "gets out, it could quickly spread." He said it's "not cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus."

Trump's COVID-19 History

Trump was famously in charge during the COVID-19 pandemic in his first term. During that time, he made puzzling suggestions including encouraging Americans to ingest disinfectants to treat the disease, Us Weekly reminds us.

In October 2020, Trump tested positive for COVID-19 after refusing to wear a mask during a September 29, 2020, presidential debate with Joe Biden, whom he mocked for wearing a mask. Trump made a full recovery after taxpayer-funded treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump's latest comments about the Russian outbreak carry a certain historical echo: the president who once suggested drinking bleach now warns that microbes are "like an army" that's gotten stronger. Us Weekly doesn't connect those dots, but we can.

• COVID-19
• Donald Trump
• outbreak
• pneumonic plague
• Russia
• Vladimir Putin