Dominic West met the wrath of Good Morning Britain viewers on Friday when he said he had ‘jumped for joy’ upon learning President Trump has coronavirus.
The Wire actor, 50, didn’t hold back when asked for his views on Trump’s positive result after the President, 74, had minimized the threat of the coronavirus pandemic for months.
Appearing on video link from his Wiltshire home, Dominic said: ‘Well I did slightly leap in the air with joy.
‘How vile and evil to get joy from the suffering of others:’ GMB viewers slammed Dominic West on Friday for telling Kate Garraway he ‘jumped for joy’ over Trump’s Covid diagnosis
‘I think the phrase is “what goes around comes around”. I just hope it doesn’t interfere with him being elected out of office that’s all.’
His words were particularly tone deaf, given that Kate’s husband Derek Draper has become the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK.
Kate questioned if Dominic was suggesting he wished Trump well on a personal level but perhaps felt this was ironic given that Trump had previously downplayed the virus.
But Dominic said: ‘Well there’s an element of schadenfreude I suppose.
‘I’m not a fan of his, as you can probably tell, and I just hope Biden stays healthy and gets the presidency as quickly as possible.
‘I think Trump is a catastrophe for America and the world.’
Dominic also added that he hoped the diagnosis would make Trump supporters take the virus more seriously than they had in the past.
While the US President is certainly a divisive figure, some viewers felt as though Dominic shouldn’t have rejoiced over someone getting a potentially fatal virus.
They took to Twitter in their droves to write: ‘I have never heard of Dominic West before. I wonder when the Karma bus will be trundling toward his family? What a vile, evil person he is to obtain joy from the suffering of others.’
‘Disgusted with @GMB interview with @DominicWest taking delight in @POTUS positive COVID test. No matter your politics, evil to wish ill on others.
‘@kategarraway how did you accept this and smile given your husband’s COVID history?’
‘Disgusted with @GMB interview with @DominicWest taking delight in @POTUS positive COVID test. No matter your politics, evil to wish ill on others.’
Yet others agreed with him.
They wrote: ‘Brilliant Dominic West doesn’t give a toss. When asked about Donald Trump, he was smiling ‘it is what it is’. Karma.’
‘Hahahahahahaha love Dominic West. Saying it exactly as it is.’
‘Dominic West was ace in the Wire. He’s just topped that.’
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House.
He tweeted: ‘We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!’
Trump is at high risk with the deadly virus both because of his age and because he is considered overweight. He has remained in good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Trump minimized the seriousness of the pandemic in its early stages and has repeatedly predicted it would go away. He rarely wears a mask and criticizes people, including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who do.
More than 200,000 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in the United States alone, with the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions especially hard hit.
Trump’s positive test means that others at the highest levels of the U.S. government may have been exposed and have to quarantine, too.
A White House official said contact tracing was under way.
Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, said he expected the president to carry out his duties ‘without disruption’ while he recovers.
“The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Conley wrote in a memo that was distributed to the press.