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Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. Here are 9 other US presidents who battled illness while in office — and what happened after they recovered or died.
Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. Here are 9 other US presidents who battled illness while in office — and what happened after they recovered or died.
Darcy SchildOct 4, 2020, 02:22 IST
George Washington battled pneumonia and influenza during his presidency, and Woodrow Wilson caught the 1918 influenza virus.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images; Stock Montage/Stock Montage/Getty Images
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Trump isn't the first US president to contract an illness while in office, let alone during a pandemic.
In 1919, Woodrow Wilson contracted the disease known as the 1918 Spanish flu, and his doctor lied, telling the press the president had a cold.
President William Henry Harrison died 34 days into his term after suffering from what was believed to be pneumonia.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was another president who battled illness in office — he suffered from polio and famously disguised the severity of the disease from the American public.
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George Washington battled pneumonia and influenza while in office, which impacted his eyesight and hearing.
George Washington.
VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images
William Henry Harrison fell ill and died 34 days into his term — making him the shortest-serving president.
William Henry Harrison.
Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images
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Zachary Taylor died during his second year in office after battling an illness thought to be cholera.
Zachary Taylor.
Bettmann/Getty Images
Woodrow Wilson contracted the 1918 influenza during the pandemic, and his doctor and wife tried to hide it from the public.
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, poses for a portrait in this undated photo.
AP
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Warren G. Harding died while on a cross-country tour due to apparent heart failure.
Warren G. Harding.
Library of Congress
Franklin Delano Roosevelt battled polio, but he famously concealed the visible markers of his condition throughout his presidency.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt waves to the crowd shortly before his public address on foreign affairs, Aug. 15, 1936, in Chautauqua, New York State.
AP
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Dwight D. Eisenhower recovered from a heart attack and stroke while in office.
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Getty Images
During his presidency, John F. Kennedy suffered from chronic back pain and Addison's disease.
John F. Kennedy.
UniversalImagesGroup/Getty Images
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Ronald Reagan was treated for colon cancer and resumed presidential duties 8 hours after the surgery.