Trump reportedly almost tweeted that Tom Hanks had died from the coronavirus after misunderstanding reports about the actor being 'discharged' from hospital
- Donald Trump reportedly almost mistakenly tweeted that the actor Tom Hanks had died from the coronavirus.
- The President had misunderstood reports that Hanks had been "discharged" from the hospital, according to the Australian newspaper the Courier Mail.
- The president was reportedly about to tweet about Hank's death before US embassy officials checked with the Australian authorities and confirmed that he was in fact still alive.
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Donald Trump had to be stopped from tweeting that Tom Hanks had died from the coronavirus after he misunderstood reports about the actor being "discharged" from an Australian hospital, according to the newspaper The Courier-Mail.
Actor Hanks last week announced that both he and his wife Rita Wilson had contracted coronavirus while he was in Australia filming Baz Luhrmann's upcoming movie about Elvis Presley.
However, there was reportedly confusion in the White House when officials informed Trump that the actor had been "discharged" from the hospital.
According to the Courier Mail, Trump was preparing to tweet about Hanks' death before Australian-based US embassy officials contacted the Australian health authorities and confirmed that the actor was in fact still alive.
A health official in Queensland, Australia, reportedly assured US officials that Hanks was alive and recovering from COVID-19.
There have so far been 607 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, where Hanks and his wife contracted the virus, as of Thursday morning. Over half of the cases were in the coastal state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that from Friday, anyone who isn't a citizen or resident of Australia, or family member of a citizen or resident, will be barred from entering the country.