Updated Aug 9, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine again tests negative for coronavirus after positive result

Photo: Justin Merriman/Getty Images

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) tested negative for COVID-19 for a second time after initially testing positive last week, he announced Saturday.

Why it matters: 73-year-old DeWine was set to meet President Trump Thursday on the tarmac at an airport in Cleveland and was tested as part of standard protocol.

  • Trump was planning to visit northeast Ohio to attend a campaign fundraiser and tour a local manufacturing plant.
  • “A very good friend of mine just tested positive. ... We want to wish him the best. He’ll be fine,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.

The big picture: DeWine returned one positive and one negative result after being tested twice for the virus last Thursday, his office announced.

  • The Republican governor has received rare bipartisan praise for his response to the pandemic. He was one of the earliest governors to close bars and restaurants in March and implement a stay-at-home order in an effort to slow the virus' spread.
  • DeWine in May condemned the partisan debate over face masks, arguing: "This is not about politics. ... It's about helping other people."

An Axios focus group in April found that Ohio voters wanted Trump to behave more like a governor during the pandemic, and cited DeWine as a glowing example.

  • "Gov. DeWine has been a rock. He’s cool, calm, collected. He has a good team. He does make decisions and he’s made absolutely great ones. I have a lot of confidence in him," Pat M., 64, said at the time.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest test results.

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