Donald Trump morphs into Michael Scott to say he tested negative for COVID-19
President Donald Trump tried to tell reporters on Thursday that he tested negative for the coronavirus — as in he does not have COVID-19 — but somewhere along the way he morphed into everyone's favorite regional manager. I'm talking, of course, about The Office's Michael Scott.
But before we move to Scranton, first Trump. He really got lost in a morass of negative vs. positive when trying to explain that his health was fine.
"I tested very positively, in another sense," he told reporters on Thursday. "I tested positively toward negative, right? I tested perfectly this morning. Meaning: I tested negative."
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The comments from Trump are reminiscent of Scott played by Steve Carell — in the Season 2 episode of the iconic sitcom titled "Michael's Birthday." In the episode, accountant Kevin Malone is waiting to hear back from a doctor about whether he has skin cancer.
Michael, ever self-centered, is frustrated that folks are lavishing attention on Kevin on his birthday. Later, at an ice-skating rink — which Michael had gotten himself for his birthday — Kevin gets the news that his tests came back negative. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, except Michael. He stomps angrily, rips of his (faux) Livestrong bracelet, and tells Kev "we're gonna beat this."
The scene then cuts to Michael, trying to explain away his idiocy.
"Well, apparently, in the medicine community, negative means good," he tells the camera. "Which makes absolutely no sense. In the real world community, that would be chaos."
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As Mashable's Nicole Gallucci wrote in 2018, the Scott and Trump similarities have come up pretty much since day one of his presidency. The character even had a Trump business book in his office.
Whether it's positive or negative to have your leadership compared to Michael Gary Scott's, well that's anybody's guess.
Topics The Office Donald Trump Politics COVID-19
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
