US President Donald Trump's campaign director has faulted Democratic nominee Joe Biden for not contracting COVID-19.
In an interview with Fox News on Monday (local time), Trump's director of press communications Erin Perrine blamed Biden for not having those "first-hand experiences" Trump does.
When asked whether the President would change his COVID-19 messaging in light of his diagnosis, Perrine said, "Well, first-hand experience is always going to change how someone relates to something that's been happening.
"He has [the] experience now fighting the coronavirus as an individual. Those firsthand experiences, Joe Biden, he doesn't have those."
Posting on Twitter after the interview, Perrine said journalists were taking her answer out of context.
"The point I was making is that first-hand experience changes the way an individual talks about or relates to something," she wrote.
"The President is no different."
One user fired back: "If Trump took this virus seriously from the VERY BEGINNING, he wouldn't have to know about the virus first hand. We want people NOT to get this virus. WEAR THE DAMN MASK".
"We want a President who doesn't need to experience something before they can learn or be empathetic," another wrote.
The President announced on Tuesday (NZ time) he will be leaving the Walter Reed Medical Centre after being hospitalised with COVID-19 on Saturday.
"Feeling really good!" he said on Twitter.
"Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life… I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"
