GOP Senator Marco Rubio Calls on White House for Frequent Updates About Trump's Condition

Republican Senator Marco Rubio called on the White House for transparency following President Donald Trump testing positive for COVID-19.

With a number of people sharing conspiracy theories regarding Trump's COVID diagnosis, the Florida senator said it was the White House's duty to share "frequent, detailed, & transparent updates" regarding the president and his condition. He also said that everyone should "be skeptical of outlandish rumors" regarding Trump's diagnosis.

"A significant increase in conspiracy theories & outrageous claims since the President's diagnosis," he wrote. "Lies spread much faster than fact checking."

Rubio had previously wrote on Twitter that he was praying for the president and first lady Melania Trump after the announcement that the couple had tested positive. The senator also tweeted: "Any adversary who views news of @POTUS testing positive as an opportunity to test the United States would be making a grave mistake."

It's unclear what types of updates Rubio is seeking from the White House. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted out an update from the president's physician, and Trump has tweeted messages to his supporters that he felt that everything was "going well," as well as a video message that he was going to Walter Reed Hospital.

While Rubio did not expand on what conspiracies he was referring to, a number of different theories have circulated since Trump was diagnosed with COVID, with some claiming the announcement was politically motivated and others more outlandish.

As previously reported, former congressional candidate and conservative commentator Deanna Lorraine suggested that Democrats intentionally gave the president the virus during the first presidential debate on Tuesday. "Trump was fine until the debate, where they set up microphones & podiums for him," she wrote. "He tests positive a couple of days after the debate. I put nothing past the left. NOTHING."

Even Democratic lawmakers have spoken against theorizing that Trump testing positive is a political ploy. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said it was not "appropriate for us to be talking about how a diagnosis of a disease is a political play."

Some people have also pointed to Saturday's ceremony in the Rose Garden where Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the Supreme Court. According to The Washington Post, a number of prominent Republicans who attended the ceremony, including as Utah Senator Mike Lee and former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, have since tested positive.

Press contacts for Rubio and the White House did not respond to Newsweek's emailed request for comment in time for publication.