Cleese calls out the U.S. President

John Cleese Roasts President Trump Following COVID-19 Diagnosis

John Cleese has shared his scathing view of Donald Trump following the U.S. President's COVID-19 diagnosis. On Friday, the British comedy legend targeted the president in a series of tweets calling out his white supremacist views and narcissism in a joke about COVID-19 symptoms and "Donald Trump Disease" symptoms. Cleese was among several stars to find humour in the president's positive test, which became known on Oct. 2.

John Cleese has placed himself in the camp of stars making light of Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis.

The U.S. President tested positive for the disease in the early hours of Friday morning, prompting a range of responses on social media. Cleese, 80, was among the many to attack President Trump, doing so in tweets that joke about COVID-19 symptoms and "Donald Trump Disease" symptoms.

John Cleese's Donald Trump-Coronavirus Twitter response

On Friday, Cleese wrote: "Eager to hear what President Trump's physician will say about his positive testing. Apparently his statement will be dictated to him shortly. A doctor friend of mine tells me that Covid19 symptoms include delusions of grandeur, compulsive attention-seeking, extreme narcissism..."

That tweet was followed by another, with the punchline of "Donald Trump Disease."

"Apologies. I misunderstood the doctor friend of mine," Cleese continued. "The symptoms I described are those of Donald Trump Disease, and are not connected in any way with Covid 19. Such symptoms are increasingly common among white supremacists, but are curable by a little education."

President Trump tests positive for COVID-19

Cleese's callout follows a highpoint in controversy for the U.S. President. He was widely criticized for failing to denounce white supremacy as well as downplaying and making light of the coronavirus and mask-wearing during a 2020 U.S. presidential debate that aired earlier this week. Nonetheless, many have criticized stars wishing ill upon Trump.

The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star has been vocal about his dislike of "cancel culture," but he's remained firm on his opposition to President Trump. Other stars who made headlines on Friday with mocking remarks on Trump's test result included The Wire star Dominic West and Cardi B—who tweeted: "'BET YOU WANNA' wear a mask now," referencing her song of the same title.