As Americans digested the news on Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, some of his backers expressed surprise that he hadn't been safe from infection and said their support for him was not diminished. 

"It was shocking," said Maranda Joseph, 43, of Warren, Ohio, who has 12 Trump flags in her front yard festooned with skeletons and other Halloween decorations. "To see he has it wakes you up a bit. Anyone can get it, even the president."

Trump has played down the risks of the virus and Covid-19 disease that has killed more than 207,000 Americans, drawing criticism for his erratic messaging and recent resumption of campaign rallies where his supporters often are crowded together and don't wear masks.

Joseph, a homemaker, said she thinks more people should wear masks at future Trump rallies, though she added that she would attend one herself once Trump recovers.

Some in Warren expressed skepticism that Trump even has the virus, citing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's positive test earlier this year before he tested negative later the same day.

"There's so many false positives out there. Has Trump had a second test yet?" asked Sharon Tice, 70, who sells Trump T-shirts and other memorabilia. "But if he does have it, it could influence the way he sees things."

The White House said Trump was being moved into a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days as a precautionary measure.

Some Republicans said the diagnosis could actually help the president.

"Trump will prove to the American people that you can survive Covid," said Cathy Lukasko, auxiliary chair of the Trumbull County, Ohio, Republican Party.

In Bangor, Pennsylvania, Trump supporter Jack Cooper, a 70-year-old retired electrician, said the president was paying the price for underestimating the virus's dangers.

"He's getting a taste of his own medicine," said Cooper, who lives in a crucial swing district. "He was fooling around without a mask in big crowds. It's like bringing a pit bull into a big crowd — something is gonna happen."

Even so, Cooper said it would not stop him for voting for Trump again.