Melania Trump tweets about her excitement for a new White House tennis court as the country battles the coronavirus

Associated Press

First lady Melania Trump sits down at her table after speaking during the Governors' Spouses' luncheon in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

• First Lady Melania Trump tweeted about the construction of new White House tennis courts on Thursday, sparking backlash.
• "I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse," she tweeted alongside photos of herself in a hard hat at the construction site.
• Critics slammed the announcement as out of touch and even harmful as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus and deals with widespread economic fallout.
• "People are scared, @FLOTUS. Flaunting a lack of empathy inflicts further harm," columnist Connie Schultz tweeted.
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First Lady Melania Trump tweeted about the construction of a new private White House tennis pavilion on Thursday as concern spreads that the Trump administration isn't doing enough to contain the coronavirus.

"I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse," she tweeted alongside photos of herself in a hard hat at the construction site. "Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication."

Critics were quick to condemn Trump's announcement.

"Millions of Americans seek assurance that this administration is doing all that it can to stem spread of the coronavirus, but the First Lady wants us to know she's "excited" about her new tennis court," Connie Schultz, a newspaper columnist and the wife of Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, tweeted on Friday. "People are scared, @FLOTUS. Flaunting a lack of empathy inflicts further harm."

Actor Mia Farrow tweeted, "29 people were killed by a tornado in Tennessee, the world is shuddering as a pandemic expands and what is a tennis pavilion?"

As of Friday, more than 100,000 people around the world have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 3,400 have died from the disease it causes, known as COVID-19. The US has reported more than 240 cases and 13 deaths. Global economic growth has already been damaged, while the stock market has continued its two-week plunge.

Reports emerged this week that the government is falling far short in its efforts to test people in the US potentially infected with the virus.

The first lady announced the construction of the pavilion last October, calling it a "functional recreational area for all First Families to enjoy."

"It is my hope that this private space will function as a place to gather and spend leisure time for First Families," she wrote.

I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/Wzown2ho26

- Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 5, 2020

"excited to share my new cake," tweeted marie antoinette https://t.co/bFbeGAetj9

- Oliver Willis (@owillis) March 5, 2020

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