The Wire's Dominic West has courted controversy by admitting to being happy at the news that Donald Trump has tested positive for coronavirus.

The US President announced overnight that he and wife Melania Trump have both contracted COVID-19, hours after one of his chief advisors was revealed to have tested positive for the deadly disease.

West, 50, was appearing on today's edition of Good Morning Britain when he was asked for his reaction to the news - and was unrestrained with his response.

"I did slightly leap in the air with joy," he said. "He said 'it is what it is', and I think the phrase is 'what goes around comes around'.

"I just hope it doesn't interfere with him bring elected out of office, that's all.

"There's an element of schadenfreude in all this, I suppose. I'm not a fan of his, as you can probably tell, I just hope [Joe] Biden stays healthy and gets the presidency as quickly a possible.

"I think Trump is a catastrophe for America and the world."

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans to date, a higher death toll than any other country in the world.