WASHINGTON – Stanley Chera, a prominent figure in New York City real estate and a friend of President Donald Trump, died last week of complications from COVID-19.

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Chera's death was first reported by The Real Deal, a news site focused on New York real estate and his relationship to the president was confirmed by The Associated Press, which cited an unnamed White House official. The retail real estate mogul, who was born in 1942, died Saturday, according to The Real Deal.

During Monday's coronavirus press briefing, Trump said Chera "called me a couple of weeks ago and said he's tested positive. Stanley's in his early to mid-eighties, I guess, and Stanley went to the hospital, and he never came out."

"He went into a coma, he was unconscious for a long period of time, and he never made it," Trump continued, noting Chera was happy Trump was in the White House and "thought we'd do such a good job and he was so happy, and he was very proud of what we have done in this administration. But he was tested positive and unfortunately he didn't make it."

The president earlier spoke of personally knowing at least one person who was battling the disease at several White House news briefings on the coronavirus outbreak. Though he never named the friend or friends who had become infected, he said seeing the effect of the illness on someone he knew brought home the "viciousness" of the virus.

The president first mentioned knowing someone struck by the disease at a March 29 briefing in the Rose Garden where he announced he was extending social distancing guidelines until at least April 30. Trump explained that the virus was more dangerous than the flu and required more stringent social distancing measures – after comparing the two illnesses in a tweet earlier that month.

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"This is different. And part of this is the unknown, and part of it also is the viciousness of it," the president said.

"I had a friend who went to a hospital the other day. He’s a little older, and he’s heavy, but he’s a tough person. And he went to the hospital, and a day later, he’s in a coma," said Trump, who is 73.

"The speed and the viciousness, especially if it gets the right person, it’s horrible. It’s really horrible."

At a news briefing the next day, Trump said he had "some friends that are unbelievably sick."

"We thought they were going in for a mild stay," he said. "And, in one case, he’s unconscious, in a coma. And you say, 'How did that happen?'"

On April 1, as he again contrasted the coronavirus and the flu, Trump said, "Flu is contagious, but nothing like we've ever seen here."

The president cited the "violence" of the coronavirus and said, "If it hits the right person, that person's in deep trouble. And my friend was the right person."

A reporter asked if knowing someone who was seriously ill with COVID-19 marked a "turning point" in Trump's perception of the outbreak.

"No, not a turning point," Trump said, citing "statistics that are not exactly very good" as the reason he had decided to extend the social distancing guidelines. "But it hit him very hard. He's strong. A very strong kind of a guy, but he's older, he's heavier, and he's sort of central casting for what we're talking about, and it hit him very hard. I've never seen anything like it."

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Vanity Fair reported the same day that Chera's condition had influenced the thinking of the president, who had previously been considering lifting the social distancing measures by Easter.

Trump backer Bill White told the magazine that Chera's illness "hit home" for Trump.

"Stan is like one of his best friends," White said.

Trump spoke of his friendship with Chera at a March 28, 2019 political rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"He's one of the biggest builders and real estate people in the world," Trump said as he introduced Chera. "And he's a great guy, and he's been with me from the beginning."

Chera has donated about $1 million to various Republican political campaigns and committees since 2016, according to Federal Election Commission records, including more than $370,000 directly toward Trump's reelection.

Before Trump's election, Chera's political contributions were more bipartisan. During the 2016 election, he donated to both Trump and Hillary Clinton's campaign.