DONALD TRUMP TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
President Trump, first lady Melania test positive for coronavirus
- President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus.
- Trump’s diagnosis of Covid-19 came two days after his first debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
- Top Trump aide Hope Hicks tested positive shortly before Trump and the first lady.
President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus, a stunning development just over a month away from Election Day.
In a tweet early Friday morning, Trump said: “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Shortly after Trump’s tweet, U.S. stock futures moved sharply lower with Dow futures falling more than 500 points.
Trump is now the most prominent figure to come down with the disease. Previously, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had tested positive for coronavirus and survived.
Trump has come under withering criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, where more than 7.2 million have been infected and 207,000 people have died, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. He has routinely held campaign events where supporters were densely packed together, with many not wearing masks.
White House physician Sean Conley said in a memo, “The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.”
As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 2, 2020
He also said he expects Trump to “continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering.”
The announcement came hours after the president said he would begin a quarantine process after top aide Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say people should stay home and quarantine if they might have been exposed to the virus. The agency says people should quarantine for 14 days.
Two weeks from Thursday is Oct. 15, the date of the second presidential debate between Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden. The Commission on Presidential Debates didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on how Trump’s diagnosis affects the upcoming debates. Trump and Biden are also set to square off Oct. 22.
Hicks, who has been known to spend a lot of time with Trump, had traveled with the president to the debate Tuesday night in Cleveland. She was seen not wearing a mask.
Trump, 74, himself rarely wears a mask after months of resistance, and has mocked Biden, 77, for often wearing face coverings.
“I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen,” Trump said about Biden during their debate Tuesday night.
At his age, Trump is considered to be part of a high-risk group. Melania Trump is 50.
The Biden campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to NBC News, Hicks had started showing symptoms Wednesday night, when she had accompanied the president and several others to a campaign event in Minnesota. She quarantined on Air Force One on the way back and received positive test results Thursday morning.
Trump visited New Jersey for a brief fundraising event on Thursday.
As of Thursday night, Trump had been slated to travel to Florida for a campaign rally Friday night. The White House issued an updated schedule that cleared travel from the president’s schedule.
