Donald Trump has tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Just before 1am ET, he wrote on Twitter:
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
Some of Trump’s closest aides sensed on WEDNESDAY that the president was feeling poorly. The president seemed exhausted, I’m told. Some chalked it up to fatigue from an intense campaign schedule, others began to worry he had the coronavirus.https://t.co/IWhJqbz3T3
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 2, 2020
The president’s physician, Sean Conley, released a statement saying:
“This evening I received confirmation that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.“
Conley said the President and First Lady “are both well at this time.” They will remain quarantined at the House during their convalescence.
“The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions. Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments,” Conley said.
Despite reports that Trump seemed exhausted earlier in the week, the president attended a fundraiser Thursday.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife have tested negative.
This all came after Bloomberg reported that the president’s aide Hope Hicks tested positive. The publication reports:
Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday and to a Minnesota rally on Wednesday. She felt poorly in Minnesota and quarantined aboard the presidential plane on the way home, according to people familiar with the matter.
“The diagnosis, just weeks before the Nov. 3 election, marks a major blow for a president who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them, despite a growing nationwide death toll of more than 205,000 and 7 million confirmed infections,” reports the Associated Press.
“And it stands as the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting American president in recent history.”
“The news was sure to rattle an already shaken nation still grappling with how to safely reopen while avoiding further spikes,” the AP says. “The White House has access to near-unlimited resources, including a constant supply of quick-result tests, and still failed to keep the president safe, raising questions about how the rest of the country will be able to protect its workers, students and the public as businesses and schools reopen.”
The president may have helped spread the virus to his supporters, even after learning that Hicks had Covid-19 symptoms.
“After White House officials learned of Hicks’ symptoms, Trump and his entourage flew to New Jersey, where he attended a fundraiser and delivered a speech. Trump was in close contact with dozens of other people, including campaign supporters at a roundtable event,” reported the Washington Post.
Most White House aides refused to say whether Trump was experiencing symptoms, “but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that it was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately,” says the New York Times.
