President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, the POTUS revealed the news on Thursday.
Taking to this Twitter account on Thursday night, Donald Trump revealed that he and his wife, Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. The president said they will begin their quarantine and recovery process straightway. “We will get through this TOGETHER!” he tweeted.
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
After two days of traveling with the president to Ohio and Minnesota, his counselor and confidant Hope Hicks tested positive for COVID-19. Trump said he and the First Lady would immediately start their quarantine process.
Hicks was spotted without a mask after Air Force One landed in Cleveland, the venue for the first presidential debate. He was accompanied by the First Lady, who was traveling with Trump aboard Marine One and Air Force One to Minnesota Wednesday. Hicks’ positive test was first reported by Bloomberg.
Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
A senior administration official said Hicks tested negative for COVID-19 Wednesday morning, which is why Melania boarded Air Force One. She developed symptoms later during the day and took another test that came back positive.
Speaking about Hicks’ positive in an interview on Fox News, Trump said Hicks wears a lot of masks. He then went on to reveal that he and his wife were tested for COVID-19 Thursday night, and were expecting to receive results later Thursday night or Friday.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendation, a person who comes into contact with another person who tested positive for COVID-19 needs to self-isolate for fourteen days. However, Trump’s schedule for Friday was packed, including a rally in Florida and an event with his supporters at his D.C. hotel.
“Contact tracing has been done and the appropriate notifications and recommendations have been made,” a White House official told CBS News. Aside from testing on regular basis, the CDC recommends mask-wearing and social distancing when possible.
Trump, who is 74 years of age, and has at least one underlying condition, are at a higher risk for complications from coronavirus if he were to be exposed. Hicks, who returned to the White House earlier this year, is closer to the president than any other person in the White House since she is his most trusted advisers.
Hicks has also traveled with Trump counselor Derek Lyons, Trump campaign chairman Bill Stepien, Trump campaign aide Jason Miller, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, Trump senior adviser Dan Scavino, Ivanka Trump, and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. Stay tuned in here for the latest news and updates on Trump’s COVID-19 report.
