Donald Trump has announced that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, have tested positive for coronavirus, after one of his closest advisers contracted the virus, throwing the 2020 US election into chaos.
On Friday morning the US president tweeted: “Tonights, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19.” He wrote that they would begin quarantine immediately.
The announcement came after Hope Hicks, who serves as counselor to the president and accompanied him to the presidential debate on Tuesday and to a Minnesota rally on Wednesday, tested positive on Thursday.
The president’s doctor, Navy Commander Dr Sean Conley, said in a statement early on Friday: “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.
“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,” Conley wrote. “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering.”
He said he received confirmation of the positive tests on Thursday evening.
Earlier, Trump confirmed that Hicks had contracted the virus in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “She tested positive,” Trump said, adding that he and Melania Trump had taken coronavirus diagnostic tests. “I just went for a test and we’ll see what happens,” he told Hannity. “I spend a lot of time with Hope,” he added.
Later on Twitter, Trump announced he and the first lady would begin quarantining as they awaited their results.
Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, told the Guardian: “The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously.
“White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting Covid-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling,” Deere added.
However, before the positive diagnosis, the White House did not respond Thursday night to a Guardian query asking whether the president still planned to meet with supporters in Washington DC and travel Florida, as he is scheduled to do on Friday.
Although Hicks was tested on Thursday after showing symptoms, Trump traveled to New Jersey and met with supporters.
News of Hicks’ infection has intensified criticism of the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and the president’s disregard for public officials’ recommendations.
The president is regularly tested for the virus, as are those who work in the White House and those who meet with Trump, including the members of the White House press corps.
But Trump routinely eschews face masks to protect against the spread of Covid-19 and has recently been holding large rallies crowded with unmasked supporters. Although many of the large events have been outdoors, where the virus is less likely to be transmitted, he has also hosted indoor events in Arizona and Nevada. A public health official in Tulsa has linked a Trump rally there with an increase in Covid-19 cases.
The virus has killed more than 200,000 Americans and infected more than 7 million people nationwide.
Hicks is the closest aide to Trump to test positive so far. She has traveled with the president multiple times this week, including on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for a Minnesota rally Wednesday, and on Air Force One to Tuesday night’s presidential debate.
Hicks isn’t the only White House staffer to have contracted the virus. Katie Miller, the vice-president’s press secretary, who is married to Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller, has recovered from Covid-19. One of Trump’s personal valets also tested positive for coronavirus, in May.
Hicks previously served as White House communications director and rejoined the administration this year ahead of the election. Her positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News. Other news outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, also confirmed the news on Thursday evening.
After earlier positive cases close to the president, the White House instituted a daily testing regimen for the president’s senior aides. Others who will be in close proximity to the president and vice-president, including reporters, are also tested every day.