Donald and Melania Trump had tested positive for covid-19.
Donald Trump said in a tweet that he and Melania tested positive for Covid-19. The president said they will begin “quarantine and recovery process immediately." The president was tested after Hope Hicks, one of his closest aides, also tested positive. Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Donald Trump 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!
Trump’s positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks came down with the virus after traveling with the president several times this week. Trump was last seen by reporters returning to the White House on Thursday evening and looked to be in good health. Trump is 74 years old, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has now killed more than 200,000 people nationwide.
In a memo released early Friday morning, Trump’s physician said that the president and first lady plan to remain at the White House “during their convalescence" and that the medical unit would “maintain a vigilant watch."“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," White House physician Scott Conley said.
The diagnosis marks a major blow for Trump, who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them even as cases continue to rise with four weeks before Election Day. And it stands as the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting American president in recent history.
Trump had consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, even after White House staff and allies were exposed and sickened.
“I felt no vulnerability whatsoever," he said told reporters back in May.
Earlier, Donald Trump said he would begin self-quarantine while waiting for coronavirus test results after Hope Hicks, one of his closest aides, tested positive for Covid-19. Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Donald Trump also joins other world leaders who tested positive for the virus, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. All of them survived, though Johnson became seriously ill.
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