Coronavirus: Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday morning that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for Covid-19, shortly after one of his closest associates, Hope Hicks, fell ill with the coronavirus.
“Tonight @FLOTUS and I have tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” Trump said on Twitter.
In a memo released early Friday morning, Trump’s doctor said the president and first lady planned to stay in the White House “while recovering” and that the medical unit “will maintain a vigilant vigil.”
“Rest assured that I expect the President to continue in office without interruption while he recovers, and I will keep you posted on any future developments,” White House doctor Scott Conley said. .
U.S. equity futures fell more than 1% early Friday after Trump said he tested positive.
Judd Deere, a White House spokesperson, said contact tracing for Trump and Melania Trump was underway and “appropriate notifications and recommendations will be made.” The contact tracing for Hicks, he added, was already complete.
In a tweet, the first lady said she and her husband “are feeling great and I have postponed all future commitments. Make sure you stay safe and we are all going to experience this together.”
The 74-year-old president’s positive result is likely to draw already intense public attention to his handling of the pandemic as he campaigns for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden, who leads in national polls.
It was not immediately clear how Trump contracted the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans. But Hicks tested positive after flying with Air Force One to the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday and a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with Hope and others. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said during Fox’s interview with Sean Hannity.
Several other members of Trump’s circle tested positive for the virus earlier this year – including National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.
His aides fear Trump’s lack of sleep during the latter part of the presidential campaign will make him particularly vulnerable to infection. The president did not return to the White House until after midnight after his trips on Tuesday and Wednesday. His age also puts him at an increased risk of serious illness from the virus.
The development, while of concern to Americans, will make it harder for the president to continue trying to distract from the virus and focus on his prized campaign issues, such as accusing Democrats of promoting a ruinous socialist agenda. and allow American cities to be overrun by violent protesters.
Trump has sought to downplay the virus amid surveys showing a majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of the pandemic, which he said would “go away.” Trump pushed states to reopen their economies even as the number of cases increased.
The president, who initially downplayed the importance of wearing masks and later endorsed their use, rarely wore a face mask in public, nor did he follow recommendations to stay six feet from others. The White House said these precautions were not necessary for Trump because authorized people nearby were tested for the virus.
Trump said he had no regrets about his response to the pandemic, and argued he “played it in terms of action” even though he told reporter Bob Woodward in a conversation recorded that he had minimized the threat it posed in order to avoid scaring the Americans. He again questioned whether the masks effectively prevent transmission of the virus.
“A lot of people don’t want to wear masks. There are a lot of people who think masks are no good,” Trump said at a town hall event Sept. 15 with ABC News.
The President has also repeatedly held events where members of the public did not wear masks or keep their distance from each other.
It held its first indoor campaign rally in months on September 13 at a Las Vegas manufacturing plant, flouting a Nevada ordinance banning indoor gatherings of 50 or more people or more.
“I’m on stage and it’s a long way off,” Trump said in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, defending his decision to speak to thousands of supporters, few of whom wore masks or practiced social distancing. He spoke at a similar indoor gathering in Arizona the next day.
Days later, Trump spoke to hundreds on the South Lawn of the White House during a signing ceremony for diplomatic agreements between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel. Few of the participants were tested for Covid-19.
On August 27, Trump appeared before a crowd of around 1,500 on the South Lawn to accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. Although the Trump campaign has said it follows “strict” security protocols, the District of Columbia bans gatherings of more than 50 people. Few in the crowd wore masks, and White House officials said some, but not all, of the attendees had been tested for Covid-19.
The president began publicly encouraging Americans to wear masks in late July if they can’t maintain social distancing and avoid risky behavior, after months of questioning public health recommendations and promoting non-treatment. proven.
In May, for example, he said he was taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure, days after Vice President’s press secretary Mike Pence tested positive for the virus. The Food and Drug Administration revoked the drug’s emergency approval as a Covid-19 treatment a month later, citing ineffectiveness and potential harmful side effects.
Trump is also joining other world leaders who have tested positive for the virus, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. All survived, although Johnson fell seriously ill.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
