Trump tweeted that he and his wife, Melania, tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning (File)
Washington:
News of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis rocked the US presidential election campaign that was entering its final month and rocked stock markets, raising questions about the succession and prompting White House aides to insist that Trump would keep a busy schedule, if changed.
Hope Hicks, a close advisor to the president who often traveled with him on presidential planes Air Force One and Marine One, had tested positive for illness caused by the new coronavirus on Thursday.
After Trump tweeted he and his wife, Melania, tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning, Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna McDaniel, who has had frequent contact with Trump, said she tested positive for the virus and had been quarantined at her home in Michigan.
Trump and some other Republicans have avoided social distancing, wearing masks, and other protocols that health officials recommend to stop the spread of the virus.
Here are other White House and Trump campaign staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent months:
- US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien at the end of July. Prior to Trump’s infection, O’Brien was the most senior administration official to test positive for the virus. O’Brien was exhibiting mild symptoms of COVID and returned to work on August 4.
- Katie Miller, spokesperson for Mike Pence, wife of Stephen Miller, Trump’s senior adviser, forced Pence to slightly delay a trip from Pence to Iowa.
- Kimberly Guilfoyle, senior Trump campaign advisor and girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr.
- Tom Phillipson, former acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers in early June. He informed the Wall Street Journal of his infection after recovering and leaving the White House in late June.
- A member of the U.S. Navy who served as Trump’s personal valet tested positive in early May. The infection prompted daily tests for those who worked in the White House.
- A US Navy assigned to Trump’s helicopter squadron tested positive for the coronavirus in late July. The squadron carries Trump and other senior White House officials aboard the Marine One helicopter.
- A worker in a cafeteria in the White House complex tested positive at the end of July. The cafeteria is located in the Eisenhower Executive Office building, where some White House officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, have offices.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
