NEWSPresident Donald Trump And Wife Melania Test Positive For COVID-19
Oct. 2 2020, Updated 2:24 p.m. ET
It hasn't been a good week for President Donald Trump.
First, there was that disastrous debate with rival Joe Biden and his refusal to condemn white supremacists. Then, on Wednesday, September 30, he appeared to blame suburban, low-income people of color for "ruining this American dream."
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Now, the businessman has confirmed that he and Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19.
The 74-year-old revealed the news on Twitter on Friday, October 2.
In a memorandum, the president’s physician said that Trump and the first lady, who is 50, "are both well at this time" and "plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence."
"Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering," he added.
Earlier in the day, Hope Hicks — who had been traveling with the President on Air Force One this week — tested positive for the coronavirus and as a result, the former reality star and Melania were heading into quarantine.
"Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid sic19," he wrote on Twitter. "Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!"
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The New York Times reports White House officials have known since Wednesday evening that Hicks was COVID-19 positive.
Hicks — who is Trump's closest aide and serves as counselor to him — began feeling mild symptoms during the plane ride home from a rally in Minnesota on September 30, according to an administration official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose private information. She was quarantined away from others on the plane and her diagnosis was confirmed Thursday, October 1.
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TMZ reached out to the White House, and deputy press secretary Judd Deere would not comment about Hicks or the President's health. "The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously," Deere told the outlet.
He continued, "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 guidelines and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling."
With just five weeks to Election Day, Trump now has to cancel many of those vital planned rallies, leaving the race in an even more fragile situation than ever before.
