President Donald Trump tweets he and first lady
Melania Trump test positive for Covid-19
By Kaitlan
Collins, Betsy Klein, Jim Acosta and Paul LeBlanc, CNN
Updated
0504 GMT (1304 HKT) October 2, 2020
Trump tweets he's starting 'quarantine process'
(CNN)President
Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus, the
President announced early Friday morning.
"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
tweeted shortly before 1 am Friday.
The
President had said earlier in the night that he planned to quarantine.
"Hope
Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just
tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for
our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!"
Trump tweeted Thursday night.
Hicks has
traveled with the President multiple times recently, including to the debate in
Cleveland on Tuesday, and was seen boarding Marine One, along with several
other of the President's closest aides -- Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and
Nicholas Luna -- none of whom wore masks, on Wednesday as Trump was heading to
a campaign rally in Minnesota.
"She
did test positive, I just heard about this. She tested positive. She's a hard
worker. Lot of masks, she wears masks a lot but she tested positive. Then I
just went out with a test. I'll see -- you know, because we spent a lot of time
-- and the first lady just went out with a test also. So whether we quarantine
or whether we have it, I don't know," Trump said during a call-in
appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."
He added,
"I just went for a test and we'll see what happens, I mean, who knows. ...
I spent a lot of time with Hope and so does the first lady, and she's
tremendous."
While it's
unclear what the President's "quarantine process" will look like, the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that a 14-day
quarantine should take place after the last known exposure to someone who has
tested positive for Covid-19. This is because the incubation period for the
novel coronavirus can be up to two weeks.
News of
Hicks' positive test comes amid continued efforts by the Trump administration
to blatantly disregard science and best public health practices during the
pandemic, with West Wing staff actively eschewing masks and the President
defying recommendations from his own coronavirus task force, proceeding with a
busy schedule of packed campaign ralies. Trump and his key aides have shown
little interest in changing practices of his staff to meet the needs of the
moment.
Trump, in
his Fox News interview, speculated that Hicks could have contracted the virus
from an interaction with a supporter.
"She's
a very warm person. She has a hard time, when soldiers and law enforcement
comes up to her, you know, she wants to treat them great, not say, 'Stay away,
I can't get near you.' It's a very, very tough disease," he said.
A source
close to Hicks told CNN that she is experiencing symptoms and is back in
Washington. A source familiar with Hicks' symptoms describes her as being achy
and feeling pretty bad. CNN has reached out to Hicks for comment.
"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
spokesman Judd Deere told CNN in a statement when asked about the level of
contact between Hicks and Trump.
The White
House made no mention of Hicks by name, nor did it confirm she had tested
positive.
"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.
Some White
House staffers who were in close proximity were notified of the positive test
result today, one official said.
This
development was first reported by Bloomberg News.
Long seen
as a stabilizing force on a boss who likes chaos, Hicks joined the Trump
Organization working in public relations with Ivanka Trump and moved to Trump's
2016 presidential campaign early in the race. She was one of the few aides to
follow him from his political beginnings to the White House.
Hicks
maintained a close relationship not just with the President but also with
members of his family, including White House advisers Ivanka Trump and her
husband, Jared Kushner. She previously served as the White House communications
director.
Hicks'
positive test underscores the unique challenge White House staffers face as they
try to keep the pandemic out of the West Wing while the President pushes to
reopen the country.
In May, two
White House staffers, including a member of the Navy who serves as one of
Trump's personal valets, tested positive for the virus, and in July a cafeteria
employee on the White House grounds tested positive as well. The President
confirmed a fourth positive case on White House grounds last month.
Trump has
previously expressed concern that aides contracting coronavirus would undercut
his message that the outbreak is waning and states should accelerate reopening,
according to a person who had spoken with him.
The White
House has since gone to great lengths to shield Trump and Vice President Mike
Pence from the outbreak, even as they travel to states where cases are surging.
White House
press secretary Kayleigh McEnany previously described Trump as the "most
tested man in America," who doesn't risk spreading the virus to others.
But Trump contradicted that claim hours later, saying he doesn't know of a time
he's taken more than one coronavirus test in a day.
"I
don't know about more than one," Trump responded to a reporter who asked
why he was tested more than once a day. "I do probably on average a test
every two days, three days, and I don't know of any time I've taken two in one
day, but I could see that happening."
This story
has been updated with additional developments on Thursday night and Friday
morning.
CNN's Paul
LeBlanc contributed to this report.
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