Donald Trump has been criticised for his handling of the pandemic in the United States
Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Just before 6am (UK time) on Friday, the President of the United States took to social media to announce to the world that he and the First Lady had tested positive for coronavirus.
The post on Twitter stated: "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for Covid-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"
The shock announcement came about two hours after he tweeted that one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for Covid-19.
Ms Hicks travels regularly with 74-year-old Mr Trump on Air Force One and, along with other senior aides, accompanied him to Ohio for the presidential debate on Tuesday and to Minnesota for a campaign event on Wednesday.
"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," Mr Trump tweeted.
Earlier, in an interview on Fox News, Mr Trump said: "I spend a lot of time with Hope, and so does the First Lady. And she’s tremendous."
The world waited to find out if the close work relationship with Ms Hicks during the pandemic had put the President and his wife at risk. It did not take long to discover that indeed, it had.
What his doctor said
Mr Trump’s White House doctor issued a statement saying the President would continue carrying out his duties "without disruption" after contracting coronavirus.
Dr Sean Conley, the physician to the President, said the President and First Lady, 50, "are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence".
Mrs Trump said in a tweet that she had postponed all upcoming engagements. "Please be sure you are staying safe and we will all get through this together," she wrote.
What does it mean for his presidential campaign?
Mr Trump has cancelled plans to attend a fundraiser and fly to Florida for a rally on Friday, but he did keep on his schedule a previously planned midday telephone call "on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors".
The diagnosis marks a major blow for a president 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 just weeks before the November 3 election, in which he is running against Joe Biden.
It stands as the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting American president in recent history.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Biden’s campaign team on whether he had been tested since appearing on the debate stage with Mr Trump this week or whether he was taking any additional safety protocols.
Trump’s handling of the pandemic
Mr Trump has come under fire for his handling of the pandemic — especially with regards to his dismissal of expert opinion.
The United States has a growing nationwide death toll of more than 207,000 and 7.2 million confirmed infections.
Mr Trump’s handling of the pandemic has become a major flashpoint in his fight against Mr Biden, who spent much of the summer off the campaign trail and at his home in Delaware.
Mr Biden has since resumed a more active campaign schedule, but with small, socially distanced crowds because of the virus. He also regularly wears a mask in public, something Mr Trump mocked him for at Tuesday night’s election debate.
"I don’t wear masks like him," Mr Trump said.
"Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen."
Trump’s vulnerability to coronavirus
Mr Trump had consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting Covid, even after White House staff and allies were exposed and sickened over the past several months.
"I felt no vulnerability whatsoever," he said in May.
He has instead encouraged governors to reopen their states and tried to focus the nation’s attention on efforts to revive the economy — not a growing death toll — as he seeks another four-year term.
The President and his staff regularly do not wear masks. Mr Trump has denigrated people who wear them — despite health professionals saying masks are one of the key things people can do to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Mr Trump and his aides regularly get tested for coronavirus — but testing does not make someone immune.
Свежие комментарии