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Image posted, Reuters
US President Donald Trump was airlifted to the hospital 24 hours after announcing that he had been infected with the Corona virus, which causes Covid-19 disease.
The White House said the decision to transfer Trump to Walter Reed Military Medical Center was taken “out of great caution.”
And early Friday, Trump announced that he and his wife Melania had contracted the coronavirus.
The White House said Trump was “exhausted but in a good mood” and was suffering from mild symptoms.
This occurs almost a month before the presidential election, in which Trump faces Democratic rival Joe Biden.
What did the president look like on Friday?
Wearing a muzzle and a suit, Trump crossed the White House lawn Friday afternoon to catch his helicopter, Marine One, on a short trip to the hospital.
Trump waved to reporters and gave a thumbs up indicating that everything was fine, except that he said nothing before boarding the plane.
In a video posted on the US President’s Twitter account, Trump said: “I want to thank everyone for the tremendous support. I will go to Walter Reed Hospital.
He added: “But we will make sure things go well. The condition of the first lady is very good. So thank you very much, and I appreciate your interest, and I will never forget it, thank you.”
Upon reaching Walter Reed, the president did not go to the emergency room for treatment but went directly to the hospital’s presidential suite, according to CBS News, the BBC’s news partner in the United States.
What does the white house say?
A White House spokesperson said in a statement: “President Trump is still in a good mood, with minor symptoms and has been working all day.”
The statement added: “For the sake of extra precaution, and based on the recommendations of his physician and health experts, the president will continue to work from Walter Reed Medical Center for a few days.”
“President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for him and the first lady.”
Trump’s symptoms include a mild fever, according to CBS.
Walter Reed Hospital, in a suburb of Washington, DC, is one of the largest and best known military medical centers in the United States. This is where presidents of the United States often go to get their annual checks.
White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah said the president had not transferred his powers to Vice President Mike Pence.
He added: “The president is the one in charge.”
But he withdrew from a video call that was scheduled for Friday with a group of older people, who are most threatened by the Corona virus, leaving Pence to chair the meeting.
Under the United States Constitution, if the president becomes too ill to perform his duties, he can temporarily cede his powers to the vice president. This means that Mike Pence will become interim president until Trump recovers and can resume work.
Fundamentally modified competition
Anthony Zorker Analysis
BBC North America Correspondent
The US presidential elections have been turned upside down.
This phrase could have been written at any time in a turbulent year in American politics, but nothing like this happened this year, this decade, this century.
Just 32 days before the presidential election, Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Given his age, 74, he is in a high risk group for complications from the disease. At the very least, you will have to remain in quarantine while you are being treated, which means that America’s presidential contest, at least its part in it, has fundamentally changed.
The initial effects are obvious. The president’s strict campaign schedule, which has included visits to Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina for the past week alone, has been indefinitely suspended.
Trump will certainly have alternatives down the road, but given that he has relied heavily on his family and senior administration and campaign officials for such tasks in the past, many of them may be forced to self-quarantine due to exposure the virus, campaign operations will also be disrupted.
What treatment did the president receive?
Earlier on Friday, Trump’s doctor, Sean Connelly, said in a statement that the president had received “as a precaution an 8-gram dose of the Regeneron antibody mixture” at the White House.
This medicine is taken to help lower virus levels and speed recovery.
Conley said Trump also takes zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin.
He added, “As of this afternoon, he was still exhausted, but his spirits were good.” The 50-year-old first lady was “in good shape with a mild cough and headache.”
Melania said Friday afternoon that she was experiencing minor symptoms, but was “feeling better” and “hoping for a speedy recovery.”
The rest of the Trump family have been vetted, including the couple’s son Barron, who also lives in the White House. The results showed that they were free of the virus.
How did the Democrats react?
Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, and his wife, Jill, tested negative on Friday.
After the result was released, the White House candidate said in a tweet: “I hope this is a reminder. Wear a face mask, social distancing and wash your hands.”
The Biden campaign said it was temporarily removing all negative Trump ads.
Biden’s team said it would travel to Michigan as planned as part of campaign activities. Biden and his wife wished the presidential couple a speedy recovery.
Speaking during an online election event as part of the Biden campaign, former President Barack Obama also expressed his good wishes to Trump and his wife.
“We are all Americans, we are all human, and we want to make sure everyone is healthy,” Obama said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her prayers for Trump “intensified” after learning of his infection with the Coronavirus, and that she hoped his diagnosis would be a “learning experience” for the country.
Pelosi, who ranks third in the presidential succession hierarchy, had not been notified in advance that the president would be hospitalized, according to CBS.
How did the president get the virus?
It is not known exactly how Trump and his wife were infected. On Thursday, the couple said they intend to isolate themselves after Hope Hicks, a close associate of Trump, tested positive for the virus. Soon after, tests confirmed his infection.
There was criticism of Trump’s decision to go on a fundraising drive, which was attended by dozens of people in New Jersey on Thursday, as Trump campaign officials were aware of Hicks’ symptoms and the possibility that she was infected with the virus.
The process of tracking everyone the president has had contact with in recent days continues, the officials said, adding that on Friday Trump was considering how to address the nation or reach out to the American people.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the president has violated basic health guidelines, such as social distancing and the use of face covers in public places. Trump also continued to organize large rallies for his campaign, gathering thousands of supporters, often without masks.
Several senior White House aides have already tested positive for the virus, including Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller, national security adviser Robert O’Brien and one of Trump’s personal colleagues.
