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In his Tweet posted at 6:54 this morning, Donald Trump announced that both he and his wife had tested positive for the coronavirus. All that was previously known was that there was a suspicion of infection because one of the presidential advisers had tested positive.
The president was examined after one of his relatives, Hope Hicks, who traveled with the president several times a week aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane, yesterday threw a positive test for Covid. The president first announced on his Twitter account that he would be quarantined for this and undergo a coronavirus test, and shortly thereafter reported that both he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had tested positive.
Hicks flew with Trump on the presidential special plane for Tuesday’s presidential debate in Cleveland and then for a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
HOPE HICKS WAS ALSO PRESENT IN THE DISCUSSION, OF COURSE SITTING THE EVENTS WITHOUT A MASK.
Hope Hicks, who worked tirelessly and very hard, had a positive virus test. Terrible! We are awaiting the results of our tests with the First Lady. In the meantime, we will begin the quarantine process!
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through it TOGETHER!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
According to a statement issued by Sean Conley, a White House physician, the president and the first lady
they are doing well now and plan not to leave the White House until they recover. You will almost certainly continue your work during your recovery. We will keep everyone informed of any developments immediately.
President Trump is 74 years old, so even because of his age he is in the high-risk group for possible serious complications. Also, based on your latest published medical exam, you are considered overweight, which is another risk factor.
It is not yet known whether Trump’s positive test will affect the preparation of the second presidential debate, which is scheduled for October 15 in Miami.
This is, of course, a great announcement, as the next presidential candidate debate is on the table, but more importantly, special procedures should be established in case the president is unable to fulfill his duties. In this case, Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosit and Chuck Grassly would have to be notified in writing and Vice President Mike Pence would assume the presidency. The news is a huge loss in all respects for Trump, who has repeatedly stated that the epidemic is coming to an end and criticized his opponent during Tuesday’s presidential debate for wearing a mask too often.
Political analyst Anthony Zurcher described the news to the BBC as an “earthquake-like development” for the campaign. As explained,
Trump contracted the virus a week after he told Americans not to worry, COVID infects virtually no one except the elderly and heart patients.
The president had repeatedly stated that he did not feel in danger in the White House and, despite repeated warnings, he continued to shake hands with his visitors and did not wear a mask. However, he later admitted that he was initially taking an antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, which he thought was effective in treating the disease, although the drug had never been shown to have a preventive effect. He continued his frivolous behavior even after not having to wait long for the virus to show up in the vicinity of the White House or the president. Already on May 7, the news came that one of Trump’s personal aides, and later Vice President Mike Pence’s vice president, had been infected with a coronavirus, and in June, several members of the secret service were already infected. However, Trump went on to claim that these were isolated cases and that the spread had stopped, and he himself was not in danger. Trump was repeatedly accused by his opponent from Tuesday’s presidential debate, Joe Biden, of trivializing the epidemic and taking personal responsibility for the deaths of 200,000 Americans who had died from a coronavirus infection so far. The current situation is therefore a multiple loss of face, even if you can get away with quarantine and mild symptoms.
(Cover image: Donald and Melania Trump. Photo: Adnan Abidi / Reuters)
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