“I just went to do a test and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. (Proceedings)
Washington:
US President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he would go into quarantine after a senior adviser tested positive for coronavirus, in a surprising development that threatened to disrupt his scheduled public appearances in the crucial final weeks of the campaign. electoral.
Trump confirmed in an interview with Fox News that Hope Hicks, one of his closest confidants, had tested positive, adding later on Twitter that he and First Lady Melania Trump were awaiting their own test results.
“He tested positive. I just found out about this. He tested positive,” Trump told Fox News.
“She is a great worker. Many masks, she wears many masks, but she tested positive,” he added. “Then I came out with a test. I’ll see, you know, because we spent a lot of time, and the first lady also came out with a test.”
“In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!” tweeted shortly after. Their results are expected on Thursday or Friday.
Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a little break, just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are awaiting the results of our tests. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Trump did not say how long he planned to be in isolation: He is regularly tested for the life-threatening virus, but the tests can return false negatives.
It was not immediately clear whether he would cancel his program of campaign events on Friday, which includes a rally in Florida.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people stay home and isolate themselves for up to 14 days if they may have been exposed to the virus.
Hicks was traveling with Trump on Air Force One on Tuesday to fly to Cleveland for the first presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.
She was also with him on the Marine One helicopter on Wednesday when he flew back to the White House after a rally in Minnesota.
‘She wears a lot of masks’
US media, citing unidentified sources, said Hicks was isolated on the return trip from Minnesota after showing mild symptoms and tested positive Thursday morning.
Trump says the United States has left behind the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans, and rarely wears a mask, noting that it receives frequent testing.
Donald Trump’s closest adviser, Hope Hicks, tested positive for COVID-19
However, his own health experts have often given less optimistic evaluations, and some have harshly criticized him for holding large rallies where few fans wear masks.
Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic, a potentially decisive issue ahead of the November 3 election battle against Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Supporters have raised concerns about the president’s endorsement in swing states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which Biden aims to win back after Trump won them in 2016.
When asked about Hicks before Trump’s comments, White House spokesman Judd Deere said that “the president takes the health and safety of himself and all who work to support him very seriously. him and the American people. “
Deere said the White House is careful to follow procedures “to limit exposure to Covid-19 as much as possible, both in the compound and when the president is away.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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