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Donald Trump is in a military hospital Saturday for treatment after the President of the United States and several other Republicans tested positive for Covid-19.
About 17 hours after he made his diagnosis public, Trump slowly walked from the White House to a waiting helicopter to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was wearing a mask and a business suit and did not speak to reporters.
“I think I’m doing very well, but we will make sure that things work out,” Trump said in a short video message posted on Twitter. Earlier Friday, he had tweeted that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had contracted the virus.
Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. An online video showed a small group of Trump supporters outside Walter Reed late Friday waving Trump 2020 flags, most without masks.
Trump, 74, has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House physician Sean P Conley said late Friday that Trump was fine, did not need supplemental oxygen and had received a first dose of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shortens hospital stays. .
In a tweet late on Friday, the president wrote: “I’m doing fine I think! Thank you all. LOVE!!!”
Several other prominent Republicans also tested positive on Friday, including former White House Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway and Republican Senators Ron Johnson, Mike Lee and Thom Tillis.
US Vice President Mike Pence, who will assume presidential duties if Trump becomes seriously ill, tested negative, a spokesman said. The 61-year-old former Indiana governor works from his own residence several miles from the White House.
Johnson tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and will remain in isolation until cleared by a doctor. The assistant did not identify the person Johnson recently contacted who also has Covid-19.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the first lady, Melania Trump, tested positive for coronavirus. Photograph: Drew Angerer / Getty
To delay
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
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
I am pleased to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you all for your messages of concern. Hope this serves as a reminder for you: wear a mask, keep your social distance, and wash your hands.
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2020
This cannot be a partisan moment.
It must be an American moment.
We have to unite as a nation.
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2020
Trump has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the start, even as the disease has killed more than 200,000 Americans and hit the American economy.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained apparently in good health during his time in office, but he is not known to exercise regularly or eat a healthy diet.
Dr. Conley said Friday that Trump has received an experimental treatment, REGN-COV2 from Regeneron, one of several experimental Covid-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used to treat a wide range of diseases.
Trump is also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin, Dr. Conley said.
Wall Street stocks closed lower as news of Trump’s diagnosis added to growing uncertainty surrounding the election.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 in April, said on Saturday that he had no doubts that Trump will make a strong recovery.
“He’s a naturally, obviously, very resilient character and I’m sure he’ll get through it very well,” Johnson told reporters.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, joining supporters at home and abroad, sent a message to Trump and his wife on Saturday, wishing them a speedy recovery, Chinese state television reported.
Former advisor to the president of the United States, Kellyanne Conway, tested positive for Covid-19. Photograph: Eric Baradat / AFP
Election day
With just 31 days to go until Election Day, the Trump campaign said it would postpone the rallies and other events it was scheduled to appear at, or post them online.
Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien also tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and will be working from home, according to a senior campaign official.
Biden pulled the ads attacking Trump from the air, but otherwise continued his campaign, traveling to Michigan on Friday after testing negative for the virus.
At a union headquarters in Grand Rapids, Biden said he was praying for his rival’s recovery. However, he also implicitly criticized Trump, who has mocked Biden for routinely wearing a mask and has held large campaign rallies with little social distancing.
“Be a patriot,” Biden said. “It’s not about being a tough guy. It’s about doing your part. “
The Republican National Committee would choose a replacement candidate if Trump were incapacitated, but in most states it is too late to change the names on the ballot. Some 2.9 million people have already voted, according to figures compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.
In addition to the president and his wife, at least four people who attended an event at the White House to announce Barrett’s nomination (Ms. Conway, Mr. Lee, Mr. Tillis, and the president of the University of Notre Dame , John Jenkins) said Friday they tested positive.
Mr. Lee and Mr. Tillis are members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to begin hearings on Barrett’s nomination on October 12.
Ms Barrett herself tested positive for the virus earlier this year and has recovered, according to a person familiar with the matter – Reuters
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