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Andrew Harnik / AP
Hope Hicks (center) traveled with the president several times this week.
Hope Hicks, one of the closest aides to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Hicks, who serves as the president’s advisor and traveled with him to a rally Wednesday, tested positive Thursday, according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private medical information. She is the closest aide to Trump to test positive so far.
The White House did not immediately respond to multiple questions about the last time Trump was tested and whether he and other staff members who spent time with Hicks in recent days will be quarantined.
Trump traveled to New Jersey on Thursday for a fundraiser. His social media director, Dan Scavino, and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, were originally set to join him, but were replaced at the last minute by other assistants.
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In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said: “The President takes the health and safety of himself and all who work in support of him and the American people very seriously.”
“White House Operations collaborates with the President’s Physician and the White House Military Office to ensure that all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices to limit exposure to Covid-19 at the greatest possible measure both in the complex and when the President is traveling, ”Deere said.
Hicks traveled with the president several times this week, including aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, and aboard Air Force One for the first presidential debate Tuesday night.
Hicks, one of the president’s most trusted aides, previously served as the White House communications director and rejoined the administration earlier this year before the election. His positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News.
Several White House staff members have tested positive for the virus, including Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, and one of the president’s personal aides.
After previous positive cases close to the president, the White House instituted a daily testing regimen for the president’s top advisers. Others who will be in close proximity to the president and vice president, including journalists, are also tested every day.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19 be quarantined for 14 days, White House staff are considered essential workers. CDC’s guidelines for exposed essential workers allow them to return to work if they take precautions, such as taking their temperature before going to work, wearing a mask at all times, and practicing social distancing.
Trump, the White House, and his campaign have disobeyed other CDC guidelines and recommendations from public health officials and have largely refused to wear masks or practice social distancing.
