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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said he and First Lady Melania Trump are beginning a “quarantine process” as they await coronavirus test results after a senior adviser he spent considerable time with this week tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump’s comments came after he confirmed that Hope Hicks, one of his closest aides, had tested positive for the virus on Thursday (October 1).
Hicks began to feel mild symptoms during the plane ride home from a rally in Minnesota Wednesday night, according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal private information. She was quarantined away from other people on the plane and her diagnosis was confirmed Thursday, the person said.
Trump tweeted Thursday night: “The First Lady and I are awaiting the results of our tests. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process. “
Earlier in a phone interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, Trump said: “If we quarantine ourselves or if we have it, I don’t know. I just went to do a test and we’ll see what happens. “
Hicks, who serves as Trump’s adviser, also traveled with Trump to the first presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday. She is the closest White House official to Trump to test positive for the virus so far.
The positive test is another reminder that the coronavirus continues to spread, even as Trump has desperately tried to suggest that it no longer poses a danger. Since it emerged earlier this year, Trump, the White House and his campaign have downplayed the threat and refused to abide by basic public health guidelines, including those issued by his own administration, such as wearing masks in public and practicing social distancing. Instead, Trump has continued to hold campaign rallies that draw thousands of supporters. The virus has killed more than 200,000 Americans and infected more than 7 million across the country.
The White House had not previously responded 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 asked to self-quarantine.
Trump traveled to New Jersey on Thursday for a fundraiser and the White House sent out a schedule for Friday that includes an intelligence briefing, a phone call on COVID-19 support for “vulnerable seniors,” a fundraiser for funds at his Washington DC hotel and another rally in Sanford, Florida.
Trump is 74 years old, putting him at higher risk for serious complications from the virus. He said he expected to have the results Thursday night or Friday morning.
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 collaborate 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 for limiting exposure to COVID-19 in the as much as possible 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, and Air Force One to a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, and aboard Air Force One for the first presidential debate Tuesday night. in Cleveland.
READ: Trump and Biden go on the attack in a chaotic and fiery first presidential debate
Hicks is one of the president’s longest-serving and most trusted aides, having served as a spokesperson for his 2016 campaign. She originally served as the White House communications director and rejoined the administration this year as a pre-election adviser. Her positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday night. She did not respond to a request for comment.
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. Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is dating Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before an Independence Day fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
Still, Trump has consistently downplayed concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. “I didn’t feel any vulnerability,” he told reporters in May.
After previous positive cases close to the president, the White House instituted a daily testing regimen for the president’s top advisers. Anyone close to the president or vice president is also tested every day, including journalists.
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.
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