UPDATE: President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for COVID-19. Get the latest information here.
President Donald Trump and his wife Melania have been tested for the coronavirus and have begun self-quarantining following news that his aide, Hope Hicks, tested positive.
“Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!” Trump tweeted Thursday night.
Hicks traveled with the Trumps aboard Air Force One on Tuesday as he traveled for the debate and again on Wednesday for a Minnesota rally. According to Bloomberg, Hicks was experiencing symptoms of the disease.
The president called into Fox News shortly after the news broke Thursday about Hicks and said that both he and Melania were tested when Hicks’ diagnosis came in.
“I just went out for a test, they just said it’ll come back later, I guess. And the first lady also because we spent a lot of time with Hope and others. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. He added that he doesn’t know yet if he and the first lady will have to self-quarantine.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one should stay home for 14 days after they were last in contact with a person who has COVID-19. “If possible, stay away from others, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19,” it also says.
“The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. “White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting Covid-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible, both on complex and when the president is traveling.”
Hope Hicks was a relatively unknown public relations specialist with Ivanka Trump before she rocketed to fame during the 2016 election and went on to become one of President Trump’s closest and most long-serving aides. She served as the White House communications director but stepped down in 2018 before returning to the Trump administration in February.