Trump in quarantine as COVID-19 diagnosis throws US into fresh upheaval
America’s leadership has been plunged into extraordinary uncertainty after Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions over how far the infection has penetrated the heart of government.
The US president continued to carry out his duties under quarantine from the White House residence on Friday and was showing “mild symptoms” of Covid-19, an official said.
But the virus can take several days to manifest fully and Trump, aged 74 and clinically obese, is medically vulnerable. Should he be incapacitated, Mike Pence, the vicepresident, who has tested negative, would take over.
A presidential election takes place on November 3.
Trump has travelled extensively in recent days, to a presidential debate, a campaign rally and the fundraiser. A scramble was under way to test those who have been with him at close quarters. But how far the virus may have spread in the highest levels of government will be hard to establish quickly because it can take days for an infection to be detectable.
First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive and tweeted: “I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery.”
The White House moved on Friday to assuage fears of a constitutional and national security crisis. “The president does have mild symptoms and as we look to try to make sure that not only his health and safety and welfare is good, we continue to look at that for all of the American people,” Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, told reporters.
The announcement came hours after he confirmed that Hope Hicks, one of his close aides, had been diagnosed with the virus on Thursday. Hicks reportedly began feeling mild symptoms during a flight home from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday evening and was isolated from other passengers onboard the plane.
Trump’s infection upends a presidential election in which more than a million people have voted early. The president had been holding campaign rallies crammed with supporters often not wearing face masks or keeping their distance, defying public health guidelines issued by his own administration. Herman Cain, a Trump ally and campaign surrogate, died from coronavirus in July after attending a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In a tweet on Friday, Biden said he and his wife Jill “send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Biden and his wife Jill were tested for coronavirus on Friday morning and were negative for the virus.
Trump and Biden did not shake hands during the debate, but stood without masks about 10 feet apart for the 90-minute event.
The president has mocked Biden for frequently wearing a mask when out in public, per federal health guidelines. “I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”