Trump ‘has mild symptoms of virus’
DONALD TRUMP is suffering “mild symptoms” of Covid-19, making the stunning announcement after returning from a fundraiser without telling the crowd he had been exposed to an aide with the disease that has killed a million people worldwide.
The president, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, said he and Mrs Trump were quarantining.
The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties “without disruption” while recovering. A White House official said Mr Trump was experiencing mild symptoms but was working from the White House residence.
Senate majority leader Mitch Mcconnell said he had spoken with Mr Trump on the phone and he was in “good spirits”.
Hours before Mr Trump announced he had contracted the virus, the White House said a senior aide who had travelled with him during the week had tested positive.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately,” Mr Trump tweeted. “We will get through this TOGETHER!”
Mr Trump was last seen by reporters returning to the White House on Thursday and did not appear visibly ill. He is 74, putting him at higher risk of serious compli
cations from a virus that has infected more than seven million people nationwide. The president’s physician said that Mr Trump and the first lady, who is 50, “are both well at this time” and “plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence”.
The diagnosis is a devastating blow for a president who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them.
In the best of cases, if he develops few symptoms it is likely to force him off the campaign trail weeks before the election and puts in doubt his participation in the second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15. His handling of the pandemic has already been a major flashpoint in his race against Democrat Joe Biden, who spent much of the summer off the campaign trail and at his home in Delaware because of the virus.
Mr Biden has since resumed a more active campaign schedule, but with small, socially distanced crowds. He also regularly wears a mask in public, something Mr Trump had mocked him for.
In a tweet, Mr Biden said he and his wife “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”.
Mr Biden has been tested for the virus, a source said.