Trump in quarantine after aide infected
President, first lady awaiting results of coronavirus testing
WASHINGTON » President Donald Trump said Thursday that he and first lady Melania Trump are beginning a “quarantine process” as they await coronavirus test results after a top aide he spent substantial time with this week tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump’s comments came after he confirmed that Hope Hicks, one his closest aides, had tested positive for the virus Thursday. Hicks began feeling mild symptoms during the plane ride home from a rally in Minnesota Wednesday evening, according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private information. She was quarantined away from others on the plane and her diagnosis was confirmed Thursday, the person said.
Trump tweeted late
Thursday: “The First Lady and I arewaiting forour test results. In themeantime, we will begin our quarantine process.”
Earlier, during a call-in interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, Trump said: “Whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don’t know. I just went for a test and we’ll see what happens.”
It can take days for an infection to be detectable by a test, and it was unclear what Trump’s quarantine entailed. Minutes before his tweet, the White House distributed a schedule for Friday that showed he planned to go forward with a fundraiser at his Washington, D.C., hotel and a political rally in Sanford, Florida.
Hicks, who serves as counselor to Trump, also traveled withTrump to thefirst 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 yet another reminder that thecoronavirus continues to spread, even as Trump has tried desperately to suggest it no longer poses a danger. Since it emerged earlier this year, Trump, theWhiteHouse and his campaign have played down 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 killedmore than 200,000Americans and infectedmore than 7million nationwide.
TheWhiteHouse had not responded earlier to multiple questions about the last time Trump was tested and whether he and other staffers whospent timewithHicks in recent days will be asked to quarantine.
Trump traveled to New Jersey Thursday for a fundraiser despite concerns about Hicks’ health.
Trump is 74yearsold, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from the virus. He said he expected to have the results back either Thursday night or Friday morning.
In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the president “takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of himand the American people very seriously .”
“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,” Deere said.
Hicks traveled with the president multiple times this week, including aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and on Air Force One to a rally in Minnesota Wednesday, and aboard Air Force One to Tuesday night’s first presidential debate inCleveland.
Hicks is one of the president’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, having worked as spokesperson for his 2016 campaign. She originally served as White House as communications director, and re-joined the administration this year as an adviser ahead of the election. Her positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday evening. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Multiple White House staffers 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 valets. Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is datingTrump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before an Independence Day fireworks show at Mount Rushmore.
Still, Trump has consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. “I felt no vulnerability whatsoever,” he told reporters back inMay.
After earlier positive cases close to the president, the White House instituted a daily testing regimen for the president’s senior aides. Anyone who will be in close proximity to the president or vice president is also tested every day, including reporters.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 quarantine for 14 days, White House staffers are considered essential workers. CDC’s guidelines for exposed essential workers allows themto return to work if they take precautions, including taking their temperature before going into work, wearingamask at all times and practicing social distancing.
Typically, according to the CDC, a person develops symptoms five days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as early as two days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection, and the time range can vary.