President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, the president announced in a tweet Thursday evening.
"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" Trump wrote.
Melania Trump also confirmed she tested positive for the virus in a tweet Thursday evening.
"As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together," she wrote.
The diagnosis comes following news that one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday evening. According to a memo released by the White House Physician, Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, the president received confirmation of his positive tests Thursday evening.
"The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Conley wrote.
"The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country's greatest medical professionals and institutions," Conley wrote, without elaborating what assistance was being provided to the White House.
"Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any further developments," he wrote.
According to ABC News, Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week after traveling with the president on Tuesday to and from the first presidential debate on Air Force One. She tested negative Wednesday morning, however, NBC News reports that Hicks began experiencing minor symptoms of the virus Wednesday evening, later testing positive after quarantining on Air Force One.
Hicks was also reportedly present on Marine One, the president's helicopter, as it traveled between the White House and Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday. Other top advisors to the president, including Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino, and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner were also present. Video showed none of them wearing masks at the time.
"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 spokesperson Judd Deere told ABC News Thursday night. "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."
The president joined Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday, saying that Hicks had tested positive and that he had just heard the news.
"And I just went out with a test, I'll see -- you know, 'cause we spend a lot of time -- and the first lady just went out with a test also," Trump added. "So whether we quarantine, or whether we have it, we don't know."
The president said he believed Hicks may have contracted the virus while interacting with a supporter.
"She's a very warm person. She has a hard time, when soldiers and law enforcement comes up to her, you know, she wants to treat them great, not say, 'Stay away, I can't get near you.' It's a very, very tough disease," he said.
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