>> Channel 2 news begins right
now with breaking news. Yes
indeed the good morning 32 days
from the election right now
president Trump has announced
he and the first lady have
tested positive.
>> For COVID-19. Good morning
to you as I said just about 5
o’clock now I’m Owen conflenti
and Lisa Hernandez were
expecting NBC News special
report and we’ll go to that
live when it’s available.
Here’s what we know so far on
the president’s condition the
president’s doctor does the
couple are both well at this
time.
>> No word if their son Barron
is all
>> this is an NBC News special
report. Here’s Savannah
Guthrie.
>> Good morning, everybody we
are coming on the air this
morning with stunning news from
the White House, the president
tweeting late last night that
both he and the first lady have
tested positive for the
coronavirus and are now in
isolation. Overnight the
president’s physician added
that the president was doing
well and is expected to
continue carrying out his
duties, but of course this
raises a myriad of questions
and the immediate future of the
country’s leadership as well as
national security it also adds
more uncertainty to the
election with just 32 days to
go. Our White House team has
been working their sources all
night, Peter Alexander, let’s
start with you and it bears
mentioning. Hope Hicks who is
one of the president’s closest
advisers tested positive for
the coronavirus and in the wake
of that the president and first
lady were tested and that is
when they got a positive result
bring us up to speed.
>> That’s right hope Hicks
testing positive Wednesday
evening, the present testing
positive yesterday evening to
the best of our understanding
let’s walk you through this as
best we know it right now this
really was an extraordinary a
stunning announcement that came
overnight about 1 o’clock
Eastern time we learned this
news from President Trump
delivering his own diagnosis on
twitter he said the words that
you share is that the first
lady I tested positive for
COVID-19 we will begin our
quarantine and recovery process
immediately. He added we will
get through this together the
first lady immediately tweeting
her own message saying we are
feeling good and that she has
postponed all upcoming engage
months as for the president’s
physician doctor Sean Conley
overnight he reported as you
said that the president was
well he did not indicate
whether president Trump or the
first lady were experiencing
symptoms, he said that the 2
plan to remain home within the
White House here at the
residents that still dark
behind us right now during in
his words there convalescence
he said rest assured I expect
the president to continue
carrying out his duties without
disruption while recovering
still this announcement
obviously as you know really
throws the future of the
country’s leadership and
uncertainty late Thursday, the
president spoke by phone to Fox
News. He was the one who
confirmed the news that his
closest one of his closest
aides hope Hicks had become
infected by the virus. He said
among other things that she was
a hard worker that she often
wore masks, but did confirm
that news and he also revealed
at that time that he and the
first lady were awaiting their
own coronavirus tests several
hours pass while we waited to
finally get those results and
ultimately we have them so in
terms of hope Hicks situation.
She is regularly in close
contact with the president
again one of his closest
advisers. She was with him
multiple times this week
without a mask as Pennsylvania
rally last Saturday. She flew
on Air Force One to the debate
in Cleveland to talk to her I
hate to interrupt you, but
let’s just let it is we think
of hope Hicks right now that
she’s the one of the closest
aides to the president she’s
the one.
>> That we are aware of at this
point to sort of be the first
in this circle to get it.
She was at the debate has
mentioned on Tuesday night now
Tuesday morning with one of the
testing protocols at the White
House even a mention all the
time that people around the
president are rapid tested
nearly every day so what would
likely have happened Tuesday
morning. She comes to work they
tester presumably she tests
negative than what it is yes so
presumably she was negative all
day on Tuesday and again on
Wednesday as I was saying she
was to be traveling with the
president.
>> For a rally in Minnesota she
tested negative. We are told
the morning of the Minnesota
trip but she began showing
symptoms that evening one scan
Minnesota. She was ultimately
quarantines on Air Force One
she flew back with the
president though for their
return flight to Washington DC
the president last night
suggesting that service members
and law enforcement officials
may have given her the virus,
the bottom line of this time as
we do not know how or exactly
when the president became
infected. But this does raise a
lot of questions among them at
that debate in Cleveland on
Tuesday where it was mandated
by the host case Western
Reserve University as well as
the Cleveland Clinic that
everybody in the room,
including journalists applied
to me as well wear masks when
we were inside that room when
the Trump family arrived there.
They were not wearing the masks
or at least if they were they
took them off when they arrive
you saw some of those pictures
of them in the room, although
the Biden campaign including
Joe by members of the circle
were wearing theirs. So it does
raise a lot of questions about
who else could have been
exposed to this the questions
that they’re still trying to
resolve right now with a lot of
conversations with White House
officials as best we could last
night but frankly also a lot of
silence from White House
officials except from the
president himself.
>> Who just yesterday in a
pre-recorded set of remarks
with the with a charity dinner
that takes place in New York
said contradicting his own
public health. Experts that he
effectively thought that the
pandemic the end of the
pandemic was in sight.
>> So let me bring in Holly
Jackson, our chief White House
correspondent to this highly
and your your beat this morning
if you will is to take a look
at who is in the circle, I mean
in a sense. We’re contact
tracing because the president
hope Hicks of course there at
the very closest. Ashlynn is
the highest echelons of power
so when you’re talking about
the president having
coronavirus when you’re talking
about hope Hicks having
coronavirus they’re interacting
with the chief of staff who
then goes over to the Capitol
and has meetings with senators
so can you kind of lay out what
we know about that kind of tree
of contact that’s been going
on.
>> It’s a great question,
Savannah and you’re right
right. The president interacts
with senior staff within
interact with other people all
the time to the dominoes are
falling out. We’re here so
let’s take this chronologically
let’s first talk about what
close contact means when it
comes to contact tracing per
the CDC guidelines. It’s being
within 6 feet of somebody for
15 minutes or more so sustained
period of time. So let’s look
at what the president has done
this week on Monday he had an
event in the Rose Garden
talking about by the way covid
testing in a row lot of a
150 million covid test. He was
there that was the last time we
saw him publicly with vice
president Mike pence he was
there a top Cabinet officials
including the HHS secretary
Alex Azar as well other members
of the White House senior staff
were in the Rose Garden with
him there was also at a truck
event that the president held
we had other aides with him as
well so that’s that’s Monday
Tuesday is a very critical day.
So why is that is Peter
mentioned that was the night of
the debate where president
Trump got on Air Force One with
20 to 30 family members friends
people who are close to Members
of his campaign is well they
were on the plane together that
includes obviously first lady
melania Trump who we know has
tested positive for coronavirus
as well includes top members of
the president’s campaign like
his campaign head bill stepien
Jason Miller, another top
adviser, it includes all of his
adult children, including
senior adviser and his kids
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
as well.
>> And then on Wednesday
president Trump had that rally
in Minnesota that hope Hicks
other staff members joined him
at 2. Now Thursday morning is
when we understand based on our
reporting here at this time
that hope Hicks tested positive
that is when the positive test
was no the president still
after that got on marine one
with different staff members
here other communications aide
aides rather and people who is
close to got on Air Force One
travel to Bedminster for a fund
raising event. So he was
obviously in contact or at
least near and interacting
perhaps from a distance of
people there and then traveled
back to Washington arriving
just about 6 o’clock last night
and then obviously the events
the night that we talked about
unfolded so.
>> It is a big circle all of
that is to say there are a lot
of people who are going to need
to be communicated with here I
can tell you that at least one
of the people on Capitol Hill
that was with the president on
the plane on Air Force One.
>> Representative Jim Jordan
who is at the debate in
Cleveland on Tuesday night as a
member of the audience as a
guest of the president.
Republican aide on Capitol Hill
says that Jordan for example at
least before the news came out
that the president had tested
positive was not planning to
quarantine because of the
timeline that we just laid out
regarding hope Hicks testing so
there’s a lot of questions
moving forward and how this
affects not just the president
Savannah. But the frankly the
apparatus of government here I
have to tell you one
interesting thing to watch
later on this morning, 09:00AM
secretary is are supposed to be
testifying in from members of
Congress that as far as we know
is still on but obviously this
is going to be the first and
foremost the most important
question to him as well, how
the White House is set to
handle this. But let’s bring in
a doctor Holly really sets the
stage nicely for us doctor John
Torres here at NBC News medical
correspondent I’m looking at a manifest doctor Torres of
manifest doctor Torres of
people.
>> Who were with the president
on Air Force One. It’s a big
plane. But it’s an airplane and
you know that that whatever the
air circulation of an airplane
that’s that’s what is going on
there so how how much of an
issue is that in terms of the
people that were riding with
him on the plane.
>> And some and this is going
to be a big issue especially
going forward here and that
contact tracing like how nice
it is going to be extra
important so people who were
close to him, especially within
6 feet of they’re there for
extended period of time but
even people on the airplane are
going to have to quarantine at
the close of the war the more
they’re going to need that
quarantine period and that’s a
14 day quarantine period.
So that means that they should
publicly should be staying home
they should be avoiding other
people indefinitely should be
wearing masks if they have to
be an interaction with other
people and so had being on the
airplane we know ventilation is
on the airplane can actually
keep the virus a bit under
control but in situations like
that on Air Force One where the
seats are regular types of
seats, you know they’re moving
back and again everybody on
that plane that was in
proximity to him.
>> Should be quarantine for 14
and just have a few more
moments with you John but for
the president himself. He is
doctor says he’s well that it
doesn’t really answer the question of whether he is
question of whether he is
showing any symptoms at all of
the coronavirus but he is in a
risk group he’s an older
gentleman, he 74 years old are
Other concerns you have as a
physician when you look at the
profile of President Trump
having this illness.
>> And there are other concerns
and you’re right above 65 is
one of the risk factors.
The other risk factor is
obesity and his last physical
which was June of this year
showed that he had a BMI of
30.5 he was just on the edge of
over into the ABC categories
that’s one of the big risk
factors here so him having to
put him at that higher category
of being a possibly risky of
getting critical symptoms from
coronavirus and having
complications from coronavirus
the other thing after member is
now that he has coronavirus
he’s tested positive. He needs
to not quarantine but isolate
for 10 days what I sense.
He had looked over for. Well
the difference being quarantine
means that you think you are
that you think you’re exposed.
But you haven’t started showing
any symptoms we haven’t tested
positive. So that means you
need to stay home, you from
other people but not
necessarily isolate yourself
from your family members if you
test positive then you need
Isaly yourself and that means
you need to stay away from
everybody and that means a very
strict regime for 10 days which
if he had an October first that
means it for on October 11th,
he needs his last day of
isolation. He’s clear October
12 unless he starts developing
symptoms if you start
developing symptoms that clock
restarts and so that 10 day
starts the day develops
symptoms so the earliest he can
get out of isolation per CDC
protocol would be the 12th OK
and we don’t in fact know if he
showing any symptoms at doctor
Torres thank you so much Holly
Jackson, Peter Alexander.
>> Thank you very much, we will
have the very latest just ahead
this morning.
>> On today but the breaking
news this morning. The
president and the first lady
both testing positive for the
coronavirus an announcement
made on twitter by the
president himself. The
president’s position saying
that he is well, but will
remain in isolation and
continue his duties as
president was to be over turn now to your regularly scheduled
now to your regularly scheduled
programming on Savannah Guthrie
in New York, this has been an
NBC News special report.
>> And here at home. We of
course are keeping an eye on
the president’s condition and
first you heard Savannah say
they’re not saying whether or
not he symptomatic right now
we’re going to stay on top of
that as well as the impact on
the market this
>> here we see the futures way
somewhere between one and 2%
across the board so have to see that check in with Mary Bo