It didn't take long for October 2020 to deliver a huge surprise.
President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, announced early in the
morning of Friday, October 2 that they had tested positive for coronavirus.
The president tweeted:
"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19.
We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately.
We will get through this TOGETHER!"
The first lady also used Twitter to talk about the diagnosis, saying:
"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."
The president and first lady decided to get tested after a senior Trump aide, Hope Hicks,
became ill during a campaign trip to Minnesota.
The president himself also remarked on Hicks' condition, tweeting before his own diagnosis:
"Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just
tested positive for Covid-19.
Terrible!
The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results.
In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!"
After the president's diagnosis was made public, a memo from White House physician Sean Conley
found its way onto Twitter, which confirmed the diagnosis.
He also said:
"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...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.
Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption
while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments."
President Trump has seemed to dismiss the severity of COVID-19 in the past...
"It will go away.
Just stay calm.
It will go away."
...but the fact remains that he belongs in a high-risk group for the disease because
of his age and weight.
He is 74 and, according to doctors, overweight.
"At age 74, and being 244 pounds, which takes his BMI over 30, which is in the obese category,
he's got those two risk factors."
We also don't know if he has any pre-existing medical conditions that could expose him to
a greater risk of complications from the virus.
CNN reported that Conley said the president's last physical was carried out in April and
didn't identify any health issues worth reporting.
But tests have revealed that Trump could suffer from moderate heart disease.
He is also on a statin drug, which can cut cholesterol.
The first lady says she keeps a healthy diet and is in good shape.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows confirmed the president is showing some symptoms:
"They remain in good spirits.
The president does have mild symptoms."
The New York Times reported that the president seemed lethargic when he came in contact with
about 100 people at a fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey, Thursday night.
On Wednesday night, after his Minnesota rally, the president reportedly fell asleep on Air
Force One.
It's unclear whether Hicks, the president or the first lady were infected during the
first presidential debate.
But shortly before that debate, doctors from Cleveland Clinic at the Case Western Reserve
University auditorium approached members on President Donald Trump's side of the hall
and asked members of his family to wear masks.
Staff had even offered them face coverings, but all members of the entourage refused,
even though masks were mandatory on the university campus to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Chris Wallace of Fox News, the debate's moderator, said,
"People in the hall did notice that while they were all wearing masks, including my
wife and four of my children, that the first family did not wear masks."
CNN's Jake Tapper added via Twitter,
"There was no contact from the Trump campaign or the White House to alert the Biden campaign
of possible exposure, per a senior campaign official who was with Biden at the debate."
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband
Jared Kushner, and the president's youngest son Barron have tested negative for the virus
so far.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden also tested negative, as has Senator
Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate.
Joe Biden tweeted,
"I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID.
Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern.
I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands."
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