President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump test positive for Covid-19
The US president announced through Twitter that he and his wife tested positive for Covid-19 and that they will isolate themselves immediately. The presidential couple underwent the test after adviser Hope Hicks confirmed their infection. The magnate's agenda for this October 2 was reformed.
The results come after the president underestimated for months the severity of the pandemic, which has already infected more than 7.2 million Americans and leaves at least 207,000 dead in that country.
Trump, 74, and his wife Melania, 50, were tested for the new coronavirus after learning that Hope Hicks, a White House adviser, was infected. Hicks had close contact with them in recent days and even flew Air Force One to Cleveland for the first presidential debate, where the president shared the stage with Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
However, both presidential candidates omitted the handshake as a security measure and kept their distance during the discussion.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
The US president confirmed that his wife is also infected, so they will isolate themselves immediately. "We will get through it together!" He expressed on Twitter.
Minutes after the president's tweet, the presidential physician, Sean Conley, detailed in a statement that "the president and first lady are doing well at this time and plan to remain at their home in the White House during convalescence."
Melania Trump also offered a piece of reassurance and highlighted that she has postponed all of her upcoming commitments. "Please make sure you are careful and we will all get through it together," the first lady said.
Several White House correspondents confirmed that President Trump's agenda for Friday, October 2, was reformed. Canceled events include a morning intelligence report, a panel discussion for his campaign and a rally in Florida.
Trump criticized for his contradictory positions on the virus
With the heat of the electoral environment, President Donald Trump has been criticized from various sides for his contradictory and sometimes confusing messages about the new coronavirus. Also his decisions and statements, contrary to the recommendations of his own scientific advisers.
The United States is by far the country most affected by Covid-19, with more than 200,000 deaths and seven million infected. And in the middle of the electoral race, the president is accused of being listless in the face of the devastation caused by the virus. The polls also say this, where citizens judge his management of the pandemic harshly.
The polarization on the subject has gone so far that even the use of the mask became a political message: Republicans who do not wear them, Democrats who wear them with pride.
In the first presidential debate on September 29, Trump criticized Joe Biden for wearing the mask all the time. "I have a mask but I don't use it like he does, every time you see him he has one (...) you can be talking 200 feet away and he's wearing the largest mask you've ever seen."
New: White House Physician Sean Conley releases letter stating The President and First Lady "tested positive" for coronavirus, "are both well at this time," and "plan to remain at home": pic.twitter.com/PqwgjS3dwB
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) October 2, 2020
Trump's positive result comes a month before the presidential elections and leaves the final stretch of the campaign in which he aspires to re-election uncertain, as well as the upcoming events, including the second presidential debate scheduled for the October 15th.
