The President of the United State of America, Donald Trump, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The president announced early Friday that he and his wife both tested positive for the virus and will begin quarantine.
“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 tweeted shortly before 1 a.m. Friday.
This development comes after months into the pandemic and the president is in a final stretch of his reelection campaign in which he has downplayed the potency of the virus, liking it to a flu and even flouted experts’ guidance on preventing the disease’s spread.
The United State is the epicentre of the pandemic globally, with a confirmed case of 7,278,385 and more than 200,000 Americans lives lost.
The President’s confirmation for the virus came after Hope Hicks, one of his closest aides, tested positive for the coronavirus overnight.
Hicks had on Tuesday travelled with Trump for his debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Cleveland, and was pictured without a mask. She also travelled with the president during his rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Donald Trump, 74, is a risk factor based on his doctor’s report last year that he is obese, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with eight out of 10 COVID-19-related deaths reported in the U.S. among those aged 65 years and older.
Though the First lady, Melania Trump tweeted: “We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.”
With this development, the president will have to remain at home within the White House during his Quarantine period and won’t be able to attend any of his rallies for 14 days with an election in just 32 days.
If Trump becomes too ill to lead the country, vice president Mike Pence will be placed in charge. If Pence is also incapacitated, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be the most likely person to take over, and this Trump will try to avoid and get back on his feet as fast as possible.
