Trump and wife Melania test positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump, who minimized the threat of the coronavirus pandemic for months, said on Friday (October 2) that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House.

The results came after news that Hope Hicks, a top adviser and trusted aide, had tested positive for the new coronavirus earlier on Thursday.

Trump, who is tested regularly for the virus that causes COVID-19, has held rallies with thousands of people in recent weeks in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election, despite warnings from public health professionals against having events with large crowds.

The first lady, who often accompanies Trump on his campaign events, appeared with him at the recently concluded presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was seen wearing a mask while seated in the audience. Later, at the end of the debate, she walked up to greet her husband without wearing her mask.

Trump's positive test caps a months-long response to the virus, the seriousness of which he has consistently underplayed. Earlier on Thursday night the president predicted that the end of the pandemic was in sight.

 

 

 

REUTERS