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The White House said US President Donald Trump is suffering from mild symptoms of Covid-19 after he and his wife Melania tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Trump’s chief of staff said the president was “in the position” and “in good spirits,” adding that he expects him to recover quickly.
The news comes just over a month before the presidential election, as he will face Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Biden himself and his wife, Jill, tested negative on Friday.
“I hope this is a reminder,” he tweeted after the result. “Wear a mask, maintain a social distance, and wash your hands.”
Other close members of the Trump family have tested negative.
The process of tracking all of the president’s communications in recent days continues, officials said, adding that Mr. Trump is considering how to address the nation or reach out to the American people on Friday.
On Thursday, the first couple said they intend to self-isolate after Hope Hicks, a close Trump aide, tested positive. Soon after, they also received positive test results.
But there was criticism of Trump’s decision to go to a fundraising campaign attended by dozens of people in New Jersey on Thursday, apparently when officials already knew about Ms. Hicks’ symptoms.
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France Press agency
Mrs. Hicks (R) is said to be experiencing symptoms
Hicks, 31, flew with Trump aboard Air Force One to attend the first presidential televised debate with Biden in Ohio on Tuesday. Some members of the Trump family attending the debate were seen not wearing masks.
Trump has mostly refused to wear masks, and has often been photographed not socializing with his aides or others during his official engagements.
Coronavirus has infected more than 7.2 million Americans, killing more than 200,000 of them.
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What do we know about the Trump case?
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Mr Trump has had mild symptoms, but he and Melania are “in good spirits.” He said he was optimistic that the president would recover quickly.
Meadows added that he has been in his job and will remain in his job, saying updates on his health are expected later on Friday.
Trump wrote earlier on Twitter: “We’ll get through this together.”
Melania Trump She tweeted that she was looking forward to a speedy recovery.
She said, “Thank you for the love you are sending us. I have mild symptoms but generally feel good.”
Mr. Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Connelly, issued a statement late Thursday, He said the president and first lady “are both fine at this time, and plan to stay at home in the White House during the recovery period.”
According to Trump’s last physical examination earlier this year, he weighed 244 lbs (110.7 kg). This is considered beefy for his height of 6 feet 3 inches.
But Dr. Conley stated at the time that the president was “still in good health”. Mr. Trump will also receive the best medical care available.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a person should self-isolate for 10 days after testing positive.
It is unclear how Trump’s positive test will affect the arrangements for the second presidential debate, which is scheduled for October 15 in Miami, Florida.
Mr Trump is not the first world leader to show positive results. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro were injured. Both have since recovered, although Mr. Johnson had to receive regular oxygen therapy to help with his breathing during treatment in the hospital.
The competition has basically changed
The US presidential election has been turned upside down.
This sentence could have been written for any number of moments in a tumultuous year in American politics, but nothing quite like this has happened this year, this decade, this century.
Just 32 days before the presidential election, Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19. Given his age, 74 years old, he is in the high risk category for disease complications. At the very least, he will have to quarantine while he is being treated, which means that the US presidential competition – at least his side of it – has fundamentally changed.
The initial effects are evident. The president’s strict campaign schedule – which included visits to Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina in just the past week – is suspended indefinitely.
Trump will certainly have alternatives on the path for him, but given that he has relied heavily on his family and senior administration and campaign officials for such tasks in the past, many of them may have to quarantine due to their exposure to the virus. , This campaign process will also be disrupted.
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Who else was tested?
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife were examined Friday morning, and the results were negative, Ben’s press secretary, Devin O’Malley, tweeted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who would theoretically take over government responsibility if both the president and vice president were incapacitated, said she took the test Friday morning and had not received the results yet.
Pelosi, a Democrat, said “continuity plans have been put in place” but she herself has not contacted the White House about this.
Other members of the Trump family, daughter Ivanka, son Barron and son-in-law Jared Kushner have tested negative.
Several White House officials have been injured in the past, and the White House has screened his aides and anyone else who has contact with the president daily.
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How did the United States and the world react?
In a tweet, US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen wished the presidential couple luck:
In a tweet, Biden and his wife wished the first couple a speedy recoveryHe said, “We will continue praying for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter: “My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. I wish both of them a speedy recovery from the Coronavirus.”
Other world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, have also sent messages of support to the couple.
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