President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus early Friday 32 days before Election Day and while voters are already casting ballots.
It’s a stunning reminder that the northwest gate of the White House, where senior staff, VIPs and journalists gain entry to the 18-acre complex, is one of metal bars and not medical masks or face shields. Campaign rallies, candidate debates and rope lines at airport pit-stops offer even fewer protections even for the most powerful person in the world.
Nobody knows exactly what happens next. The President of the United States has contracted a disease that has killed more than 207,000 Americans and sickened some 7.3 million. It will undoubtedly add new chaos into an election season already in uncharted territory as a result of the global pandemic, the resulting economic downturn, a reckoning on racial justice and wildfires torching the American West.
The news comes after Trump, 74, and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, met each other face-to-face on Tuesday night. On Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, White House aide Hope Hicks traveled with the President and other aides to events in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Minnesota. The communications adviser tested positive for coronavirus herself on Thursday, prompting the President and First Lady to be tested.
A note from the President’s doctor Sean Conley said Trump and the First Lady “are both well at this time” and that they planned to remain within the White House as they recovered. He did not mention if they had any symptoms.
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, he wrote. 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.
The news brought criticism from leading health experts, who said the President should have been better insulated from the coronavirus.
This is a nightmare. COVID19 is a serious infection, especially for someone who is older like Mr. Trump,” Dr. Ashish Jha, a physician and the Dean of Brown School of Public Health, wrote on Twitter. “I can’t believe he was infected. This is a total failure by the [White House] team to protect the President.
Vice President Mike Pence tweeted shortly after the resident’s announcement: Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends [President Trump] and [First Lady] Melania Trump. We join millions across America praying for their full and swift recovery.