Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis postpones campaign events; Biden tests negative: live updates
President Donald Trump announced early Friday he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Trump was “feeling mild symptoms” but “energetic” on Friday, hours after the announcement.
The announcement came hours after it was reported that Trump adviser Hope Hicks, with whom he had recently traveled, had been infected.
Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden and vice presidential nomineee Sen. Kamala Harris tested negative Friday, as did Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence.
NOTE: A negative test means only that the person was not infected at the time of testing. Because the virus’ incubation period can be up to 14 days, a negative test earlier in that time frame does not mean a person was not infected.
Follow here for the latest updates on the first couple’s infection and its potential ramifications.
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Trump cancels campaign rally
The Trump campaign cancelled a rally in Florida today and campaign manager Bill Stepien said previously announced events involving the president’s participation are being moved on-line or postponed as are those involving members of the First Family.
Aside from the Florida rally, the campaign had scheduled four others in the coming days: two in Wisconsin Saturday and two in Arizona (one Monday, the other Tuesday).
Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for COVID-19, plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events, he said.
Not only has Trump’s diagnosis upended the campaign schedule but for months, Trump has accused Biden of “hiding in his basement” while he resumed rallies. Now the roles are reversed with Biden back on the trail, albeit in a socially distanced way. That could cost Trump, say some political analysts.
– Ledyard King
Trump’s health: ‘Mild symptoms’ but age, weight are risks
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters Friday that the president is experiencing mild symptoms but that he was in good spirits.
“He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic. We talked a number of times this morning,” Meadows said. “The American people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job [but] will remain on the job, and I’m optimistic that you’ll have a very quick and speedy recovery.”
Trump turned 74 in June, putting him at five-times higher risk of hospitalization than someone in their 20s, according to the CDC. Trump’s weight for his height puts him just over the boundaries of what’s considered obese, putting him at three-times higher risk of a serious infection compared to someone at a healthier weight, according to the CDC.
Meadows wouldn’t comment on the president’s treatment but said Trump was quarantining in the residence.
When pressed on why Trump attended a fundraiser at his golf resort in Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday after his top adviser, Hope Hicks, tested positive the day before, Meadows conceded that he found out about her results “right as the Marine One was taking off yesterday” for New Jersey.
He added that some people who had been traveling and in close contact with Hicks were removed from the flight, raising questions about why the president proceeded with the fundraiser, which saw him come in contact with dozens of supporters.
About 40% of people who are exposed to COVID-19 don’t have any symptoms at all. For those who do, symptoms typically appear two to 14 days after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with most beginning within 11 and a half days.
– Courtney Subramanian, Elizabeth Weise, Karen Weintraub
Biden tests negative: ‘We will continue to pray’ for Trump and family
Former Vice President Joe Biden has tested negative for coronavirus, according to his personal physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who said Biden and his wife Jill were each tested and “COVID-19 was not detected.”
“Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern,” Biden said in a tweet. “I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
The Bidens said they will “continue to pray” for the president and first lady.
“Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” the former vice president tweeted Friday morning.
Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, and her husband Doug Emhoff also offered the president and first lady wishes for a speedy recovery.
“Doug and I join Joe Biden and Dr. Biden in wishing President Trump and the First Lady a full and speedy recovery,” Harris said in a tweet. “We’re keeping them and the entire Trump family in our thoughts.”
– Bart Jansen
Amy Coney Barrett tests negative, confirmation process ‘full steam ahead’
The Senate Judiciary Committee has no plans to postpone the confirmation hearings starting Oct. 12 for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, according to committee spokesperson Kevin Bishop, who said they were moving “full steam ahead.”
Barrett tested negative for COVID-19, according to White House spokesperson Judd Deere. She is tested daily and was last with Trump on Saturday, he said.
However, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, two days after meeting with Barrett.
University of Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins, who was at the announcement of Barrett’s nomination, also tested positive, the university reported, after being criticized for not wearing a mask, not social distancing and shaking hands at the event.
Lee said he has assured Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that he “will be back to work in time to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues in advancing the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in the Committee and then to the full Senate.”
– Nicholas Wu, Elinor Aspegren and Sean Rossman
Dow is down
U.S. stocks slumped Friday after Trump said he tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 30 points in afternoon trading. Following a more than 400-point drop in early trade, the blue-chip average pared losses on optimism that Congress could deliver a coronavirus stimulus deal to help support the economic recovery.
– Jessica Menton
Beware QAnon, conspiracy theories
Followers of the extremist conspiracy group QAnon, who have concocted a variety of falsehoods about the roots of the COVID-19 pandemic since it began, scrambled to explain how Trump’s positive result fits into their false premise.
Meanwhile, critics of the president circulated conspiracy theories about the announcement, questioning its legitimacy after years of Trump spreading lies and misinformation about numerous issues, including the coronavirus.
Avoid falling for disinformation by slowing down, reading the story (not just the headline) and vetting your sources.
– Nathan Bomey
Melania Trump ‘overall feeling good’ despite it all
First lady Melania Trump, who has tested positive for COVID-19, said Friday she has “mild symptoms” but is “overall feeling good.”
“Thank you for the love you are sending our way. I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery,” the first lady tweeted.
Melania Trump has a mixed record of wearing face masks in public, but does so more than the president.
The first lady also faced other bad news as she faced backlash to secretly recorded conversations between her and her former assistant, which were revealed before her COVID-19 diagnosis.
On the tapes, she refers to the border crisis: “They say, ‘What about the children that are separated?’ Give me a f—ing break,” Melania Trumpsays. “I was trying to get the kid reunited with the mom. I didn’t have a chance. It needs to go through the process and the law.”
McConnell says if Trump ‘feels up to it’ second debate could be remote
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said if President Donald Trump “feels up to it” the second debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden should go forward perhaps remotely.
“We’re doing an awful lot of things remotely these days because of the coronavirus,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday. “Hopefully, they’ll be able to do this as well.”
– Phillip Bailey
Capitol tweaks COVID-19 testing strategy after Trump tests positive
The U.S. Capitol’s top doctor announced a new COVID-19 testing strategy Friday that allows more flexibility for lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill to get tested after President Donald Trump contracted the coronavirus.
The Office of Attending Physician Brian Monahan announced that his office was providing tests to lawmakers and staff who “have symptoms suggestive of coronavirus or who are concerned they may have been exposed to a known positive Covid 19 patient.”
The new guidance, while allowing for more testing on Capitol Hill by those who request it, does not mandate tests for those who visit the Capitol – a policy that the White House has instituted. Lawmakers have been able to receive COVID-19 tests if they were showing symptoms and had been exposed to someone who tested positive, but congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle have for months rejected a stricter testing protocol that would mandate lawmakers and staff be tested. Since the pandemic started, more than a dozen lawmakers have contracted COVID-19.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed renewed concerns about the lack of testing in the Capitol on Friday.
“I don’t understand why the Speaker would continue to not have testing,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters it might not be a bad idea to mandate testing, adding there was a possibility of a “super spreader” event with all members of Congress flying in from districts around the country and congregating at the Capitol.
– Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu
Barron, Ivanka and Jared test negative; Trump children went maskless at debate
Barron Trump, the 14-year-old son of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, has tested negative for the coronavirus following his parents’ positive diagnosis.
“Barron has tested negative and all precautions are being taken to ensure he’s kept safe and healthy.” spokesperson Stephanie Grisham told USA TODAY.
The White House said Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both advisors to the president, tested negative for the coronavirus Friday.
Photos from Tuesday’s debate show Trump’s children Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in the audience not wearing masks. They are near Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez, who is seen wearing a mask. Perez tested negative.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also said Friday that during debate preparation for President Donald Trump none of the people present wore masks.
Ivanka was also criticized by her one-time friend Chelsea Clinton for “actively taking part in this administration’s everyday collision of cruelty and incompetence.”
– Leora Arnowitz, Sara M. Moniuszko, Joey Garrison, Will Cummings
McConnell: Trump’s diagnosis ‘underscores’ that COVID-19 ‘is not concerned’ about election
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday, said the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis, “underscores that the coronavirus is not concerned about the American election” and the contagion won’t relent until a vaccine is available.
The U.S., the Kentucky Republican said, is pursuing a vaccine “with a Manhattan Project-type focus.”
McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether the GOP leader had been tested for the virus. He told Hewitt Friday he wasn’t aware if any senator had contracted the disease.
Meadows: ‘Fully’ expects other people in the White House will test positive
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said core members of the White House staff are continuing to be tested, pointing out that he and top aides Jared Kushner and Dan Scavino have tested negative for COVID-19.
“A number of us have been tested and have come back with negative results and yet at the same time, I fully expect that as this virus continues to go on, other people in the White House will certainly have a positive test result,” he added.
– Courtney Subramanian
Debate moderator Chris Wallace to get tested
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who moderated the first presidential debate Tuesday, said he plans to get a coronavirus test after President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump tested positive for the virus.
Wallace told Fox his wife and four children, who were at the debate, would likely also be tested.
Wallace noted in an interview on FOX news this morning that the Trump family and supporters in the debate took off their masks in violation of the debate protocol.
The rule was that “everybody except for the President, the Vice President and I, were supposed to wear masks. We were the only ones told that we were not to wear masks. And actually a safety personnel person from the Cleveland Clinic came up to the first family when they were seated and offered them masks in case they didn’t have them and they were waved away. And people in the hall noticed that they weren’t wearing masks and everybody else in the hall was wearing a mask. When the debate ended, Mrs. Trump came over, walked past me, she was not wearing a mask. Mrs. Biden walked past me to her husband and she was wearing a mask. So there was a difference in the way the two families and their camps treated the health safety regulations inside the hall.”
– Ledyard King
Pelosi says she’s praying for Trumps
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is praying for President Donald Trump and his family after the president and first lady Melania Trump announced they tested positive for COVID-19.
“I know that he’ll have the best of care and that’s what we want for everyone in our country,” Pelosi said on MSNBC Friday morning.
She said it highlighted the urgent need for Congress to provide more resources for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and other measures to respond to the outbreak.
“We must have testing, tracing, treatment. We must have spatial distance and we must be wearing our masks,” she said.
She said she hopes this marks a turning point and a “learning experience” in the country to take the virus seriously if even the president, with all the precautions, can become infected.
She said she’d been tested Friday morning “out of an abundance of caution” because she met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday. She noted that Mnuchin tested negative on Friday morning. She said she has some concerns about the test and the tests being used at the White House “are not as accurate as they should be.”
– Deirdre Shesgreen
Steven Mnuchin tests negative
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tested negative for COVID-19 Friday morning.
“As part of regular protocols, Secretary @stevenmnuchin1 has been tested daily for COVID-19. He tested negative for COVID-19 this morning and will continue to be tested daily,” tweeted Monica Crowley, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Treasury.
– Sean Rossman
Mike Pompeo and wife test negative
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he and his wife both tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday. Pompeo is currently traveling abroad and has not been in recent contact with President Donald Trump.
“I am feeling fantastic. I was tested about 30 minutes ago,” Pompeo told reporters Friday en route to Croatia. He said he has not been with Trump since Sept. 15.
“We’re praying for the President and the First Lady, that they’ll have a speedy recovery,” he said. “I spoke with the vice president’s office this morning as well. We’re taking this, obviously, very seriously, and we’ll do everything we can to keep everyone safe.”
Pompeo said he is reevaluating future travel, including a scheduled trip this weekend to Florida followed by a visit to Asia starting Sunday.
He said his own doctor and the State Department’s medical team has told him it would be “perfectly fine to make both of those trips, but we’re going to continue to look at it.”
Pompeo said he had been cleared to go ahead with meetings in Croatia on Friday.
“We’ve had contact with the Croatians; they seem to understand what we’re doing, and everything seems good,” he said. “But we’re obviously going to make sure that they’re comfortable with what we’re doing as well.”
– Deirdre Shesgreen
Melania Trump: ‘We are feeling good’
First lady Melania Trump said she and President Donald Trump are “feeling good” after the president said the couple tested positive for COVID-19.
“As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together,” the first lady tweeted Friday morning.
– Sean Rossman
How people are reacting:Twitter reacts after President Donald Trump announces he and Melania are positive for COVI
Is Trump symptomatic?
Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson told Fox News the president is asymptomatic, but that does not ensure Trump will not develop symptoms in the coming days. About 40% who contract the virus never develop symptoms.
For the 60% of people infected who do develop symptoms, they can experience fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.
Because of his age and obesity, Trump is in two very high-risk groups for developing severe symptoms, hospitalization and death.
At 74, the president is five times more likely to be hospitalized and 90 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than someone between the ages of 18 and 29, according to the CDC.
– Elizabeth Weise
COVID-19’s course:President Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. What’s the typical course of the illness?
Impact on the presidential race
Even if Trump is one of the lucky ones, he is expected to have to remain in quarantine until he is no longer contagious, which could take him off the campaign between now and Election Day.
Trump had already canceled a rally in Florida on Friday, and the revelation of his positive result raised questions about his ability to hold rallies, fundraisers and participate in presidential debates scheduled later this month.
The president has tried to keep voters’ attention away from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S. Polls consistently show voters think Biden is better equipped to handle the outbreak.
The looming fight over the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court offered a perfect opportunity for Trump to fire up his supporters and donors over something that had nothing to do with the virus and its economic fallout.
But Trump’s test result is likely to rob him of the ability to focus the nation’s attention on that fight.
– John Fritze
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