America’s leadership has been plunged into extraordinary uncertainty after Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions over how far the infection has penetrated the heart of government.
The US president initially continued to carry out his duties under quarantine from the White House residence on Friday and was showing “mild symptoms” of Covid-19, an official said. But as he was later moved to Walter Reed hospital his election campaigning was on hold.
The Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, said late on Friday afternoon that he had tested negative for the virus. He continued on the campaign trail, making a speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while wearing a mask and advocating mask-wearing, something the president has conspicuously equivocated on.
Biden had earlier tweeted good wishes to Donald and Melania Trump and in his speech, added: “My wife Jill and I pray they’ll make a quick and full recovery. This is not a matter of politics. It’s a bracing reminder to all of us we have to take this virus seriously.”
The virus can take several days to manifest fully and Trump, aged 74 and clinically obese, is medically vulnerable. Should he be incapacitated, Mike Pence, the vice-president, who has tested negative, would take over. The presidential election takes place on 3 November.
Trump, who has spent months defying science and downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, was also facing criticism for having pressed ahead with a campaign fundraising event after learning that a senior aide, Hope Hicks, had tested positive.
One attendee said the president came into contact with about 100 people at the fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday and “seemed lethargic”, the New York Times reported.
Trump has travelled extensively in recent days, to a presidential debate, a campaign rally and the fundraiser. A scramble was under way to test those who have been with him at close quarters. The first lady, Melania Trump, also tested positive and tweeted: “I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good. I am looking forward to a speedy recovery.”
On Friday, the Utah senator Mike Lee, who attended the White House event last Saturday where Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett for the supreme court, also said he had tested positive.
The White House moved to assuage fears of a constitutional and national security crisis. “The president does have mild symptoms and as we look to try to make sure that not only his health and safety and welfare is good, we continue to look at that for all of the American people,” Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, told reporters.
“He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic. We’ve talked a number of times this morning, I’ve got the five or six things he tasked me to do, like I do every single morning and he is certainly wanting to make sure we stay engaged.”
Meadows, not wearing a face mask, said:
“The American people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job, and I’m optimistic that he’ll have a very quick and speedy recovery.”
Early on Friday afternoon, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Bill Stepien, put out a statement that read: “All previously announced campaign events involving the president’s participation are in the process of being moved to virtual events or are being temporarily postponed. In addition, previously announced events involving members of the first family are also being temporarily postponed. All other campaign events will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we will make any relevant announcements in the days ahead.”
He added: “Vice-President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for Covid-19, plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events. Any further information about the president will come from the White House.”
Similarly, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader and a Trump ally, tweeted that he and Trump had been discussing the president’s nomination of a supreme court justice.
“Just finished a great phone call with POTUS,” he wrote. “He’s in good spirits and we talked business – especially how impressed Senators are with the qualifications of Judge Barrett. Full steam ahead with the fair, thorough, timely process that the nominee, the court and the country deserve,” he added, referring to Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee to fill the seat on the supreme court left by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg two weeks ago.
But the administration’s frequent false and misleading statements about the pandemic left many observers sceptical about the reassurances. And the US has a long history of failing to be transparent about presidents’ health problems.
The news broke just before 1am on Friday when Trump tweeted: “Tonight, FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
The announcement came hours after he confirmed that Hope Hicks, one of his close aides, had been diagnosed with the virus on Thursday. Hicks reportedly began feeling mild symptoms during a flight home from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday evening and was isolated from other passengers onboard the plane.
Even after Hicks fell ill, Trump went ahead with his engagement in Bedminster, potentially exposing attendees to the virus. Trump’s social media director, Dan Scavino, and press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who were originally set to join him on the trip, were replaced at the last minute by other aides.
Just after 4pm on Friday, McEnany tweeted an update on Trump’s health and that he had been given the antibody cocktail Regeneron.
An update from President @realDonaldTrump's physician: pic.twitter.com/cTsXO4Df6b
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 2, 2020
Trump has a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and cough, the New York Times reported, adding that a national address or a videotaped statement by Trump was being discussed at the White House.
Trump’s infection upends a presidential election. More than a million people have voted early. The president had been holding campaign rallies crammed with supporters often not wearing face masks or keeping their distance, defying federal guidelines.
Trump now finds himself grounded with rallies on hold. It is also unclear whether the next debate against Biden will go ahead, or be held in virtual form on 15 October. The vice-presidential debate between Pence and the Democrat Kamala Harris next Wednesday was still set to go ahead.
New: The University of Utah is set to host the VP debate as planned this Wednesday, spokesman Shawn Wood tells me. Their policy will require everybody inside the security perimeter — save for the three people onstage — "to wear masks at all times," Wood says.
— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) October 2, 2020
Trump and Biden did not shake hands during Tuesday’s debate, but stood without masks about 10ft apart for the 90-minute event.
The president has mocked Biden for frequently wearing a mask when out in public, per federal health guidelines. “I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200ft away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
In an aggressive push for businesses and schools to reopen, Trump has claimed that the worst of the pandemic is over, even as infections in America surpass 7m, and federal experts have told Congress the outbreak is not under control.
Four US presidents have died in office from natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren Harding and Franklin Roosevelt. Trump’s infection is the gravest threat to an incumbent president’s health since Ronald Reagan was shot in an attempted assassination in 1981.
