President Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump are awaiting the results of a coronavirus test after White House adviser Hope Hicks was diagnosed with the virus and traveled with the president beforehand.
The president said he “just went for a test” and will receive the results late Thursday night or early Friday morning, later praising Hicks for the work she’s done in his administration.
Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
“So, I just went for a test. And we’ll see what happens. I mean, who knows? But you know Hope very well. She’s fantastic, and she’s done a great job,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “But it’s very, very hard when you are with people from the military or for law enforcement, and they come over to you, and they want to hug you, and they want to kiss you.”
Hicks, who was formerly the White House communications director but returned in February as a presidential adviser, is reportedly exhibiting symptoms of the virus, but there is no indication Trump also contracted it. Hicks traveled with the president to and from the presidential debate Tuesday and to a rally in Minnesota.
“The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously,” said White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere in reaction to the report. “White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible, both on complex and when the president is traveling.”
