Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump test positive for Coronavirus

US President Donald Trump said that he and his wife had contracted the Coronavirus and that they had begun the quarantine period.

Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020

 

Trump, who is 73 years old, the age group most affected by the disease, announced his infection in a tweet on Twitter, in which he said, "We will cross this stage together."

Trump and his wife were infected after it was announced that Hope Hicks, one of his closest aides, was infected with the virus.

Hicks, the 31-year-old adviser to the president, is the closest person in Trump's circle to contracting the virus.

She traveled with him on Air Force One to attend a TV debate in Ohio earlier this week.

Hicks was taken off Air Force One on Tuesday in Cleveland without a mask.

She was near him aboard the Marine One presidential helicopter on Wednesday when the president held a rally in Minnesota.

Trump tweeted Thursday evening: "Hope Hicks, who was working hard without taking a small break, tested positive for Covid-19 -. Terrible!"

"The first lady and I are waiting for our test results. Meanwhile, we will start the quarantine process!"

It is unclear how the quarantine will affect the arrangements for the second presidential debate, which is scheduled for October 15 in Miami, Florida.

During a phone call with "Fox News" host Sean Hannity Thursday evening, Trump said that he and Mrs. Trump "spend a lot of time with Hope."

"So we'll see what happens," the president said, adding that Mrs. Hicks often wore masks but was still injured.

The virus has infected more than 7.2 million Americans, killing more than 200,000 of them.

The White House tests his aides and anyone else in contact with the president daily.

Trump mostly refuses to wear masks, and is often pictured not committing to social distancing with his aides or others during his official commitments.

According to "Bloomberg News", Hicks suffers from symptoms of the disease, and was isolated on Air Force One on the return flight from Minnesota.

Hicks is the latest White House aide to be infected with "Covid-19". Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary tested positive in May. She has recovered.

In the same month, a US Navy personnel who was working as one of Trump's personal servants tested positive for the coronavirus.

But the White House said the president and vice president were unimpressed.

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, a number of Secret Service agents, a Navy pilot, and a White House cafeteria worker were also tested positive.

Hicks was the campaign spokeswoman during Trump's candidacy before becoming White House communications director.

She resigned in March 2018 to become the chief communications officer for Rupert Murdoch Fox, before returning to the White House in February.