US President Donald Trump has tested positive for Coronavirus, along with First Lady Melania Trump; they will go into self-isolation.
The President announced the news via Twitter last night and it is believed that Hope Hicks, one of the presidents top aides, likely passed the virus onto the President and First Lady, after she received a positive test result in recent days.
Hicks was seen boarding Marine One (the president’s helicopter) with the first family just a day before her positive test result.
“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,” Mr Trump tweeted two hours before announcing his positive result.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for Covid-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
International leaders have been giving their support to the president, with Boris Johnson – who was in Intensive Care with Coronavirus earlier in the year – tweeting his “best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady”.
Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence, released a statement saying he was “praying for [The Trump’s] full and swift recovery”.
The president had received criticism for his continual refusal to wear a mask, only supporting the wearing of masks several weeks after it had been considered necessary to stop the spread. He has rarely been pictured wearing a mask, with White House insiders suggesting that he felt it made him look weak.
It is unclear whether the upcoming presidential debates, scheduled for later this month, will go ahead in light of the president’s isolation.
