The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Thursday night 1er to Friday, October 2 that he had tested positive for Covid-19, just like his wife Melania, and that he was going into quarantine. According to White House doctor Sean Conley, he “Is fine” and will remain in the White House during its “Convalescence”, where he “Will continue to perform his duties”. He added in a statement that Mr. Trump would be under medical surveillance “Narrow”, just like his wife.
“Tonight, the first lady and I tested positive for Covid-19”, tweeted the president of the first world power. “We will begin our quarantine and the recovery process immediately. We will do it TOGETHER! “, he added.
The tenant of the White House was to leave Washington Friday mid-afternoon to participate in the evening in a campaign rally in Florida – meeting which was canceled.
After the announcement, US stock futures fell on Friday. In premarket trading, the Dow Jones lost 1.7% and the broader S&P 500 index 1.6%, while the yen, considered a safe haven, rose against the dollar.
Regular tests, Mike Pompeo negative
A few hours earlier, Donald Trump had confirmed on Fox News that Hope Hicks, his close advisor, had tested positive. “I just did a test, we’ll see. Who knows ? “, he said, referring to the results ” tonight [jeudi] “ or ” tomorrow morning [vendredi] “.
Hope Hicks was aboard Air Force One with the US president when he traveled to Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday to participate in the debate against Joe Biden. She also traveled with him on Wednesday when he visited Minnesota for a campaign rally. “She works hard”, he stressed. “She often wears a mask but has tested positive”, he added, specifying that he was passing “Lots of time with Hope, just like the first lady”.
Mike Pompeo, the head of American diplomacy, announced for his part to have tested negative for the coronavirus. ” I feel very good “, he assured the journalists who accompanied him shortly before arriving in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the last stop of a mini European tour.
The US president regularly submits to Covid-19 tests even though the exact frequency of the latter is not known. Employees who work in the “West Wing” are tested daily, like journalists who go there or travel with the president.
Hope Hicks, who joined the real estate mogul’s campaign team early on in 2016, is part of the president’s inner circle. After holding the prestigious post of director of communications for the White House, she left it for a time to join the Fox group, which heads the Fox News channel, before returning to Pennsylvania Avenue. Discreet in the media but very influential behind the scenes, this former model, who had worked for Ivanka Trump in New York, has always had the ear of the president.
Wishes for a “speedy recovery” pour in
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, wished on Friday a “Speedy recovery” to the American president. “Covid-19 is a battle we must all continue to wage. Everyday. No matter where you live ”, said the Belgian on Twitter, on the second day of a European summit. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who contracted Covid-19 at the end of March, also wished Donald Trump a “Speedy recovery”, just like German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, estimated Friday in a personal message to Donald Trump that “Its vitality” would allow him to overcome the “Dangerous” new coronavirus. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), whose body was accused by the President of the United States of incompetence in its management of the pandemic, also wished on Friday a “Full and speedy recovery” to Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania.
The pandemic has so far killed more than 207,000 people in the United States, by far the most bereaved country, and more than a million deaths worldwide.
