Trump "has known all along that masks are the answer," says Carl Bernstein
Given President Trump's aversion to wearing face masks, and previous remarks mocking the practice, it's not entirely surprising that he tested positive for the virus, said CNN Correspondent Dana Bash.
"The question is going to be, and should be given how important it is, why was he not taking his own security more seriously? The security of the people around him in the most important -- one of the most important -- buildings in the world?" Bash said. "He wanted to pretend like it was getting better and the United States had turned the corner. You know what -- we haven't, unfortunately."
Some also suggested that Trump's downplaying of the virus' severity has not only misled the public, but endangered himself and those in the White House.
"The President has known all along that masks are the answer to this Covid crisis," said journalist and political commentator Carl Bernstein. "His negligence has been in not embracing the sciences. He knew, as he told Bob Woodward, that masksare the answer to this."
Watch:
4:35 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
How world leaders are reacting to the news Trump tested positive for Covid-19
World leaders are starting to react this morning to the news that US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his "best wishes" to the presidential couple. Johnson spent several days in an intensive care unit after being diagnosed with Covid-19 in April.
Speaking in a conference call with journalists on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We certainly wish President Trump a speedy recovery.”
Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to get vaccinated and when he does, the Kremlin will make an announcement.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan also wished the Trumps a "speedy recovery."
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent "best wishes" from the "people of Taiwan."
The President of the European Council Charles Michel said Covid-19 is "a battle we all continue to fight."
The President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, said his "thoughts and prayers" are with the first couple.
Afghanistan’s Abdullah Abdullah, the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, wished the couple a "speedy recovery."
4:27 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
President Trump has Covid-19. How serious is his risk?
From CNN's Maggie Fox, Jamie Gumbrecht and Jen Christensen
US President Donald Trump has several risk factors for more severe Covid-19 symptoms.
He is in a high-risk group simply by virtue of his age -- he is 74 -- and is clinically obese, and another risk factor for a more severe form of the illness.
Age: According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people in the 65-74 age range are five times more at risk of hospitalization, and 90 times more at risk of death from Covid-19 compared to young adults between the ages of 18-29.
Obesity: Based on his physical in April, CNN reported in June that Trump weighed 244 pounds and is 6 feet 3 inches tall. That gives him a body mass index of 30.5, making him technically, if mildly, obese. Obesity triples the risk of hospitalization from Covid-19, according to the CDC.
Male: Trump is also a male, and men are more likely to die or suffer severe illness from coronavirus than women, the leading health agency reported.
Other conditions: It's not known if Trump has other medical conditions that could put him into a high-risk group. According to his latest physical, his blood pressure is only slightly elevated. There is no evidence he has cancer, kidney disease, diabetes or other conditions known to put people at higher risk.
The President's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said his last physical was conducted in April, and "there were no findings of significance or changes to report."
Read more here about the risks facing Trump and the first lady:
Trump's diagnosis has placed the US "deep in the danger zone," says national security expert
President Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, following campaign events in New Jersey, on Thursday, October 1. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis places the United States in a vulnerable spot, both domestically and on the global stage, said CNN National Security Analyst Samantha Vinograd.
"From a national security perspective, we are deep into the danger zone," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper early Friday morning. "On a strategic level, the notion that the President was unwilling or unable to do what was necessary to protect himself doesn't inspire confidence in the credibility of the United States to confront the global challenge. That is a major win for our adversaries."
"On a tactical level, Anderson, this is a moment of prime vulnerability. We know our adversaries, whether it be nation states or criminal actors look for vulnerabilities in the national security apparatus."
White House crisis response: Vinograd added that she had been inside the White House during previous crises, and that the administration is likely conducting crisis mitigation right now. This includes diverting critical resources to respond to the threat -- meaning some areas are going to be weakened, with fewer resources.
"The fact of the matter is that the President of the United States is compromised when it comes to doing his job. He, Hope Hicks and likely several other members of the senior national security apparatus are not going to be able to fully perform their duties and responsibilities," she said. "That means that there are vulnerabilities in the coverage of national security threats. We don't have all hands on deck. This is a key moment of vulnerability when it comes to national security."
Watch:
4:06 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
Trump's diagnosis raises questions about White House's handling of Hicks' infection
Hope Hicks, an adviser to US President Donald Trump, walks to Air Force One to depart with the President and other staff on campaign travel to Minnesota from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Wednesday, September 30. Leah Millis/Reuters
Three people in the White House, including President Donald Trump, have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions about who may be exposed and why the administration handled the situation the way they did.
What we know:
Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and top aide Hope Hicks have all tested positive.
Hicks was experiencing symptoms of the virus by Wednesday. A small group of White House officials knew by Thursday morning that Hicks had tested positive.
The Trumps are now in quarantine, suggesting they may be asymptomatic, according to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
In the White House, every person who has meetings planned with Trump is tested each morning, according to CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
What we don't know:
It's unclear who knew Hicks' diagnosis on Thursday. Trump visited New Jersey that afternoon, and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany held a news briefing; it's not clear if they were aware of Hicks' diagnosis.
It's unclear exactly when Trump got tested on Thursday, and how quickly it took place after Hicks' diagnosis was confirmed.
Hicks appeared to have symptoms first -- but we don't know who infected who.
3:47 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
This is the "biggest health threat" to a sitting US President in decades, says CNN White House correspondent
US President Donald Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis poses a historic health threat for the country, especially as the November presidential election approaches, said CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
"This is the biggest health threatto a sitting President we have seen in decades," she said. "Right now his doctor said we are feeling well, but we are 32 days out from the election and there are massive questions facing the President and his aides in the coming days over what they chose not to reveal, and why they made these decisions, and why the President continued to go to a fundraiser that was inside indoors at his golf club in New Jersey despite knowing he had been around someone who tested positive."
Some context: Hope Hicks, a top Trump aide, started showing symptoms on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, a small group of White House officials knew she had tested positive for coronavirus, Collins said.
But on Thursday afternoon, Trump continued on a trip to New Jersey, and the White House press secretary held a media briefing without a mask on, raising questions of who was aware of Hicks' diagnosis.
Watch:
7:27 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
The US President and first lady have tested positive for Covid-19. Here's what we know
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump step off Air Force One upon arrival in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
In the early hours of Friday morning, US President Donald Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19 after one of his top aides contracted the virus.
Here's what we know about the situation:
Hope Hicks tests positive: Hicks is a close aide to Trump and traveled with him multiple times recently, including to the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday. She was seen boarding Marine One, along with several other of the President's closest aides. Bloomberg was first to report that she had tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. Several sources then confirmed the diagnosis to CNN.
Fundraiser and media briefing: A small group of White House officials knew by Thursday morning that Hicks had contracted Covid-19, according to CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins -- but Trump still took a trip to New Jersey for a fundraiser, and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany still held a news briefing at the White House on Thursday. McEnany didn't wear a mask at the briefing, and made no mention of Hicks' diagnosis to reporters in the room, Collins said.
Trump gets tested again: On Thursday evening, Trump confirmed Hicks' diagnosis in a tweet and said that he and the first lady were being retested for the virus. "She did test positive, I just heard about this. She tested positive. She's a hard worker. Lot of masks, she wears masks a lot but she tested positive," Trump said on Fox News' "Hannity." "So whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don't know."
Trump starts the "quarantine process": The President followed his comments up with a tweet later on Thursday saying that he and the first lady were waiting for test results. "In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!" Trump tweeted.
Trump confirms he has Covid-19: After midnight, President Trump then tweeted that he and Melania Trump tested positive. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" he tweeted.
White House doctor's letter: Trump's physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, issued a statement confirming the diagnosis and said, "The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence." Conley said he expects the President to "continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering."
Questions: It is unclear exactly what the President's "quarantine process" will look like and there are concerns that multiple officials -- including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden -- may have been exposed to the virus.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated that Joe Biden is the former Democratic presidential nominee. He is the current Democratic presidential nominee.
3:45 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
Joe Biden "needs to be immediately tested," says CNN's chief medical correspondent
Former US vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden needs to be tested for Covid-19 after having been on the same stage as President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, said CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
"He does need to be immediately tested. He has come in proximity to someone that has Covid," Gupta said.
Trump has not revealed any symptoms yet, and a White House statement said he and first lady Melania Trump are "both well."
But "as you well know, going back to (top aide) Hope Hicks, you can be contagious or more contagious before you develop some of the symptoms -- the pre-symptomatic period," Gupta warned.
Biden and Trump both attended the first presidential debate on Tuesday night, though they stayed on different sides of the stage at their own podiums. Biden may have been standing far enough from Trump to avoid infection -- but "if you are indoors, you could think of the virus like smoke," Gupta said. It's not clear if the two men interacted backstage or behind cameras.
Watch:
3:25 a.m. ET, October 2, 2020
It could be week or longer before Trump develops symptoms from coronavirus, ER doctor says
From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman
It could be at least a week before President Donald Trump develops symptoms from the coronavirus, former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen told CNN’s Don Lemon.
“It is going to take time for us to see what's going to happen with the President and first lady,” Wen, an emergency room physician, said.
“It's going to take maybe a week or so before they may develop symptoms,” she added. “If people were to develop symptoms, between the time they develop symptoms and between the time that they get very ill, we're talking about another week or two weeks after that."
Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus after the President’s top aide Hope Hicks was also diagnosed with the virus. Hicks is experiencing symptoms, according to CNN reporting.
