President Donald Trump will head to Walter Reed Medical Center to work from offices there for a few days, according to multiple reports.
An official told The Washington Post that Trump is heading to the military hospital “out of an abundance of caution.” There is an office space at the hospital set up for these exact purposes. Trump will reportedly undergo tests there.
The White House said Trump spent Friday working and making calls from the White House.
Officials have concerns over Trump’s condition “and his symptoms are worse than those of the First Lady at this point,” according to CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Trump did not tweet Friday after he announced his COVID-19 diagnosis. Trump said early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
- “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
The first lady also tweeted about her diagnosis.
- “As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.”
News updates continue to filter in. We’ve provided a roundup of those events below.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden tests negative for the coronavirus
Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, tested negative for the novel coronavirus just hours after President Donald Trump said he had tested positive for COVID-19.
- Biden tweeted: “I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
Biden tweeted Friday morning that he was sending thoughts and prayers to Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who had tested positive for the virus.
- “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Biden and Trump spent about two hours together earlier this week during the first presidential debate. Concerns were immediately raised after Trump tested positive that the president may have infected Biden, or that the two had been infected at the same event.
Biden has started to return to the campaign trail in recent days, according to The New York Times.
Biden’s running mate — California Sen. Kamala Harris — tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday as well, according to reports.
Harris was tested on Thursday since the campaign has routine testing, USA Today reported.
- “Doug and I join Joe Biden and Dr. Biden in wishing President Trump and the First Lady a full and speedy recovery,” Harris said. “We’re keeping them and the entire Trump family in our thoughts.”
Trump experiences mild symptoms
- President Donald Trump is reportedly experiencing minor symptoms. Trump reportedly had “cold-like symptoms,” The New York Times reported.
On Friday morning, Vice President Mike Pence, and his wife, Karen, tested negative for the coronavirus, according to The New York Times. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he tested negative for the virus as well.
Trump heads into quarantine
The chaos over who tested positive came after Trump said late Thursday night that he and the first lady would begin the “quarantine process” hours after top aide Hope Hicks tested positive for COVID-19.
- Trump tweeted: “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!”
- Trump told Fox News earlier in the night: “She tested positive and I just went out with a test ... so whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don’t know,” Trump said. “So I just went for a test and we’ll see what happens. Who knows? ... We spend a lot of time with Hope, so we’ll see what happens.”
- Trump was scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Florida on Friday.
Hope Hicks tests positive for COVID-19
Hicks tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. She began feeling symptoms on the plane ride back from Minnesota on Wednesday night, The Associated Press reports. She quarantined away from others during the flight.
Trump suggested Hicks might have caught the virus from members of the military, according to The Washington Post.
- “It is very, very hard when you are with people from the military, or from law enforcement, and they come over to you, and they want to hug you, and they want to kiss you because we really have done a good job for them,” Trump said, according to The Washington Post. “You get close, and things happen. I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she is a very warm person with them. She knows there’s a risk, but she is young.”
Trump is 74 years old, which puts him at higher risk of serious complications from the novel coronavirus.
Will the Salt Lake City vice presidential debate still happen?
Trump participated in the first of three scheduled debates with Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday, a contentious event that was moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News. A debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is scheduled to take place at the University of Utah on Oct. 7.
News of the Trumps’ positive COVID-19 tests raised questions about the upcoming debates.
Last week, Alison Flynn Gaffney, University of Utah health care executive director of service lines, ancillary and support services and the hospital’s incident commander for the debate, told the Deseret News that the University of Utah could pivot as needed.
“Not being able to predict the future, what I would say is our community should be confident in our ability to pivot should we need to,” she said.