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President Donald Trump says he and First Lady Melania Trump are in quarantine after aide Hope Hicks (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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President Donald Trump said late Thursday he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the evening, the president said he and the first lady had entered quarantine after learning that top White House aide Hope Hicks has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately,” Trump announced in a tweet.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a memorandum late Thursday that the president and first lady were “both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.”

The announcement of the president and first lady’s positive coronavirus test results came just hours after the revelation that top White House aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for the virus as well. The president indicated in an earlier tweet that he and the first lady had begun the quarantine process.

Hicks has accompanied Trump on several campaign trips in recent days, including to the presidential debate with former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening and a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.

While the candidates tackled topics including race relations, climate change and the Supreme Court during Tuesday’s face-off, the coronavirus dominated much of the debate. Trump defended his decision to often appear in public without a facial covering, explaining that he wears a mask “when needed.”

“I think masks are OK,” Trump said, when asked by moderator Chris Wallace why he typically appears in public without wearing one. He pulled out a mask from his suit jacket to show he carried it with him.

“I put a mask on, you know, when I think I need it. Tonight is an example, everybody has had a test,” Mr. Trump said. “I wear a mask when needed. When needed, I wear masks.”

Earlier this week, the world passed a grim milestone when Johns Hopkins University reported that more than 1 million people had died as a result of the novel coronavirus. That revelation came less than a week after the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 in the US surpassed 200,000.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.