One of Trump’s closest aides Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus after flying with the President
One of Donald Trump’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, has tested positive for coronavirus infection, after flying with the President.
Bloomberg was first to report the story that has now been confirmed by many other news outlets.
It was not clear whether President Trump himself has contracted the virus, after Hicks traveled with him last night and on Tuesday for the debate aboard Air Force One.
CNN confirmed that Hicks is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said “the president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously.”
“White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting Covid-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible, both on complex and when the president is traveling.”
“Hicks is the latest person in Trump’s orbit to contract the virus, which has infected more than 7.2 million Americans and killed more than 200,000. Other senior staff have contracted Covid-19 and recovered including National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, but few spend as much time with the president as Hicks, whose service dates to his 2016 campaign,” Bloomberg said.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
