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President Trump, first lady in quarantine after positive coronavirus tests
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were in quarantine at the White House early Friday after receiving word that they had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The president confirmed the disturbing test results himself in a Twitter message shortly before 1 a.m. ET.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19,” the president tweeted. “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately.”
The first couple had undergone testing after learning that senior White House adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19. Hicks had recently accompanied the president on several trips, including to Cleveland for Tuesday’s debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Both the president, 74, and first lady, 50, were feeling well, according to Dr. Sean P. Conley, the president’s physician.
The first lady also issued a statement on social media.
“As too many Americans have done this year, @POTUS & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19,” she wrote. “We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.”
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence were among the first people to wish the first couple a quick recovery. It was not immediately clear when the Pences had most recently undergone a COVID-19 test themselves.
The president’s diagnosis raised immediate questions not only about his health but about the potential impact on his work duties and campaign schedule. But details on those repercussions weren’t immediately clear. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
– Personal physician to Trump confirms positive COVID-19 tests
– Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine won’t be ready for widespread distribution until spring, CEO predicts
– Trump, first lady begin the ‘quarantine process’ after Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus
– Traces of coronavirus found in Lake Superior water, researchers say
– Flight of 2 Boeing E-6B Mercurys after Trump diagnosis prompts online speculation
– Trump receives well wishes from top critics after coronavirus diagnosis
– Trump joins list of world leaders who have tested positive for coronavirus
– Trump critics seize on president’s positive coronavirus test to mock, lecture
White House aide Hope Hicks tests positive for the coronavirus
White House adviser Hope Hicks has tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling with President Trump to a rally in Duluth, Minn.
Hicks, who serves as counselor to the president, traveled with him aboard Air Force One to Tuesday night’s debate in Cleveland and to his rally in Minnesota the following day.
She tested positive Thursday, according to an administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private health information.
“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 spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.
Hicks, who will turn 32 on Oct. 21, is one of the president’s most trusted aides. She previously served as White House communications director and rejoined the administration this year ahead of the election. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
– Tom Arnold shares Hope Hicks’ cell phone number after she tests positive for coronavirus
– Pence delayed Arizona trip after Secret Service agents tested positive for coronavirus: report
– Secret Service agents ordered to quarantine after 2 test positive following Tulsa rally: report
– Pence press secretary Katie Miller, who had coronavirus, says she’s back at work after 3 negative tests
Chris Wallace: Trump ‘bears the primary responsibility for what happened’ at the debate
“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace joined “Bill Hemmer Reports” Thursday to reflect on Tuesday night’s explosive first presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden.
Wallace, who moderated the 94-minute clash in Cleveland, began by joking that the highlights host Bill Hemmer played had led to a recurrence the “PTSD” he had “just gotten over.”
“My initial reaction was, ‘This is great’ because so often these debates become parallel news conferences where one candidate answers the question to him, the other candidate answers the question to him,” Wallace recalled. “So when the president started engaging with Biden, I thought we were gonna have a real debate here.”
However, Wallace went on, “it became clear, and clearer over time that this was something different and that the president was determined to try to butt in or throw Joe Biden off … I saw another Fox analysis that indicates the president interrupted either Biden’s answers or my questions a total of 145 times, which is way more than one a minute. And he bears the primary responsibility for what happened on Tuesday night.”
Wallace told Hemmer that he “began being more forceful” after repeatedly urging Trump not to interrupt the Democratic nominee.
Responding to criticism of his handling of the debate, Wallace stressed that “hindsight is 20/20” but admitted that he knew 45 minutes into the debate that it was a “total mess” and a “disservice … to the country.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE
In other developments:
– Trump campaign calls out second debate moderator who interned for Biden, worked for Ted Kennedy
– Trump campaign says Commission on Presidential Debates ‘not impartial,’ amid talk of rule, format changes
– Pelosi on if Biden should debate Trump again: ‘One and done’
– McEnany: Trump has ‘condemned’ white supremacy, but ‘shameful’ media won’t cover it
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TODAY’S MUST-READS:
– Trump sees approval rating increase, majority expect him to beat Biden: poll
– Trump and Biden abstain from roasting each other at Al Smith Dinner, despite tradition and plenty of ammo
– McConnell warns voters to brace for delayed election results: ‘It could happen’
– Ted Cruz slams Biden for dodging court-packing questions, claims ex-VP ‘doesn’t want to be honest’ with Americans
– Titans-Steelers matchup moved to later date as more positive coronavirus tests reported
– ‘Borat’ sequel trailer reveals Sacha Baron Cohen crashed CPAC, disrupted Pence speech dressed as Trump
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
– Stock futures plunge after President Trump confirms he has coronavirus
– Trump, Paris coronavirus alert hit European stocks
– Mnuchin, Pelosi fail to reach coronavirus deal as House Democrats pass their own bill
– Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine’s development won’t be affected by politics: CEO
– Amazon says 19,816 US workers tested positive for coronavirus
– Park MGM casino in Las Vegas reopens with smoke-free policy
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on “This Day in History.”
SOME PARTING WORDS
Mark Levin says Democrat Joe Biden has come out with several “bigoted, racist” remarks over his nearly five decades in public office that should dog his presidential campaign at every step. In 1975, according to Levin — who appeared on “Hannity” on Thursday night — then-Sen. Biden told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the Democratic Party could “stand a liberal George Wallace. Someone who’s not afraid to stand up and offend people.”
That same year, Levin added, Biden called the concept of desegregation busing a “rejection of the whole movement of Black pride.” “If that doesn’t come close to promoting segregation, or opposing integration, I don’t know what does,” Levin said.
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News’ Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Have a great weekend and we’ll see you in your inbox first thing Monday.
