Donald Trump positive for COVID-19, comments after being tested

Just hours before his COVID-19 test came back positive, Donald trump gave an interview about the risk of getting the virus as President.

It appears Donald Trump and his wife haven’t been socially distancing.

The US President spoke about his risk of contracting coronavirus after being tested for the infection, but before being confirmed as positive, revealing it was hard to stay away from staffers.

Socially distancing was also an issue for the adviser who passed the infection to him, with Mr Trump explaining Hope Hicks had a “warmness” to the people working with them.

Mr Trump told Fox News he and wife Melania got tested because they spend a lot of time with Ms Hicks, a senior White House adviser.

RELATED: How the Trumps got COVID

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump step off Air Force One this week. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

The President later announced on Twitter that he and the First Lady were going to start the quarantine process.

Mr Trump said it was difficult for him and those close to him to avoid the virus since so many others, including members of the military, tried to interact with them.

“It’s very hard when you’re with soldiers, when you are with airmen, when you’re with the Marines, and the police officers, I’m with them so much,” he told Fox News.

“And when they come over to you, it’s hard to say, ‘stay back, stay back’. You know, it’s a tough kind of a situation, it’s a terrible thing.

“I just went for a test, and we‘ll see what happens. I mean, who knows ... I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she’s a very warm person with them.”

Hours later Mr Trump announced his and Melania’s positive test result.

Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020

The President’s physician, Sean Conley, released a letter saying he expected Mr Trump to continue his duties.

Ms Hicks, a former White House communications director who returned to the administration as a counsellor to Mr Trump earlier this year, travelled to and from this week’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio with him.

She was also aboard the President’s helicopter, Marine One, for a trip to Joint Base Andrews yesterday. And she was aboard Air Force One for Mr Trump’s visit to Minnesota, where he held a political rally.

A number of other people were on those trips as well.

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020

Mr Trump says it’s hard to stay away from military personnel. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

Mr Trump and his wife both tested positive for coronavirus. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

According to US media, the list of people potentially exposed includes: Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric Trump and his wife Lara, Tiffany Trump, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, adviser Stephen Miller, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Congressman Jim Jordan, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and criminal justice reform advocate Alice Marie Johnson.

The positive test result will drastically change the presidential election campaign, with the President presumably quarantining for 14 days.

The second debate against Joe Biden is scheduled for October 15, which is 13 days away.