JUST IN: Trump Tweets He and First Lady Will Start Quarantine Process While Awaiting Covid Test Results, But WH Schedule Sows Confusion

Sarah RumpfOct 1st, 2020, 11:34 pm
 

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images.

After news broke late Thursday night that Hope Hicks, a top aide to President Donald Trump, had tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump tweeted that he and First Lady Melania Trump were awaiting their own test results and would “begin our quarantine process” — but the president’s own actions and other communications from the White House sent a conflicting message.

As Mediate covered earlier Thursday, Hicks tested positive and has been exhibiting symptoms. Multiple news outlets have reported that she traveled extensively with the president this week, including to the debate on Tuesday and a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, as confirmed by photos and videos of her traveling with Trump and his inner circle of top staffers.

Late Thursday evening, Trump tweeted confirmation of Hicks’ diagnosis, praising her for “working so hard” and calling her positive test “terrible” news. “The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results,” Trump concluded. “In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!”

However, the official travel schedule released by the White House — right before Trump’s tweet and hours after the news about Hicks was publicly known — indicated that Trump was still planning on a “roundtable with supporters” at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. before flying to Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando) for a campaign rally.

Multiple media outlets also reported that Hicks began showing symptoms Wednesday and was quarantined at that time, and got her positive diagnosis on Thursday. Meanwhile, Trump traveled to New Jersey and had several campaign events there — all after Hicks had been known to have symptoms.

“This is not a ‘quarantine process.’ It’s exposing countless people,” tweeted Yahoo News’ Hunter Walker. “I feel bad for my colleagues who are supposed to be on Air Force One and in the pool tomorrow. This has already been scary and is now a confirmed hot spot.”

Walker posted several other tweets, clearly perturbed, noting that he saw “a lot of people who should know better tweeting that the president is quarantining” but “In fact, he seems to be planning the exact opposite…Until his behavior changes drastically, no one should repeat his claim he’s in quarantine.”

CNN commentator Amanda Carpenter chimed in with a salient point, that countless people may have been unknowingly exposed because the White House did not announce the initial news about Hicks, but in fact only responded hours later after reporters broke the story.

This is a breaking story and may be updated.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.