President Trump: “Melania and I tested positive for COVID-19”

Article note: This is feeling like a little dose of cosmic justice. And yet, still pretty on brand for 2020.

Enlarge / White House in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty)

Hours after White House aide Hope Hicks reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, President Donald Trump told the public that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had also tested positive for the virus, as determined by a test administered on Thursday.

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19," Trump stated on his Twitter account on early Friday morning. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately." This was followed by White House physician Sean Conley saying he'd "received confirmation" of that news, adding that the couple "plan[s] to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence." As of press time, no further details have been disclosed about either the president or first lady's physical condition.

Reports about Hicks' contraction of the virus mention a timeline of her exhibiting mild symptoms on Wednesday while traveling with Trump, followed by a reportedly positive test result Wednesday evening. Later on Thursday, after Trump had already traveled to a fundraiser at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, he described Hicks' test results. Hours later, he disclosed his own test result.