(Bloomberg) — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for the White House to conduct contact tracing and isolation of at-risk individuals after the president’s infection. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said President Donald Trump is “very energetic” with mild symptoms. China joined foreign governments wishing Trump a swift recovery.
Trump said early Friday that he has tested positive along with his wife and one of his closest aides, throwing his campaign into deeper disarray just one month before the election.
Other developments:
The Coronavirus Treatments Available for Trump: QuickTakeTrump’s Covid Diagnosis Jolts White House and His CampaignTrump’s Age and Weight Make Covid Particularly Dangerous
Schumer Calls for Contact Tracing, Isolation for Those Exposed
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the coronavirus infections of the president, first lady and a top aide mean the White House should “immediately conduct a contact tracing regime” that follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. He also urged “thorough testing and isolation for those who were exposed to infection risk.”
“This must include strict adherence to those guidelines for all of the White House staff members that the president, first lady, and the aide came into contact with; and all of the people those individuals came into contact with whom experts deem at risk of exposure,” Schumer said in a statement.
He singled out Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court justice, as among those potentially at risk. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier said that the chamber would proceed apace with Barrett’s confirmation process.
Trump Kept Regular Schedule After Aide’s Infection
The president continued with a full schedule of events after learning on Thursday morning that his aide Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus, according to people familiar with the situation. Those included a fundraiser at his New Jersey resort that raised $5 million.
The White House has not said when Trump first tested positive for the virus, but Trump said late Thursday he was awaiting results.
Read more: Trump Kept Regular Schedule After Learning Close Aide Had Covid
Meadows Says Trump to ‘Remain on the Job’
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that the president is “very energetic” with mild symptoms from the coronavirus. Meadows said he himself has tested negative, along with other close Trump aides including his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“The American people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job,” Meadows told reporters, without wearing a mask. “I’m optimistic that he’ll have a very quick and speedy recovery.”
Kudlow, Mnuchin Test Negative for Covid-19
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said he’s tested negative for the coronavirus, joining Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in avoiding Covid-19 so far.
China’s Government Hopes Trump Recovers ‘Soon’
Beijing issued a brief statement on Trump’s diagnosis. “China has noticed the relevant news and hopes the Trumps recover soon,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a WeChat message. China is currently on weeklong Mid-Autumn festival holidays.
Trump has sought to boost his popularity with voters with campaign-trail attacks on China over trade, tech companies and Beijing’s handling of the early days of the pandemic. He assailed China in a speech in late September to the United Nations General Assembly, saying it allowed “flights to leave China and infect the world.”
While the official response from China was kept to well wishes, the editor of the hawkish state-linked Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, said Trump was paying the price for downplaying the severity of Covid-19 in the U.S., and said it could affect his re-election prospects. — Rosalind Mathieson
Pelosi Sees Changed Dynamic for Stimulus
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on a fresh stimulus package this week have yet to break the impasse that’s persisted for months, said things might change in the wake of Trump’s infection.
“This kind of changes the dynamic,” Pelosi said on MSNBC Friday. She has criticized the Trump administration for paying insufficient attention to containing the coronavirus and she said the current situation may change the White House stance on pandemic relief.
“Maybe this will be the moment where people will say, OK, masks, sanitation, treatment,” she said. “It might be a learning experience,” she said of the news. The speaker said she was tested Friday morning, and awaits the results.
Top Republican Party Official Tests Positive
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said in a tweet, citing multiple people familiar with the matter
McDaniel has mild symptoms, according to the report. She was last with President Trump last Friday and has been in Michigan since then.
Senate on Track on Supreme Court Nominee; Barrett Tests Negative
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that “we don’t expect any unanticipated event that would throw us off schedule” with regard to considering Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham had set a rapid timetable to vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation as a justice on the top court in coming weeks, with four days of hearings starting Oct. 12.
McConnell also said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show Friday morning that the Senate would vote on Barrett “very soon. I haven’t picked an exact point to bring the nomination up but it’s front and center for the American people.” He declined to specify whether that would be before Election Day.
Barrett tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday, according to a White House official.
Biden, Harris, Trudeau Wish President a Swift Recovery
Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, sent their good wishes to Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after they tested positive for coronavirus.
“Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” Biden tweeted.
Biden and Trump faced off in a debate Tuesday night. Biden has criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris tweeted wishes for a “speedy recovery.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — among the global leaders who has governed from home while in isolation during the pandemic — said he hoped Trump would get well soon and “have a full recovery from this virus.”
Vice President Pence Tests Negative for Covid
Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative Friday for coronavirus, according to his aide Devin O’Malley.
“As has been routine for months, Vice President Pence is tested for COVID-19 every day. This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery,” O’Malley tweeted.
Pence was tested for the virus after Trump announced he has tested positive for Covid.
Putin Sends Telegram Hailing Trump’s ‘Inherent Vitality’
Putin — whose relationship with Trump has been the subject of much scrutiny — sent the U.S. president a flattering telegram in the hours after his diagnosis, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
Putin wished Trump and his wife “a speedy recovery,” adding, “I am sure your inherent vitality, spirit and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus,” according to the statement.
U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Moscow sought to swing the 2016 election in Trump’s favor have prompted firm rebukes from Trump. — Tony Halpin and Kathleen Hunter
Boris Johnson, Covid Survivor, Wishes Trumps Well
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who became seriously ill in March with Covid-19 and spent time in intensive care in the hospital, sent his best wishes to the Trumps. “Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus,” he said on Twitter.
Johnson this week likened himself to a vigorous dog as a way of illustrating how physically strong he is — following reports of concern in the ruling party that he has still not fully recovered. “I am fitter than I was before,” he said. “I am fit as a butcher’s dog — thanks, basically, to losing weight.” — Rosalind Mathieson
European Leaders Note None Spared by Virus
Officials in Europe wished Trump well after his diagnosis, though there were several references — albeit polite — to the president’s track record of dismissive remarks on the dangers of the virus.
Speaking on French television, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said it showed “this virus doesn’t spare anyone, including the most skeptical.” Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said: “Anyone can catch the coronavirus and I wish him, as I do to all other people who are ill, a good recovery.”
European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter he hoped Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would make a speedy recovery, adding Covid-19 “is a battle we all continue to fight. Everyday. No matter where we live.”
The leaders of Germany and Italy confined themselves to straightforward well wishes. — Rosalind Mathieson
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