Trump spends first night at Walter Reed for Covid-19 treatment

Updates on President Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis.

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19, the president announced early Friday.

Trump was transported by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday evening as a precautionary measure recommended by the president’s physician, officials said, and he is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.

The president’s doctor said he was administered an antibody cocktail, along with vitamins, and is fatigued with a low-grade fever, while Melania Trump has a mild cough and headache.

Trump becomes the latest world leader to be diagnosed with the virus just weeks ahead of the election and in the midst of a busy campaign schedule for him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

This live coverage has ended. Please continue reading the October 3, 2020 liveblog for the latest updates on President Trump's health.

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3 years ago / 12:21 PM EDT

Trump's physician raises questions over diagnosis timeline

Dr. Sean Conley raised some significant questions as to when President Donald Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

"He's 72 hours into his diagnosis now," Conley said Saturday morning.

However, it has only been 36 hours since Trump notified the public that he had tested positive. According to Conley's timeline, Trump would have been diagnosed sometime Wednesday.

If Conley's timeline holds, it would mean Trump withheld his diagnosis from the public for more than 24 hours and that he attended a private fundraiser at his New Jersey resort Thursday afternoon and a campaign rally in Minnesota on Wednesday knowing he was ill.

3 years ago / 12:30 AM EDT

Number of Covid cases grows among people at White House ceremony

The number of people from President Donald Trump's inner circle who have tested positive for the coronavirus is growing, with at least seven confirmed cases tied to an event in the Rose Garden last weekend.

On Saturday, Trump officially announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice at an outdoor ceremony attended by more than 150 people, many who did not wear masks or practice social distancing.

In addition to the president and first lady, at least five others who were at the ceremony have been confirmed to have Covid-19: former top Trump aide Kellyanne ConwayRepublican Sens. Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mike Lee from Utah, Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins and a White House journalist.

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3 years ago / 12:22 AM EDT

Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien tests positive

President Donald Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the latest in a spate of close contacts who have contracted Covid-19

In an email to his staff obtained by NBC News, Stepien announced his diagnosis and said he feels "fine" and plans to return to the office as soon as possible. 

"Just as he always has, President Trump trusts that we will work as hard as we can to share his record of success to the American people," Stepien wrote in the email. "I will still be doing that, and I know you will too during the homestretch."

He signed off on the email with, "31 days to victory."

3 years ago / 12:11 AM EDT

Trump said to be 'doing very well,' started remdesivir therapy

President Donald Trump, who has Covid-19 and was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, is "doing very well" and does not require any supplemental oxygen, his physician said Friday night.

"This evening I am happy to report that the President is doing very well," White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a statement. "He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy."

Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral therapy. Trump has completed his first dose and was resting comfortably, Conley said in the statement, which was tweeted by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Trump also tweeted Friday night: "Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!"

Earlier Friday, the White House said Trump received an experimental drug, "a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail," and that the president "completed the infusion without incident."

 

3 years ago / 11:42 PM EDT

Trump tweets from hospital

 

3 years ago / 11:20 PM EDT

 

3 years ago / 11:07 PM EDT

House Minority Leader McCarthy says he spoke with Trump tonight

3 years ago / 10:39 PM EDT

Kellyanne Conway tests positive for Covid after attending Amy Coney Barrett event at White House

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Kellyanne Conway, a former top aide to President Trump, said in a tweet Friday she tested positive for the coronavirus — the latest person to have attended the White House event where Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to fill the open Supreme Court seat.

"Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians. As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic," she said. 

From left, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Attorney General William Barr and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway talk in the Rose Garden at the White House on Sept. 26, 2020.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

 

Conway, who departed the White House last month, is among a group of several White House officials and lawmakers who tested positive after mingling with guests in the Rose Garden last Saturday when President Trump nominated Barrett to the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Many guests were not wearing masks and were talking or touching each other in close proximity and seats were not socially distanced.

Those who attend the event and tested positive include the president and first lady, as well as Sens. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, and Mike Lee, of Utah. 

Conway's daughter, Claudia Conway, broke the news in a TikTok video in which she complained that her mother attended the event. She posted a series of videos criticizing her mother for putting their family at risk. 

3 years ago / 9:58 PM EDT

Eric and Lara Trump both test negative

3 years ago / 8:48 PM EDT

Sen. Thom Tillis, who attended Amy Coney Barrett announcement at White House, tests positive

Dartunorro Clark

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis — who attended the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination announcement at the White House last week with other Republican officials and administration aides — tested positive for the coronavirus, the lawmaker confirmed in a statement Friday.  

"Over the last few months, I’ve been routinely tested for COVID-19, including testing negative last Saturday, but tonight my rapid antigen test came back positive," Tillis said. "I will be following the recommendations of my doctor and will be self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with."

Tillis was at the White House last Saturday when President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Barrett to the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tillis also met with the judge on Wednesday. 

The announcement comes while Democrats are urging to delay the confirmation hearing and Republicans are signaling that they are pressing forward with Barrett's confirmation. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, said in a tweet Friday that the hearings are still scheduled to begin Oct. 12. He also raised the possibility of virtual hearings, to which top Senate Democrats objected.

 

Tillis, 60, is the latest Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to test positive after Sen. Mike Lee of Utah confirmed he tested positive on Friday.

He said in his statement that he is not showing symptoms at the moment and he is feeling well. He urged the public to follow the recommendations of medical experts, including wearing a mask, washing hands and practicing social distancing.