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

Updates on President Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis.

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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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.

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.

Click here for the full story.

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."

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."

 

Trump tweets from hospital

 

 

House Minority Leader McCarthy says he spoke with Trump tonight

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

Dartunorro Clark

 

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. 

Image: President Trump Announces His Supreme Court Nominee To Replace Justice Ginsburg
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. 

Eric and Lara Trump both test negative

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.

Bill Clinton wishes Trumps a 'speedy recovery,' hopes for staff's safety

Trump receives experimental antibody treatment

President Donald Trump has received an experimental drug following his diagnosis of Covid-19, the White House said Friday.

"As a precautionary measure, he received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail. He completed the infusion without incident," Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician, wrote in a memorandum.

The drug cocktail is a combination of two so-called monoclonal antibodies. The treatment is meant to provide the body's immune system with a temporary, but immediate, boost to fight off the coronavirus.

The therapy, though still unproven, is considered by experts to be one of the most promising treatment options for the illness.

Read more about the treatment here.

Trump and Biden were more than 12 feet apart at debate

Katie Primm

Joe Biden and President Donald Trump stood more than 12 feet away from each other during the debate, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates — well beyond the 6 feet of social distance recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Twitter warns users not to wish harm on others

Twitter on Friday reminded users they are barred from wishing death, bodily harm or disease on anyone, a warning that followed the news that the president and first lady tested positive for Covid-19.

Twitter said such tweets are not allowed and will be removed but will not automatically mean the suspension of a person's account. The reminder was apparently in reference to tweet from a user that suggested an automatic suspension would be the penalty.

Suspension, however, is a possible penalty depending on the severity of the violation, according to Twitter's policy.

Lindsey Graham tests negative, says Amy Coney Barrett confirmation hearing still planned

Dartunorro Clark

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Friday he tested negative for the coronavirus.

"After being informed of his positive test, and out of an abundance of caution, I was tested for COVID-19 in South Carolina. I was informed I was negative," he said in a tweet.

Graham sent well-wishes to President Donald Trump and the first lady. He said he spoke with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who also tested positive for the virus. He said in a tweet Lee is "in good spirits and on the mend."

Lee is a key vote as Republicans press forward with the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett slated to begin Oct. 12, which Graham said will go forward as planned with the possibility of a virtual hearing.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein pushed back in a statement earlier about holding virtual confirmation hearings for a lifetime appointment.

At least 11 positive tests traced back to debate in Cleveland

At least 11 positive coronavirus tests can be traced to organizers of this week's presidential debate in Cleveland, city officials said Friday.

The city's announcement came after President Donald Trump, who debated Democratic rival Joe Biden on Tuesday in Cleveland, revealed he and his wife have both tested positive for Covid-19 and are in isolation. Trump was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.

"The City of Cleveland is aware of positive cases of Covid-19 following the Sept. 29 presidential debate," according to a City Hall statement. "We advise anyone who has come in contact with someone who has tested positive to selfquarantine. If anyone who was in attendance has concerns or is symptomatic, they should contact their healthcare provider."

The city's announcement also came shortly after the Cleveland Clinic, which oversaw Covid-19 protocols at the debate, said it's confident that guests at Tuesday night's event were safe from the coronavirus.

Click here for the full story. 

Secret Service won't say how many employees have tested positive

The Secret Service will not say how many employees have tested positive for the coronavirus or how many have been quarantined, according to a Secret Service spokesperson.

“For privacy and operational security reasons, the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, nor how many of its employees were, or currently are, quarantined," said the spokesperson.

"The Secret Service has well established COVID-19 protocols in place and continues to take every precaution to keep our protectees, employees and families, and the general public, safe and healthy."

"We follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols, to include testing, conducting contact tracing related to confirmed and suspected exposure, and immediate isolation of any employee who tests positive for COVID-19."

Three White House reporters tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday

The White House Correspondents' Association, the group that represents the White House press corps, announced three reporters tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.

One individual had traveled with the president's press corps to Pennsylvania for a campaign rally Saturday, and another had last been at the White House on Sunday for a presidential briefing. The third individual had also attended Sunday's press conference as well as a Rose Garden ceremony on Saturday announcing Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the president's Supreme Court nominee.

Other guests at the Saturday event, including Sen. Mike Lee, have since tested positive. 

WHCA President Zeke Miller said the White House Medical Unit was beginning the process of contact tracing for these cases and a number of White House journalists were entering self-isolation.

Former President Obama wishes the Trumps a 'speedy recovery'

 

Trump thanks 'everybody for the tremendous support'

Trump tweeted out a video statement thanking "everybody for the tremendous support," adding, "I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out."

He added that first lady Melania Trump "is doing very well."

Trump gives thumbs up before boarding Marine One

Masked Trump leaves White House, arrives at hospital

A masked President Trump emerged from the White House shortly after 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday to board Marine One, which flew him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. 

It was the first time he'd been seen publicly since announcing overnight that he tested positive for the coronavirus.

While Trump sometimes speaks to reporters while en route to his helicopter on the South Lawn, he did not on Friday, offering a thumb's up and a wave instead. He didn't appear to have any difficulty walking.

He was accompanied by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was also wearing a mask.

First lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive, was not with the president.

He arrived at the hospital grounds after a minutes-long flight, walked down the helicopter steps at his usual clip before being driven to an entrance.

Pelosi not told of plans to move Trump

Kasie Hunt

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not informed of Trump’s planned movement to Walter Reed, according to a Democratic aide.

The speaker also has not had any further conversations about continuity-of-government planning with the White House in the intervening hours, the aide said.

Eric Trump says father is 'a true warrior,' 'never been more proud'

Biden: 'This cannot be a partisan moment'

Biden pulling all negative ads

A Biden campaign official confirmed to NBC News that the campaign is pulling all of its negative advertising from their rotation of paid media. The news comes as the president is transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a precautionary measure.

 

Trump has not transferred power to the vice president

White House official Alyssa Farah says power has not been transferred to Vice President Pence.

“The President is in charge,” she said, adding she is not aware of any additional coronavirus cases. 

Trump to be flown to Walter Reed Medical Center

Adam Edelman and Hallie Jackson

President Donald Trump, who has Covid-19, was to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday afternoon in his helicopter as a precautionary measure, a senior administration official confirms to NBC News.

Three people familiar with his condition said Trump has a low-grade fever, but it was not clear whether Trump was going for tests or to be admitted. The president’s doctor said he was administered an antibody cocktail, along with vitamins, and is fatigued, while Melania Trump has a mild cough and headache.

Click here for the full story.

Rep. Jim Jordan tests negative after AF1 ride

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, announced Friday that he tested negative for Covid-19.

Jordan, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, travelled with Trump to Tuesday’s presidential debate on Air Force One, but said he will not quarantine because physician said he wasn’t “in close contact with any COVID-19 positive people during a risk time period.”

'Hopefully it's a wake-up call': Voters react to Trump's diagnosis

Americans across the country greeted Friday’s news that the president and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for Covid-19 with reactions ranging from wishes for a speedy recovery to the hope that the experience would change Trump’s public messaging — and many said they believed that the diagnosis wouldn’t alter voters’ decisions on Election Day.

"First, I wouldn’t want this to happen to anybody. But nobody is above reproach, above the law, or above the coronavirus,” Todd Wright, 55, said outside of a Starbucks in Maplewood, N.J.

Wright, who criticized Trump for frequently not wearing a mask and downplaying the dangers of the virus, said the president now "has to send another message to the American public that you have to be careful and to follow science, and what the experts say.”

Read more on what voters are saying.

Trump has low-grade fever

Hallie Jackson and Carol E. Lee

On Friday afternoon, the president had a low-grade fever, according to three people familiar with his condition. White House physician, Dr. Conley, released a second letter detailing treatment plans and indicating Trump was fatigued.

Trump given 'precautionary' antibodies

The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said in a statement released by the White House that the president received a “single 8 gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail” after being diagnosed with the coronavirus on Friday.

Conley called the treatment “a precautionary measure" and noted Trump is also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin.

“As of this afternoon the President remains fatigued but in good spirits,” Conley said.

 

No apparent changes to White House virus protocols

The Associated Press

The White House does not appear to be making any changes to current virus protocol, even after President Trump and the first lady tested positive for Covid-19.

A senior White House official said Friday that masks will still not be mandatory at the White House, describing facial coverings as “a personal choice,” despite overwhelming evidence that they help to stop the spread.

And the White House is not planning to move to a different, more reliable testing system after the one it uses failed to detect that adviser Hope Hicks had the virus the day she began experiencing symptoms.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House thinking, defended the current system.

Why isn't Biden in quarantine?

Joe Biden, who shared the stage with Trump during the first presidential debate, isn't quarantining, a Biden campaign official tells NBC News, because he “tested negative and was not in close contact with President Trump. He also wore a mask at all times, except for when he was on stage. And we implement social distancing, mask wearing, and other best practices in all of our campaigning."

Pelosi tests negative for Covid-19

Trump not the first president to be infected in a pandemic, Woodrow Wilson was in the same spot a century ago.

A pandemic was ravaging America, thousands were dead or dying, and the president was infected.

His name was Woodrow Wilson and one century ago he was in a situation similar to the position Donald Trump finds himself in now.

Only then, the illness that laid Wilson low had been dubbed the Spanish flu, not the coronavirus that has infected Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and more than 7 million other Americans.

And when Wilson got sick in April 1919 while in Paris negotiating the end of World War I, his wife, Edith, quickly stepped in to make sure as few people as possible knew the president was ailing.

Read more about Wilson's illness.

Tracking Covid-19 infections among President Trump's contacts

+2
Carol E. Lee, Nigel Chiwaya and Kanwal Syed

We know that Trump and the first lady tested positive for Covid-19 after White House aide Hope Hicks was diagnosed. What we don’t know is how far among Trump’s contacts and confidants the disease spread before and after the president became infected.

NBC News is tracking the declared infection status of those who came into contact with Trump in the last few days. Note that a negative test doesn’t necessarily mean a person is off the hook for Covid-19. We will update this table with new information as it becomes available.

Click here to track how people in Trump's orbit have tested so far.

Giuliani tests negative for Covid-19

Jesse Rodriguez

Rudy Giuliani has tested negative for COVID-19, his spokeswoman told NBC News.

Giuliani was in close contact with Trump repeatedly this week as he helped him prepare for Tuesday's debate.

DNC chair, who was in front row for debate, tested negative

DNC Chairman Tom Perez has tested negative for Covid-19, DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said on Friday.

Perez was seated in the front row for the debate on Tuesday.

ANALYSIS: For vulnerable voters, Trump's diagnosis may weaken his case for re-election

Trump's early Friday morning announcement that he had tested positive for Covid-19 instantaneously weakened his campaign for re-election in both political and practical terms.

On the political front, he has to try to square his assertion that he had tamed the crisis with his own test result and new data showing a slowing of the nation's economic recovery. And he will face more questions about his capacity to assess risk, perhaps the most important characteristic for any presidential candidate and one that is particularly significant for him because of the emphasis he has put on positioning himself as a steward of Americans' security.

"There's nothing positive about it," conservative strategist and MSNBC political analyst Rick Tyler said of the test result. "Politically speaking, there’s no upside for him because it fundamentally undermines his central re-election message, which is: The coronavirus is under control, we’ve turned the corner and the economy is re-emergent. ... None of that is true — we haven’t turned the corner."

Read more about how Trump's diagnosis may hurt his re-election chances.

Marine One follows strict sanitizing, testing protocol between Trump trips

The Marine Corps said in a statement that helicopters - like Marine One — are sanitized in accordance with CDC guidelines. Marine pilots are also routinely tested, too.

"Marines supporting the President during this time will be tested and CDC isolation protocols will be followed," the Corps said in a statement.

Trump flew on the aircraft multiple times this week before testing positive for Covid-19.

When something happens to a president, who takes charge?

When George W. Bush checked into the hospital for routine colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007, the procedures required him to be sedated, unable to act in an emergency. So he invoked a provision of the Constitution that temporarily put his vice president in charge.

That same provision of the 25th Amendment can be invoked whenever a president is, for any reason, unable to carry out the duties of the office. It was adopted after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy because Congress realized there was no clear answer to who was supposed to be in charge.

It addressed the Kennedy situation by saying that whenever a president dies or resigns, the vice president becomes president.

But a different provision covers presidential illnesses like Covid-19.

Read more on what would happen if Trump's illness gets worse.

Fact check: What's in a negative test?

As Trump aides and allies begin announcing negative coronavirus testing, it’s worth noting that a negative test is not an absolute guarantee that someone does not have Covid-19.

"You can have a negative test and have it be a false negative, which is the challenge with rapid testing. Or it could be negative today and be positive tomorrow. To say a negative test excuses you from the quarantine is not what is recommended,” said Dr. Howard Koh, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who was a top official in the Obama administration's Health and Human Services department.

Some rapid tests have been found to have high rates of false-negatives, and infected people can test negative in the earliest days of their infection if the swab does not pick up any viral particles. That’s why experts say quarantines are key to stopping the spread of the virus.

The CDC defines "close contact" as anyone who has come within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, but Koh said he'd recommend anyone who came in contact with Trump or other infected individuals quarantine for a full 14 days.

 

 

Trump's Covid diagnosis upends campaign, presents challenge for Biden

Biden said Friday he is praying for the president and first lady after Donald and Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19 — a stunning development that has upended an already tumultuous campaign.

Democrats know they need to walk a fine line, but say Biden should press ahead full throttle with his campaign and prosecution of the case that Trump botched the coronavirus crisis, even as he expresses personal sympathy for the president, his family, and his staff.

"Suspending the campaign would be a disservice to the country and there is no reason to do it," said Ben LaBolt, a former aide to former president Barack Obama.

"One of the judgments voters are making is which candidate would have better managed the response to the coronavirus and who has the leadership to lead us out of this national emergency," LaBolt added. "While we should wish the president a healthy recovery, his diagnosis is a visible demonstration of a failure of leadership at every level of this White House."

With the test result in hand, Biden proceeded with plans to campaign in the battleground state of Michigan Friday, while running mate Kamala Harris, who was not at the debate, also tested negative and traveled to Las Vegas for a previously scheduled campaign stop.

Read more here.

Trump to halt in-person campaign events

Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien announced Friday afternoon that all in-person events with the president would be replaced with virtual events or would be temporarily postponed.

Trump had multiple rallies scheduled over the next few days in Florida, Wisconsin and Arizona. 

Stepien said that Pence, who tested negative for the virus Friday morning, "plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events." 

At a campaign rally on Tuesday, Pence told supporters he had been in the Oval Office with Trump earlier that day. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines recommend quarantining for 14 days after coming into contact with someone who has Covid-19, even in the event of a negative test result. If Pence followed those recommendations, he would have to quarantine through Oct. 13.

Trump experiencing mild Covid symptoms: Why the first week matters

The next five to 10 days will be critical for President Donald Trump after his positive test for Covid-19. Doctors warn the illness can suddenly worsen after several days of relatively mild symptoms.

That's particularly true for patients with two of the biggest risk factors for serious and even life-threatening complications of the disease: obesity and older age. At 74 and with a body mass index of 30.5, qualifying him as obese, Trump fits both criteria.

"I'm worried," Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and an affiliate assistant professor at UW Medicine in Seattle, said Friday on NBC's "TODAY."

Read more about the possible health risks and treatments for the president.

Trump asked Pence to replace him on Covid information call

Hallie Jackson

Trump asked Pence to replace him on a 12:15 call on Covid-19 support for vulnerable seniors, a source familiar with the call confirms.

It’s not clear why Trump requested the change. This was the only item on Trump’s public schedule Friday.

Notre Dame president, who attended Saturday White House event, has Covid

Here are all the Trump-related Covid-19 test results

Carol E. Lee and Hallie Jackson

Below is a roundup of Covid-19 tests results of members of the Trump inner circle and others who interacted with the president or team in the past week. A negative test result does not necessarily mean that person is Covid-free as the virus may take several days to show up on a test.

Positive:

President Donald Trump

First lady Melania Trump

Hope Hicks

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah (attended Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination event on Saturday)

Negative:

Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence 

Ivanka Trump

Jared Kushner

Barron Trump

Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff

Dan Scavino

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin

HHS Secretary Alex Azar

Attorney General Bill Barr

Judge Amy Coney Barrett

Joe and Jill Biden

Sen. Kamala Harris

Kayleigh McEnany

Unknown:

Donald Trump Jr. (flew on Air Force One to Cleveland debate, did not fly back)

Kimberly Guilfoyle (at debate)

Chris Christie (was in Trump debate prep, getting tested on Friday but is not experiencing symptoms)

Alyssa Farah

Stephen Miller

Robert O’Brien, national security adviser (tested positive for coronavirus in July)

Rudy Giuliani (was in Trump debate prep, getting tested Friday, and in quarantine)

Eric Trump (at debate)

Lara Trump (at debate)

Tiffany Trump (at debate)

Derek Lyons

Bill Stepien

Kellyanne Conway (was in Trump debate prep)

Jason Miller (was in Trump debate prep)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. (tested Friday morning)

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Senate pro tem  (won’t be tested, at the advice of his physician)

Defense Secretary Mark Esper

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio (flew on Air Force One to Cleveland debate, did not fly back)

Alice Marie Johnson (flew on Air Force One to Cleveland debate)

Cleveland Clinic tells debate guests: Your Covid risk is low

Jane C. Timm and Marianna Sotomayor

Cleveland Clinic issued a statement on Friday telling debate attendees that their risk of contracting the coronavirus at the debate is low.

“Based on what we know about the virus and the safety measures we had in place, we believe there is a low risk of exposure to our guests,” the Ohio-based medical center said. “Out of abundance of caution, we are reaching out to guests to address any questions and concerns, as well as offering testing,”

Cleveland Clinic advised the Commission on Presidential Debates and the host site on mitigating the coronavirus risk, requiring temperature checks, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and mask-wearing. Anyone inside the debate hall was tested for the coronavirus before entry, while campaigns and their staff were tested by their campaigns, they said in a statement.

Several members of the Trump family and their guests took their masks off once inside the debate hall. 

A Cleveland Clinic doctor in a white lab coat started to approach Trump family guests to wear a mask. She offered them one in case they didn’t get one. She never approached the family but as she got closer to them, someone shook their head and no one she reminded to put on a mask ended up putting one on. 

When the doctor, who refused to comment to the press, walked off the floor, a debate hall staffer told her "That’s all you can do."

Bidens test negative for Covid-19

Joe and Jill Biden tested negative for Covid-19, his personal physician, Kevin O'Conner, said in a statement on Friday.

The pair received rapid tests earlier Friday after being in close proximity to Trump at Tuesday's debate.

White House 'in a panic,' Trump under pressure to make public appearance

Carol E. Lee and Hallie Jackson

Some of Trump’s allies are pressuring him to appear in public in some form today in an attempt to calm the markets and the country, even if it’s just a brief appearance from a window or via video, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

"How the next 24 hours are handled are critical," one of them said.

In terms of the overall mood inside the White House, "everybody is in a panic” about their own health, a person familiar with the dynamic said. Many White House officials were around Hope Hicks, in particular, as well as the president.

There is some concern inside the West Wing about whether the rapid tests that anyone near the president has been taken regularly are actually accurate. NBC’s Medical Unit advises that the timing and type of test that an official has taken matters in terms of the accuracy of their negative results.

Schumer: Capitol Hill needs testing and tracing

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday called for a Capitol Hill testing and contact tracing program and accused the White House of putting the Senate and their staffers at risk for the coronavirus.

“This episode demonstrates that the Senate needs a testing and contact tracing program for Senators, staff, and all who work in the Capitol complex," he said in a statement. "We simply cannot allow the administration's cavalier attitude to adversely affect this branch of government."

Schumer, a New York Democrat, called for careful contact tracing of everyone who may have been infected or exposed by the president, first lady, aide Hope Hicks or their contacts.

Several senators have gotten Covid-19 since the outbreak began: Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the first to test positive, in March hours after working out in the senators' gym; Bill Cassidy, R-La., contracted the virus in August; and Mike Lee, R-Utah, announced Friday that he, too, had tested positive.

Schumer noted that Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court nominee who senators have been meeting with recently amid the vetting process, might have been exposed to the virus. A White House spokesman said earlier Friday that Barrett is tested daily for Covid-19 and has tested negative.

“It is imperative that all results be made public in order to contain a possible outbreak and so we can determine the need for senators and staff to quarantine or self-isolate," Schumer said in the statement.

Sen. Mike Lee tests positive for Covid-19

Geoff Bennett

Lee, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday. His mask use on the Hill could be described as inconsistent at best. He’s also been a regular attendee of the GOP’s weekly lunches.

Sen. McConnell: Trump in 'good spirits' Friday morning

AG Barr tests negative for Covid-19

Jane C. Timm and Michael Kosnar

Attorney General William Barr has tested negative for Covid-19, a spokesman said on Friday.

The attorney general was with the president at the White House on Saturday at a reception for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee to the Supreme Court. He was not experiencing symptoms but tested out of an abundance of caution.

QAnon followers elated at Trump Covid news

Followers of QAnon, the baseless conspiracy theory that posits the president is leading a secret war against a deep-state cabal of Satanic pedophiles, reacted to news of Trump’s Covid-19 infection with near-universal celebration.

On QAnon forums and Facebook groups, people traded conspiracy theories about Trump’s diagnosis, believing it to be part of an elaborate plan to isolate the leader while violent retribution is taken against believed evil-doers, a time known within the conspiracy theory as “the storm.” 

QAnon believers also hold that the coronavirus, which has killed over 200,000 Americans, is a “hoax,” engineered to hurt the president. They have rallied around ineffective treatments like hydroxychloroquine and have refused to wear masks or get a vaccine when one becomes available.

Notable QAnon influencers spent early Friday attempting to "decode" the president's tweet announcing he had the disease and trying to deduce clues from the statement's use of capital letters. The official "Q" account, which followers believe to be a secret government insider giving them hints about the president's plan, has not posted since the president's announcement.

QAnon was among the top trending searches on Google Friday morning.

Melania Trump says she’s also experiencing mild symptoms

Earlier Friday, a White House official said the president was also experiencing mild symptoms.

White House knew about Hope Hicks' diagnosis before Thursday fundraiser

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Friday morning that the White House learned shortly before Trump's Thursday fundraiser in New Jersey that longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for Covid-19.

“I’m not going to get into the tick-tock. I can tell you in terms of Hope, we discovered that right as the Marine One was taking off yesterday, we actually pulled some of the people who had been traveling and in close contact — the reason why it had reported out is we had already started the contact tracing just prior to that event,” he told reporters.

Meadows also told reporters that he, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and others have tested negative for the virus, but said the White House expects that more staffers will test positive for the coronavirus following the president’s diagnosis.

“I fully expect that as this virus continues to go on, other people in the White House will certainly have a positive test result and we’ve got the mitigation plan in place to make sure that the government not only continues to move forward but the work of the American people continues to work forward," he said.

Who was Trump in contact with this week? Here are some of the people

Hallie Jackson

Trump and the first lady are among 300,000 Americans to catch Covid-19 this week

Texas, California, and Wisconsin have seen the most cases in the past seven days.

Pelosi awaits results after taking Covid-19 test 'out of an abundance of caution'

Rebecca Shabadis in Washington, D.C.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Friday that she has been tested for Covid-19 and is awaiting results.

"This is tragic, it's very sad, but it also is something that, again, going into crowds unmasked and all the rest is sort of a brazen invitation for something like this to happen. It's sad that it did, but nonetheless hopeful that it will be a transition to a saner approach to what this virus is all about," Pelosi said on MSNBC's "Live with Stephanie Ruhle."

Asked if the White House has contacted her about the continuity of government since the House speaker is third in line to the presidency after the vice president, Pelosi said they haven't, but she noted that Vice President Mike Pence tested negative Friday.

Out of an abundance of caution, Pelosi said she was tested Friday morning for Covid-19 because of her in-person meetings with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, though his spokesman said that he has tested negative. The speaker said she is awaiting her results, and said that she has concerns about the accuracy of the tests especially because of the current situation at the White House.

Barron Trump tests negative for Covid-19

Barron Trump, the president's 14-year-old son, has tested negative for Covid-19.

"Barron has tested negative and all precautions are being taken to ensure he’s kept safe and healthy," Melania Trump's chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, told NBC News.

Where Trump went the week he was diagnosed with Covid-19

Joe Murphy and The Associated Press

From Ohio to Minnesota to New Jersey, and back to Washington, D.C., the president crisscrossed a chunk of the country this week.

Amy Coney Barrett tests negative for Covid-19

Sally Bronston

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has tested negative for Covid-19, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.

"Judge Barrett was with the President last on Saturday when she was nominated," Deere said. "Judge Barrett is tested daily for COVID-19—she has tested negative."

He added, "She is following CDC guidance and best practices, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and frequently washes hands."

RNC chair tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday

Jesse Rodriguez

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

"After a member of her family tested positive for COVID-19, the Chairwoman was tested for the virus," an RNC spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. "On Wednesday afternoon, she got confirmation she was COVID-19 positive. She has been at her home in Michigan since last Saturday.”

Shocked markets swoon on fresh uncertainty

Major indices fell at the opening bell Friday morning after President Donald Trump's diagnosis injected fresh uncertainty into the forecast, driving investors to sell off shares and move to safe haven assets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by around 375 points, the S&P 500 dropped nearly 1.5 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell by over 1.7 percent.

Assets seen as safe havens during volatility rallied, with the dollar and yen rising. Gold initially rose but pared gains to trade at $1,907. Crude oil fell to $37 a barrel.

“The news came as a shock to investors and the uncertainty of what lay next was quickly priced into markets,” wrote Peter Essele, Head of Portfolio Management for Commonwealth Financial Network, in an email.

“It seems reasonable to assume that markets will be on shaky ground throughout October with the perfect storm of a highly contentious election and a pandemic that remains stubbornly at the forefront," Essele said.

But the losses could also be short lived. Trump's positive Covid-19 test could spur action on deadlocked bills to inject new rounds of coronavirus stimulus, according to Jamie Cox, Managing Partner for Harris Financial Group.

Trump experiencing 'mild symptoms' after testing positive for Covid-19

Trump is experiencing "mild symptoms" on Friday after testing positive for Covid-19 overnight, according to a White House official.

It's unclear when he first contracted the virus but he has attended multiple campaign events in recent days, including Tuesday's debate and a fundraiser in New Jersey on Thursday.

The official, who says Trump is "in good spirits," said there are discussions within the White House about whether the president will address the American public in some form on Friday. No final decision has been made. 

Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner test negative for Covid-19

From masks to disinfectants: Trump's coronavirus theories

President Donald Trump, who played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic for months, said early Friday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for Covid-19 and were going into isolation, potentially upending the race for the White House.

The number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. remains among the highest in the world, with Trump joining some seven million Americans who have tested positive, so far.

Here are several times that the president downplayed or endorsed theories dismissing the severity of the deadly pandemic.

Biden campaign says Trump team did not alert them about president's diagnosis

Marianna Sotomayor and Mike Memoli

Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign has reached out to Joe Biden about Trump's diagnosis after the two appeared on the debate stage together on Tuesday, two Biden officials told NBC News.

Multiple Biden officials are expressing concern and frustration that Trump staffers and family members, many of whom took their maks off inside the debate hall, could have exposed so many people on Tuesday night.

Biden will get tested for Covid-19 on Friday, as will Jill Biden and campaign staff members who were at the debate on Tuesday.

Biden was scheduled to be in Michigan with multiple stops in Grand Rapids on Friday, including an event on the economy at a union facility and later a voter "mobilization” event with local Democrats. No decision has been made yet about whether he will still travel from Delaware.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tests negative for coronavirus

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tested negative for Covid-19 Friday morning, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson.

Secretary Mnuchin "tested negative for Covid-19 this morning and will continue to be tested daily," the department's spokesperson Monica Crowley said in a tweet.

Mnuchin, who has frequently been seen wearing a mask, has been heavily involved in talks with lawmakers to try to pass the latest round of coronavirus relief.

Biden wishes Trump, first lady a 'swift recovery'

Barr to get tested for Covid-19 after seeing Trump this weekend

Michael Kosnar

Attorney General William Barr will get tested for Covid-19 out of an abundance of caution, according to a Justice Department spokesperson.

The last time Barr was with Trump was Saturday at the reception announcing Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination. He is not experiencing any symptoms, the spokesman said.

Pence, who tested negative, interacted with Trump earlier this week

The last known public contact between Pence and Trump appeared to be an outdoor Rose Garden event on Monday. But at a campaign event in Lititz, Pennsylvania on Tuesday ahead of the presidential debate, Pence told an indoor crowd of supporters that he had spoken with the president in the Oval Office earlier that day.

"It's gonna be a great night. I can tell you, I left the president earlier today in the Oval Office and he's ready," Pence said Tuesday to a large crowd of mostly maskless supporters.

Read more on the VP's negative diagnosis here.

Chris Christie says no masks during Trump debate prep

Alana Satlin

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who helped Trump prepare for Tuesday's presidential debate, said that "no one" was wearing masks in the room during preparations. 

"No one was wearing masks in the room when we were prepping the president," he told ABC's "Good Morning America," adding that he "feels fine" and is not showing any signs of Covid-19. 

He said on Twitter later Friday morning that he was tested for the virus on Tuesday and again on Friday morning and is waiting on his results.

Christie was one of many people who were in close contact with the president in the days leading to his Covid-19 diagnosis. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, also assisted with debate prep.

Lewandowski was at Wednesday fundraiser with president

Natalia Abrahams

Corey Lewandowski, who was Trump's campaign manager in 2016, told NBC News he was with the president as recently as Wednesday at a fundraiser in New Jersey.

"It was a private fundraiser where he did take pictures with some individuals," he said. "But those individuals were six feet from the president. So there was no direct interaction with the President. There was no handshaking with the president."

Lewandowski said he tested negative at the time but "I need to get another test done immediately. I think it’s the responsible thing to do."

Lewandowski was supposed to be traveling to Florida with Trump on Friday for another series of campaign events that have now been postponed.

World leaders send Trump best wishes after Covid diagnosis

Luke Denne

The United Kingdom, Russia and Israel were just some of the nations to wish President Donald Trump well after his shock diagnosis with coronavirus.

The head of the World Health Organization, a frequent target of criticism from Trump for its handling of the pandemic, also sent his best wishes.=

Read more

Read the White House physician's letter on Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis

NBC News

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley wrote in a letter published overnight: "Both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

He said they would stay in isolation at the White House during their convalescence. 

Read the full letter here

Boris Johnson shows what happens when a world leader gets Covid-19

LONDON — As news of President Donald Trump's shock diagnosis with Covid-19 spread Friday, the experience of United Kingdom Prime Minster Boris Johnson, who tested positive six months ago, could offer a clue to what might come next.

Johnson, 55, announced on March 27, at the height of the pandemic in the U.K., that he was suffering "mild" symptoms and would self-isolate while continuing to work. He was thought to be the first world leader confirmed to have contracted Covid-19 — so what happened next?Read more

Pence, second lady test negative for Covid-19

Bipartisan 'get well soon' wishes for Trump, but some Democrats send pointed message

Rebecca Shabadis in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Messages for a quick recovery began flooding in Friday, following the news that President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19.

Both Democrats and Republicans offered prayers and wishes of "get well soon" to the president and his wife, but some Democrats openly wondered whether contracting coronavirus would change Trump's outlook on the pandemic.

Read more

Trump joins club of world leaders diagnosed with the coronavirus

Trump is far from the first world leader to contract coronavirus. Britain's Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro are among the figures to have tested positive.

Read more.

Trump, first lady test positive for coronavirus

Dartunorro Clark

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, he announced on Twitter early Friday.

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" Trump, 74, tweeted.

Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, said, "The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence."

The announcement immediately throws into question the nature of the remaining 32 days of the campaign, including the remaining two presidential debates. The next one is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami.

Read more