Both Trump and Hope Hicks Showed COVID-19 Symptoms on Wednesday
White House Knew of Hope Hicks’ Diagnosis & That She Had Exposed Trump as President Left for Bedminster, NJ Fundraiser on Thursday
Trump Did Not Follow CDC Guidelines About Self-Quarantining After Feeling Ill on Wednesday or Learning About Hicks’ Positive Test on Thursday
Instead, Trump Willfully and Recklessly Exposed Thousands of People to the Deadly Virus at Events for Two Days
Instead of Alerting The Public, White House Tried to Hide Hicks’ Positive Test From Public Until Bloomberg Broke the Story
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel Kept Positive Test a Secret Despite Meeting With President Trump Last Friday
President Trump has spent months downplaying the virus, despite knowing that it was highly contagious and extremely deadly. So it’s no surprise that all signs suggest President Trump went to great lengths to hide a massive outbreak of the virus among himself and his closest allies — even as he put the lives of thousands at risk by continuing to attend meetings, campaign events and travel in tight spaces like Air Force One and Marine One without taking any precautions.
Trump began showing symptoms Wednesday night and continued to do events and travel, potentially exposing thousands to the virus in multiple states. Hope Hicks began feeling ill on Wednesday night and tested positive shortly after, confirming that the White House knew that Trump had been exposed. Yet he still attended fundraising events in Bedminster, NJ, and had plans to host super-spreader rallies in “red zone” Wisconsin.
President Trump First Showed Symptoms on Wednesday, Continued to Attend Events and Expose Others Before and After Hicks Tested Positive
Hicks Began Feeling Ill In Minnesota On Wednesday September 30. “After feeling ill in Minnesota, Hicks tested positive for the virus on Thursday.” [Bloomberg, 10/2/20]
Bloomberg Reported That Trump’s Closest Aides Sensed That He Was “Feeling Poorly” On Wednesday. “Some of Trump’s closest aides said they sensed on Wednesday that Trump was feeling poorly but they chalked it up to fatigue from an intense campaign schedule. The president seemed exhausted, one person familiar with the situation said.” [Bloomberg, 10/2/20]
President Trump And Hope Hicks Flew Together On Airforce One Around The Time She Began Experiencing Symptoms. “Hicks, 31, recently traveled on the presidential helicopter, Marine One, and on Air Force One with the president to Cleveland for Tuesday’s debate, along with 20 to 30 aides and family members, and she was seen backstage. Hicks was also on the plane traveling to Trump’s rally in Minnesota on Wednesday night, along with the president’s son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner, and Dan Scavino, another top White House adviser.” [NBC News, 10/1/20]
On Wednesday Evening, Trump Attended A Private Fundraiser At A Home In Shorewood, Minnesota. “Prior to Trump’s rally in Duluth, he attended a private, closed-press fundraiser in Shorewood, Minn., according to KTSP. As of early Friday, it remains unclear who and how many people total attended the event, hosted by Cambria CEO Marty Davis, and what health precautions were taken.” [Duluth News Tribune, 10/2/20]
On Wednesday Evening, President Trump Held A Super Spreader Rally In Duluth, Minnesota, With Thousands Of Supporters And Three Minnesota Congressmen. “Just over a day after hosting a campaign rally attended by thousands in Duluth, Minn., President Donald Trump says he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus. Three Minnesota congressmen were travelling with him in recent days, as Trump rallied with thousands of supporters in Duluth Wednesday, Sept. 30… Three Minnesota Congressmen — U.S. Reps. Jim Hagedorn (CD1), Tom Emmer (CD6) and Pete Stauber (CD8) — traveled on Air Force One with the president from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota, as well as by motorcade. They planned to fly back to D.C. with the president, as well.” [Duluth News Tribune, 10/2/20]
On Thursday Morning, Trump Still Traveled To A Fundraiser At His Golf Club In Bedminster, New Jersey Despite White House Officials Being Aware Hope Hicks Tested Positive For COVID-19. “I’m told a small group of officials were aware Thursday a.m. that Hope Hicks had tested positive. Despite that, President Trump traveled to New Jersey for a fundraiser and his press secretary held a briefing.” [Twitter, @kaitlancollins, 10/2/20]
The White House Knew Of Hicks’ Diagnosis As Marine One Was Taking Off For Bedminster, NJ. “Mark Meadows says the White House learned Hope Hicks tested positive ‘right as Marine One was taking off’ for Trump’s fundraiser in New Jersey. But the trip wasn’t scrapped, and Trump may have exposed attendees.” [Twitter, @Brett_Samuels27, 10/2/20]
On Thursday Evening, Trump Continued To Host The Bedminster Fundraiser, Where He Came In Contact With About 100 People Despite Reports That He Was Showing Symptoms. “The president has had what one person described as cold-like symptoms. At a fund-raiser he attended at his golf club at Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday, where one attendee said the president came in contact with about 100 people, he seemed lethargic.” [New York Times, 10/2/20]
- GOP Donors Are “Panicking” After Being Around President Trump In Bedminster. “GOP donors are panicking after being around President Trump during a fundraiser at his golf course in Bedminster. 30 to 50 donors were close to six feet of the president at the event, most of the interaction was outside.” [Twitter, @schwartzbCNBC, 10/2/20]
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Hosted A Briefing After Hicks Tested Positive. “[Hicks’] positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask.” [New York Times, 10/2/20]
As Of Thursday Afternoon, President Trump Still Had Plans To Attend Rallies In Wisconsin, Where Cases Are Skyrocketing. “Trump moved a Saturday rally to Janesville after La Crosse officials criticized the decision to hold an event in their city, which is considered a ‘red zone’ for the virus by the president’s administration. But the president still plans to hold an event in Green Bay later that day despite calls from officials there to reconsider because of the city’s even higher rate of infection. And as soon as Trump announced the new rally in Janesville, county officials there asked him to cancel it.” [Green Bay Press Gazette, 10/1/20]
Trump Announced Early Friday Morning That He And His Wife Had Both Tested Positive. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” [Twitter, @realDonaldTrump, 10/2/20]
White House Officials Meant to Keep Hicks’ Diagnosis a Secret – Until Bloomberg Broke the News
White House Officials Hoped To Keep Hicks’ Positive Results A Secret. “Early Friday morning, it was still unclear how many other aides who had come into close contact with Mr. Trump had tested positive, but the White House said its medical unit was conducting contact tracing. Top advisers to the president described themselves as in a state of shock and said they expected a number of additional cases among people in Mr. Trump’s orbit. White House officials had hoped to keep the news about Ms. Hicks from becoming public, to no avail.” [New York Times, 10/2/20]
President Trump Only Confirmed That Hope Hicks’ Was COVID-19 Positive After Bloomberg Broke The News. “Only after Bloomberg News reported Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results.” [New York Times, 10/2/20] President Trump Only Acknowledged Hicks’ Diagnosis When The Topic Was Initiated By Sean Hannity. “The coronavirus outbreak at the White House is now the biggest story on the planet, but at 9:49 p.m. Thursday, it was just an aside during President Trump’s phone call with Sean Hannity. The two men were ten minutes into a live chat on Fox News when Hannity said, ‘By the way, some news broke earlier this evening.’ He brought up Bloomberg’s report about Trump aide Hope Hicks testing positive for the disease. ‘Yeah,’ Trump said, not sounding thrilled to talk about it. Hannity asked for an update and Trump’s answer is now preserved for history as his last public statement about the virus before his diagnosis, too, became public.
‘She did test positive. I just heard about this. She tested positive,’ Trump said.” [CNN, 10/2/20]President Trump Was With Ronna Romney McDaniel Last Friday — McDaniel Tested Positive for the Virus the Following Wednesday and Didn’t Share the Results
Ronna Romney McDaniel, Who Was Tested Positive For COVID-19 On Wednesday, Did Not Make Her Diagnosis Public Until Today. “BREAKING – Ronna McDaniel, the RNC chairwoman, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, multiple sources say. She has mild symptoms. She was last with POTUS last Friday and has been in Michigan since then.” [Twitter, @maggieNYT, 10/2/20]