President Trump's announcement that he and first lady Melania have tested positive for the coronavirus, after word that Senior White House adviser Hope Hicks tested positive, has set off a domino effect of COVID tests for his cabinet and close advisers. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have tested negative. But RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has tested positive, and is reportedly quarantining in her Michigan home and experiencing mild symptoms.
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.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 2, 2020
“After a member of her family tested positive for COVID-19, the chairwoman was tested for the virus,” RNC spokesman Steve Guest confirmed for Fox News. “On Wednesday afternoon, she got confirmation she was COVID-19 positive.”
“She has been at her home in Michigan since last Saturday,” Guest added.
Prominent leaders are wishing her a speedy recovery.
Prayers going up for @GOPChairwoman. She is one of the hardest working moms I know. Wishing you a speedy recovery. ??????
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 2, 2020
President Trump is also reportedly experiencing mild symptoms, and has a scaled down work schedule today. At 74 years old, he is in a high risk group for the virus. While there's been plenty of callous, hate-filled responses from the worst corners of social media, there have been well wishes have been pouring in from both sides of the political aisle, including from some of the president's loudest critics.
Trump is now one of a few world leaders to contract the virus. Others include British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose diagnosis landed him in the intensive care unit for a few days, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.