Trump says he is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test after his counselor Hope Hicks tested positive

Hope Hicks
Hope Hicks.
  • Hope Hicks, a White House counselor to President Donald Trump, has tested positive for COVID-19, Bloomberg, The New York Times, and CNN reported Thursday.

  • The reports said Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the first presidential debate Tuesday between him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

  • Trump told Fox News that he has also gotten tested for coronavirus since learning Hicks tested positive and is awaiting the results. "Whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don't know," he said. "We'll see what happens. Who knows."

  • Hicks is one of the closest advisers to Trump's to have tested positive for COVID-19. She has reportedly told some people close to her that she is experiencing symptoms of the disease, according to Bloomberg.

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Hope Hicks, counselor to President Donald Trump, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, sources told Bloomberg News, The New York Times, and CNN on Thursday.

The outlets reported that Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the first debate Tuesday between him and the Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

White House officials have been aware since Wednesday evening that Hicks had the virus, according to The New York Times.

"The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously," White House spokesman Judd Deere told Business Insider.

"White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting Covid-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the president is traveling," he added.

The president told Fox News that he has also gotten tested for coronavirus since learning Hicks tested positive and is awaiting the results. "Whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don't know," he said. "We'll see what happens. Who knows."

According to Bloomberg, Hicks has told people close to her that she is experiencing some symptoms of the disease, which has infected more than 7 million Americans and killed nearly 208,000.

Hicks was not wearing a mask Tuesday when she rode in a staff van with White House adviser Stephen Miller, Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, and some others, Bloomberg reported. Miller and Hicks also reportedly shared an umbrella when they exited Air Force One that day.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, and US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien were all seen deplaning from Air Force One in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, according to Daily Mail reporter Nikki Schwab.

Hicks traveled with Trump to Cleveland, according to CNN, and also attended a Trump rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Hicks is one of several people in the president's orbit who tested positive for COVID-19 the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March.

The US is currently the biggest hotspot for the virus and makes up 20% of global deaths while making up just 4% of the world's population.

This story is breaking. Check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider