The coronavirus continues to rage through President Donald Trump’s inner circle and high-level Republican politics.
Trump is hospitalised after testing positive for the virus. He and first lady Melania Trump announced their results Friday after appearing at a slew of events this week, including a presidential debate, a fundraiser at his Bedminster resort and a White House Rose Garden ceremony to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Many people who attended these events, including top Republican senators, have also tested positive for the virus this week.
Trump is one of the more than 7.3 million Americans who have contracted the coronavirus since Chinese officials implemented the first coronavirus lockdown in the city of Wuhan in January. More than 208,000 Americans have died from the disease, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
HuffPost reporters are tracking Trump’s progress and the outbreaks stemming from events at which he appeared in the last week.
Read the latest updates below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern. For earlier updates on the pandemic, go here.)
Trump Leaves Hospital To Surprise Supporters Outside Walter Reed — 10/04/20, 5:50 p.m. ET
Despite his sickness and infection, Trump decided to surprise his supporters gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as he recovers from the novel coronavirus.
Early Sunday evening, Trump tweeted a video message to his followers saying that he was “going to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots out on the street.”
Shortly after, reporters tweeted videos of Trump wearing a mask and waving from the back of a black SUV with a driver and passenger in the front seats wearing personal protective equipment.
Trump has spent the last three days at Walter Reed after he and first lady Melania Trump contracted the virus.
Earlier Sunday, a White House doctor said Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped below normal to 93% twice on Saturday.
— Carla Russo
New Jersey Health Officials Say At Least 206 Trump Fundraiser Guests Possibly Exposed To COVID-19 — 10/04/20, 4:40 p.m. ET
New Jersey health officials said Sunday that more than 200 guests may have been exposed to COVID-19 during President Donald Trump’s campaign fundraiser on Thursday, just hours before the administration announced his diagnosis.
The state’s Department of Health tweeted that it has finally received enough information to contact trace those who attended the high-dollar event at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. The White House supplied New Jersey officials with the names of at least 206 individuals, not including staff working at the golf course.
Previously, reports said that Trump had come into contact with 100 people at the fundraiser and seemed “lethargic,” a common symptom of the virus. A senior aide to Gov. Phil Murphy (D) told HuffPost on Friday afternoon that the state was still waiting for the full roster of everyone who attended the event.
Health officials said they’re reaching out to the attendees to make them aware of potential Covid-19 exposure, and recommending that the individuals self-monitor for any symptoms and quarantine if they were in close contact with Trump, who is currently hospitalised due to the virus. Health officials in Somerset County are interviewing club staff to assess how much contact they had with Trump and his staff, and providing appropriate health recommendations.
“The contact tracing process is ongoing. Attendees that are seeking a test should consider waiting at least 5-7 days from the event. While the risk is low, a negative test earlier than that time cannot definitively rule out that COVID-19 will not develop,” the state’s Health Department tweeted on Sunday. “Those who are concerned that they were in close contact should quarantine for 14 days. New Jersey officials have been informed that the federal government is also conducting contact tracing.”
— Sanjana Karanth
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, on Sunday tested negative again for the coronavirus days after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump revealed they contracted the virus, the vice president’s office reported.
The Trump campaign has said Pence, who is tested daily for the virus, will continue to campaign following Trump’s hospitalisation on Friday.
Pence is scheduled to face off against Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
— Hayley Miller
Trump’s Condition Improving Despite Blood Oxygen Level Dipping Twice, W.H. Doctor Says — 10/04/2020, 12:25 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s blood oxygen level twice dipped below 95% — an important threshold — including a transient dip to 93% on Saturday, White House physician Sean Conley said Sunday.
A normal blood oxygen level ― which indicates the oxygen saturation of someone’s blood ― usually ranges from 95% to 100%, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In response to the second blood oxygen level drop, Trump’s medical team administered dexamethasone, a steroid that has been shown to save the lives of people seriously ill with COVID-19 in a clinical trial.
Despite the transient blood oxygen level drops, Trump’s doctors said during a news conference Sunday that the president is doing “very well.” Conley said he hopes to discharge Trump “as early as tomorrow.””
Read more here.
— Hayley Miller
Trump To Remain Hospitalised For ‘A Period Of Time,’ White House Aide Says — 10/04/20, 10:55 a.m. ET
President Trump feels “very well” but will likely remain hospitalised for “a period of time” following his coronavirus diagnosis, national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday.
“I think he’s going to stay at [Water Reed National Military Medical Center] for at least another period of time,” O’Brien said during an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”
“Day 7 and 8 are the critical days,” he added, referring to the timeline of Trump’s infection. “I think the doctors want to make sure they’re there for the president.”
Trump and his doctors said Saturday that the president is feeling well and is continuing to govern from the hospital. Trump’s condition caused his aides to be “very concerned” on Friday as the president suffered a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.
Trump is not yet “out of the woods” but doctors are “cautiously optimistic” about his recovery, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a statement late Saturday.
— Hayley Miller
Trump ‘Governing Actively’ During Day 3 Of Hospital Stay, Campaign Adviser Says — 10/04/20, 9:45 a.m. ET
President Trump is “doing well” and “governing actively” as he heads into the third day of being hospitalisation after contracting the coronavirus, Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes told “Fox News Sunday.”
Cortes on Sunday defended members of Trump’s family who refused to wear masks during Tuesday’s presidential debate. Attendees of the event were required to wear masks, per rules agreed upon by both the Trump and Biden campaigns ahead of the debate.
First lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump entered the debate hall wearing masks but took them off after being seated. An official from the Cleveland Clinic, the health security adviser for the debates, reminded the Trumps of the mask policy, but they still refused to wear them.
“We believe in masks,” Cortes said Sunday. “We also believe in some element of individual choice. People were distanced and they had been tested.”
But host Chris Wallace pushed back: “No, Steve, they weren’t distanced, and there were rules, and there was no freedom of choice. They broke the rules.”
Trump announced he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus early Friday morning.
— Hayley Miller
Trump’s doctors were “very concerned” about the president on Friday when he had a fever and his blood oxygen level “had dropped rapidly,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro on Saturday.
“The doctors said he’s not out of the woods the next 48 hours or so,” Meadows said. “But he’s made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning when I know a number of us ― the doctor and I ― were very concerned.”
He added: “The biggest thing that we see is, with no fever now and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation level. Yesterday morning, we were real concerned with that he had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly.”
Trump had a fever of 103 degrees and experienced heart palpitations on Friday night, Vanity Fair reported Saturday, citing sources familiar with his condition. The heart palpitations may have been a side effect of the experimental antibody treatment Trump received, the magazine said.
― Hayley Miller
White House aide Nick Luna has tested positive for Covid-19, extending the list of people in Trump’s inner circle who have contracted the coronavirus, Bloomberg News reported Saturday.
Luna, who serves as a personal attendant to Trump and runs Oval Office operations, accompanied Trump on his trip to Cleveland for the presidential debate on Tuesday and also travelled with Trump aboard Air Force One to his rally in Minnesota on Wednesday.
― Hayley Miller
Trump Reportedly Experienced Heart Palpitations And High Fever On Friday Night — 10/03/20, 8:10 p.m. ET
Trump had a fever of 103 degrees and experienced heart palpitations on Friday night, Vanity Fair reported Saturday, citing sources familiar with his condition.
The heart palpitations may have been a side effect of the experimental antibody treatment Trump received, the magazine said. Trump’s doctors said earlier the president had received “special antibody therapy” following his COVID-19 diagnosis.
— Dominique Mosbergen
In a video message from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he’s undergoing treatment, Trump thanked the medical staff at the hospital and said he was feeling “better.”
“I came here, wasn’t feeling so well,” he said in the video, which he posted to his Twitter account on Saturday. “I feel much better now. We’re working hard to get me all the way back.”
Trump added that he wasn’t out of the woods just yet, noting the “real test” is what happens over the next few days.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Checks Himself Into Hospital After COVID-19 Diagnosis — 10/03/20, 6:05 p.m. ET
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — President Donald Trump’s ally who announced on Twitter Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 — said in a follow-up tweet that he checked himself into Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey, as a “precautionary measure.”
Christie said he was “feeling good” and only had “mild symptoms” but decided to go to the hospital because of his history of asthma.
— Dominique Mosbergen
White House Says Trump Went Through ‘Very Concerning’ Period After COVID-19 Diagnosis — 10/03/20, 2:35 p.m. ET
Contradicting the rosy picture painted by President Donald Trump’s doctors about the president’s health, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday that Trump went through a “very concerning” period after his Covid-19 diagnosis was revealed on Friday.
Meadows said the next 48 hours will be critical for the president’s care.
Trump is currently undergoing treatment for the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t plan to quarantine after coming into contact with multiple people in President Donald Trump’s orbit who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Barr tested negative for the virus on Friday but has been in close contact with several White House staffers who tested positive.
— Sebastian Murdock
President Donald Trump was given supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before he went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a source told The Associated Press.
In a news conference Saturday, doctors treating Trump would not clearly answer whether or not Trump was given oxygen but said he was not currently on oxygen and was breathing normally.
— Sebastian Murdock
Many of the top officials coming down with COVID-19 are linked to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nomination event in the White House Rose Garden, including first lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and former senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.
But not all of them were there. Top White House aide Hope Hicks, for example, began displaying symptoms shortly before a campaign rally Trump held Wednesday in Minnesota. She traveled with the president aboard Air Force One and was quarantined in the plane on the ride back before getting tested.
Find a list of the people in Trump’s orbit who recently tested positive for the virus here.
— Sara Boboltz
The White House pool, the group of reporters who follow President Donald Trump throughout the day, passed along a statement on the president’s health from a source on background:
“The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
— Paige Lavender
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19,” Christie wrote in a tweet Saturday. “I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.”
Christie attended a White House event on Sept. 26, when President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Video showed that he and others in the Rose Garden mingled without masks during the event.
Christie also interacted with Trump during debate preparation last week.
— Sebastian Murdock
Doctor Says Trump Is ‘72 Hours’ Into Diagnosis, Contradicting The President — 10/3/20, 11:55 a.m. ET
Dr. Sean Conley, President Donald Trump’s physician, said in a news conference Saturday that he is doing “very well” 72 hours into his diagnosis.
That timeline means Trump was positive as early as Wednesday. Trump attended campaign events on Thursday and did not disclose that he and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19 until early Friday morning.
Another doctor said Trump received an antibody therapy about 48 hours ago, which would be Thursday morning.
The physicians also did not disclose if Trump was on oxygen at any point this week, saying only that he is not currently on oxygen or having difficulty breathing.
Conley said the medical team assisting with Trump’s care is “extremely happy” with his progress, noting the president’s “mild cough, fatigue and nasal congestion” are improving. He said Trump has been fever-free for more than 24 hours.
— Paige Lavender
Secret Service Agents Reportedly Frustrated With Trump Putting Them At Risk — 10/3/20, 11:35 a.m. ET
Members of the Secret Service — who rarely speak critically of the presidents they serve — reportedly expressed “anger and frustration” to colleagues Friday, worried that President Donald Trump’s actions have put them at risk of contracting the coronavirus, too.
“He’s never cared about us,” one agent told a friend, who spoke to The Washington Post.
Another agent reportedly said, “This administration doesn’t care about the Secret Service. It’s so obvious.”
Secret Service agents complained about not being tested for the virus after returning from rallies with the president in recent weeks, the Post reported. Trump held three rallies in the days leading up to his positive test result.— Sara Boboltz
Pences Test Negative Again — 10/3/20, 10:51 a.m. ET
White House officials said Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen both tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday morning, according to Fox News.
— Paige Lavender
Dr. Sean Conley will speak from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president is currently hospitalised, to give an update on Trump’s condition at 11 a.m. ET.
—Paige Lavender
Trump’s presidential campaign announced Friday afternoon that “all previously announced campaign events involving the President’s participation are in the process of being moved to virtual events or are being temporarily postponed.” Trump had already cancelled a scheduled rally in Florida Friday night.
In addition, any events involving the president’s immediate family will also be “temporarily postponed,” and campaign events in general “will be considered on a case-by-case basis,” Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.
— Marina Fang
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, have both tested negative for the coronavirus, their physician said Friday.
— Marina Fang
- Get the latest coronavirus updates here.
- What will life be like once a coronavirus vaccine arrives?
- Everything you need to know about face masks right now.
- What should you still be disinfecting to prevent COVID-19?
- Is it possible you had coronavirus earlier this year?
- Constantly arguing with your partner about coronavirus risks? You are not alone.
Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today.