U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (R) and his wife Karen Pence join Trump administration officials on stage after President Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence have both tested negative for the coronavirus, Pence’s spokesman said Friday, hours after President Donald Trump announced he and the first lady tested positive.
“As has been routine for months, Vice President Pence is tested for COVID-19 every day,” said Devin O’Malley, the vice president’s press secretary, in a tweet.
“This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery,” O’Malley tweeted.
The vice president is next in line to the presidency, followed by the speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, and Senate president pro tempore, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Trump, in a tweet sent after midnight, announced he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the virus and that they would begin a “quarantine and recovery process immediately.”
Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, said in a memo shared by White House officials that “The President and First Lady are both well at this time.”
“Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruptions while recovering,” Conley said.
On Thursday evening, media outlets reported that Hope Hicks, one of Trump’s top aides, had tested positive for Covid-19. Hicks had tested positive Thursday morning, after she began showing symptoms Wednesday evening, NBC News reported. She had reportedly quarantined on Air Force One late Wednesday as the president flew back to Washington, D.C., from a campaign event in Minnesota.
Trump himself confirmed Hicks’ diagnosis in an interview Thursday night with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“She did test positive. She is a hard worker, a lot of masks, she wears masks a lot. She tested positive. I just went out with the test, we will see,” Trump said. “We spend a lot of time, the first lady just went and got a test also. Whether we quarantine, whether we have, we don’t know.”
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