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[Stream HISTORY](https://play.history.com/) [Try](https://www.historyvault.com/?cmpid=HV_O_Site_H_CTA_TryHISTORYVault) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement  OCT02 OCT02 Choose another date OK October | | | | | | | | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | By: HISTORY.com Editors 2020 # President Trump announces he and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19 [HISTORY.com Editors](https://www.history.com/authors/history) Published: August 31, 2021 Last Updated: May 28, 2025 Amid a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic, President [Donald Trump](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/donald-trump) announces that he and First Lady [Melania Trump](https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/melania-trump) have [tested positive](https://www.npr.org/sections/latest-updates-trump-covid-19-results/2020/10/03/919898777/timeline-what-we-know-of-president-trumps-covid-19-diagnosis) for [COVID-19](https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/covid-19-pandemic) in an early-morning tweet on October 2, 2020. Coming a week after a White House gathering celebrating his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and 48 hours after his first debate against Democratic presidential nominee [Joe Biden](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/joe-biden), Trump’s announcement precipitates several days of uncertainty in Washington and around the country. When news broke that Hope Hicks, one of Trump’s advisors, had tested positive, speculation swirled that Trump and the First Family could have contracted the virus. Around 1 a.m. on October 2, Trump confirmed his diagnosis, tweeting “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” Advertisement Settings Quality Playback speed Quality Playback speed ## Being President Is... What is it like to be the president of the United States? Find out what it's like to occupy the most important seat in the free world. 0:57m watch Although Trump's aides downplayed seriousness of his condition, even from others in the West Wing, the president became seriously ill. Later reporting revealed the president's blood oxygen levels had dropped dangerously. Doctors warned that, at age 74 and medically obese, Trump was considered to be at very high risk. Trump was taken by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later in the day on October 2, a Friday. He was given a then-[experimental treatment of monoclonal antibodies](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/health/trump-antibody-treatment.html) and an antiviral drug drug called Remdisivir, as well as steroids to address inflammation in his lungs. He remained at Walter Reed over the weekend. Trump returned to the White House on Monday. COVID cases in the United States continued to climb following Trump’s recovery from the virus. By May 2022, the nation reached a grim milestone as more than [one million people in the United States had died](https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/05/us/covid-million-us-deaths/) from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Advertisement Timeline Also on This Day in History Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 2nd [1780Benedict Arnold accomplice hanged Thirty-year-old British Major John Andre is hanged as a spy by U.S. military forces in Tappan, New York, on October 2, 1780. Andre, an accomplice of Benedict Arnold, had been captured by Patriots John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart on September 23 after they found incriminating papers in his boot. The papers revealed \[…\] 1:40m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/benedict-accomplice-hanged) [1835First shots of the Texas Revolution fired in the Battle of Gonzales On October 2, 1835, the growing tensions between Mexico and Texas erupt into violence when Mexican soldiers attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, sparking the Texan war for independence. Texas—or Tejas as the Mexicans called it—had been a part of the Spanish empire since the 17th century. However, even as late as the 1820s, \[…\] 1:34m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/first-shots-of-the-texas-revolution-fired-in-the-battle-of-gonzales) [1919Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke President Woodrow Wilson, who had just cut short a tour of the country to promote the formation of the League of Nations, suffers a stroke on October 2, 1919. The tour’s intense schedule—8,000 miles in 22 days—cost Wilson his health. He suffered constant headaches during the tour, finally collapsing from exhaustion in Pueblo, Colorado, in late \[…\] 1:32m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/woodrow-wilson-suffers-a-stroke) [1941Operation Typhoon is launched On October 2, 1941, the Germans begin Operation Typhoon, their surge to Moscow, led by the 1st Army Group and Gen. Fedor von Bock. Russian peasants in the path of Hitler’s army employ a “scorched-earth” policy. Hitler’s forces had invaded the Soviet Union in June, and early on it had become one relentless push inside \[…\]](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/operation-typhoon-is-launched) [1944General Eisenhower warns of the risk of “shell shock” On October 2, 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower distributes to his combat units a report by the U.S. Surgeon General that reveals the hazards of prolonged exposure to combat. “\[T\]he danger of being killed or maimed imposes a strain so great that it causes men to break down. One look at the shrunken, apathetic faces \[…\] 1:04m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/ike-warns-of-the-risk-of-shell-shock) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [1944Warsaw Uprising ends The Warsaw Uprising ends on October 2, 1944, with the surrender of the surviving Polish rebels to German forces. Two months earlier, the approach of the Red Army to Warsaw prompted Polish resistance forces to launch a rebellion against the Nazi occupation. The rebels, who supported the democratic Polish government-in-exile in London, hoped to gain \[…\] 1:10m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/warsaw-uprising-ends) [1958Guinea gains its independence, exploits Cold War tensions The former French colony of Guinea declares its independence on October 2, 1958, with Sekou Toure as the new nation’s first leader. Guinea was the sole French West African colony to opt for complete independence, rather than membership in the French Community, and soon thereafter France withdrew all aid to the new republic. It soon \[…\]](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/the-cold-war-comes-to-africa-as-guinea-gains-its-independence) [1965Gatorade first tested in a college football game On October 2, 1965, during a football game between the University of Florida Gators and the Louisiana State University Tigers, UF players test a newly concocted sports drink to help them regain the essential chemicals their bodies lose from profuse sweating. Developed in their own school’s science labs, the drink is designed to fight dehydration, \[…\] 1:36m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/gatorade-sports-drinks-inventions) [1967Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first Black Supreme Court justice Chief Justice Earl Warren swears in Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. As chief counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the 1940s and ’50s, Marshall was the architect and executor of the legal strategy that ended the era of official racial segregation. The \[…\]](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/thurgood-marshall-sworn-in) [1985Hollywood icon Rock Hudson dies of AIDS Actor Rock Hudson, 59, becomes the first major U.S. celebrity to die of complications from AIDS. 1:30m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/hollywood-icon-rock-hudson-dies-of-aids) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [2006Gunman kills five students at Amish school On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts enters the West Nickel Mines Amish School in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, where he fatally shoots five female students and wounds five more before turning his gun on himself and dying by suicide. Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk truck driver from a nearby town, entered the one-room schoolhouse \[…\] 1:36m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/gunman-kills-five-students-at-amish-school) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ## Related [ U.S. Presidents 237 videos](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/videos)  [U.S. Presidents](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents) [9 Presidential Pets That Won Americans’ Hearts](https://www.history.com/articles/9-presidential-pets) As the famous saying goes, 'If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.'  [U.S. Presidents](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents) [Where Did George Washington Live During His Presidency?](https://www.history.com/articles/did-george-washington-live-in-the-white-house) George Washington is the only U.S. president who hasn’t lived at the White House.  [U.S. Presidents](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents) [How Are Electoral College Electors Chosen?](https://www.history.com/articles/electors-chosen-electoral-college) Despite the important role of the Electoral College, the Constitution doesn’t say much about the electors themselves. [See More](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents) ## About the author [HISTORY.com Editors](https://www.history.com/authors/history) [HISTORY.com](http://history.com/) works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including [Amanda Onion](https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion), [Missy Sullivan](https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan), Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica. ## Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. ## Citation Information Article Title President Trump announces he and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19 Author [HISTORY.com Editors](https://www.history.com/authors/history) Website Name History URL <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-2/trump-tests-positive-for-covid-19> Date Accessed April 10, 2026 Publisher A\&E Television Networks Last Updated May 28, 2025 Original Published Date August 31, 2021 [](https://www.aegm.com/) [](https://www.history.com/) [HISTORY Education](https://www.history.com/classroom)[HISTORY Vault™](https://www.historyvault.com/)[HISTORY Apps](https://www.history.com/apps)[HISTORY2™](https://www.aegm.com/brands/h2)[HISTORY en Español®](https://www.history.com/espanol/schedule)[Military HISTORY®](https://www.history.com/military/schedule)[Newsletter Sign Up](https://www.history.com/emails/sign-up)[Share Your Opinions](https://www.historymakerscommunity.com/h/s2/6l5AHktZNpjKXtYEIG2pJX)[FAQ / Contact Us](https://support.history.com/hc/en-us) [Advertise with Us](https://adsales.aegm.com/)[A+E Factual Studios™](https://www.aefactualstudios.com/)[A+E Studios®](https://www.aegm.com/divisions/ae-studios)[Employment Opportunities](https://www.aegm.com/careers)[Accessibility Support](https://www.aegm.com/accessibility-support)[TV Parental Guidelines](https://www.aegm.com/guidelines) [](https://www.aetv.com/)[](https://www.mylifetime.com/)[](https://www.mylifetime.com/lmn)[](https://www.fyi.tv/)[](https://www.vicetv.com/en_us) [](https://www.history.com/leaving-ae/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biography.com%2F)[](https://www.crimeandinvestigationnetwork.com/schedule)[](https://www.mylifetime.com/lrw/schedule) [Advertise with Us](https://adsales.aegm.com/)[A+E Factual Studios™](https://www.aefactualstudios.com/)[A+E Studios®](https://www.aegm.com/divisions/ae-studios)[Employment Opportunities](https://www.aegm.com/careers)[Accessibility Support](https://www.aegm.com/accessibility-support)[TV Parental Guidelines](https://www.aegm.com/guidelines) © 2026, A\&E Television Networks, LLC. 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Amid a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic, President [Donald Trump](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/donald-trump) announces that he and First Lady [Melania Trump](https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/melania-trump) have [tested positive](https://www.npr.org/sections/latest-updates-trump-covid-19-results/2020/10/03/919898777/timeline-what-we-know-of-president-trumps-covid-19-diagnosis) for [COVID-19](https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/covid-19-pandemic) in an early-morning tweet on October 2, 2020. Coming a week after a White House gathering celebrating his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and 48 hours after his first debate against Democratic presidential nominee [Joe Biden](https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/joe-biden), Trump’s announcement precipitates several days of uncertainty in Washington and around the country. When news broke that Hope Hicks, one of Trump’s advisors, had tested positive, speculation swirled that Trump and the First Family could have contracted the virus. Around 1 a.m. on October 2, Trump confirmed his diagnosis, tweeting “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”