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1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa122)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html","crawl_time":1772578460,"first_indexed_time":1601618960,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Advertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\nThe president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”\nPresident Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day.\nCredit...\nErin Schaff\/The New York Times\nPublished Oct. 2, 2020\nUpdated Dec. 31, 2020\nTonight,\n@FLOTUS\nand I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nOctober 2, 2020\nMr. Trump’s positive test result\nposed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all.\nThe White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.”\nAppearances at rallies\nin Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air.\nDuring late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not\nwear masks\nin deference to the president’s disdain for them.\n“The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician,\nsaid in a statement\n, adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.”\nOther aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately.\nImage\nMr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee,  on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate.\nCredit...\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nEven if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was\n“going to disappear,”\nasserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was\n“rounding the corner”\nto the end of the crisis.\nHe has scorned the advice of scientists\n, saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation.\nFor months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.”\nIt was not immediately clear\nwhether Mr. Trump had already been infected\nby the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other.\nTrailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he\naccepted the nomination\non the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks.\nThere is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after\nleaving her position as communications director in 2018\n, and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane.\nHer positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask.\nOnly after\nBloomberg News reported\nMs. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results.\nThe positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals.\nMr. Trump is the latest\nworld leader to become infected\n. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he\nhad to be hospitalized before later recovering\n. Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia.\nBut the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation.\nImage\nMr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn.\nCredit...\nErin Schaff\/The New York Times\nIn his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the\ncoronavirus\n.\nEight out of every 10 deaths\nattributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice.\nHe has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an\nunannounced trip\nto Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed.\nBut while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in\n“very good health”\nlast year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available.\nA variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had\na mild case\nbefore returning to work in August. Others infected include\nKimberly Guilfoyle\n, his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some\nSecret Service agents\n,\ncampaign advance workers\nand a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit.\nHerman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s,\ndied of the coronavirus\nin July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time.\nMr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls.\n“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,”\nhe said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies.\nBehind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects.\nImage\nHope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna.\nCredit...\nTom Brenner for The New York Times\nWhile the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover.\nUnder the\n25th Amendment\n, a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty.\nSince the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007.\nThere is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920.\nFour presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.\nBut such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office.\nA correction was made on\nOct. 3, 2020\n: \nAn earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy.\nPeter Baker\nis the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently \"The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III.\"\nMaggie Haberman\nis a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\nRelated Content\nThe Trump White House\nThe historic moments, head-spinning developments and inside-the-White House intrigue.\nImage by Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times\nCooper Neill for The New York Times\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nMore in Politics\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nHiroko Masuike\/The New York Times\nDoug Mills\/The New York Times\nKaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times\nEditors’ Picks\nEmma McIntyre\/Getty Images\nAlexandre Juillet\/Chamonix-Mont Blanc\nTrending in The Times\nPhoto Illustration by Ioulex for The New York Times\nSara Krulwich\/The New York Times\nVictor Medina\/Reuters\nChristopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.\nPhoto Illustration by Mel Haasch; Grace Cary\/Getty Images\nLiam Kennedy for The New York Times\nBrill\/ullstein bild, via Getty Images\nEric Lee for The New York Times\nAirbus\nTony Luong for The New York Times\nAdvertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F10%252F02%252Fus%252Fpolitics%252Ftrump-covid.html&asset=masthead)\n\nTuesday, March 3, 2026\n\n[Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper)\n\nTrump Administration\n\n- live[Updates](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/trump-news-updates)\n  \n  March 3, 2026, 5:45 p.m. ET9m ago\n- [Embracing Military Power](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-military-power.html)\n- [Labor Dept. Investigation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/politics\/labor-department-secretary-aides-resign.html)\n- [OpenAI-Pentagon Deal](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/technology\/openai-pentagon-deal-amended-surveillance.html)\n- [Trump in Epstein Files](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/25\/us\/politics\/trump-epstein-files.html)\n- [Approval Rating](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/polls\/donald-trump-approval-rating-polls.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#after-top)\n\nSupported by\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#after-sponsor)\n# Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus\nThe president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”\n\n- Share full article\n- 3\\.7k\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/politics\/02dc-virus-trump-sub\/merlin_177879399_b71eae36-09c6-4b20-91bc-172b699f76bb-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day.Credit...Erin Schaff\/The New York Times\n\n[![Peter Baker](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/13\/multimedia\/peter-baker\/peter-baker-thumbLarge-v3.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/peter-baker)[![Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/12\/multimedia\/author-maggie-haberman\/author-maggie-haberman-thumbLarge-v2.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman)\n\nBy [Peter Baker](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/peter-baker) and [Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman)\n\nPublished Oct. 2, 2020Updated Dec. 31, 2020\n\n[Leer en español](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/es\/2020\/10\/02\/espanol\/trump-tiene-coronavirus.html \"Read in Spanish\")\n\n*\\[*[*Read our live updates on President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis*](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/06\/us\/trump-covid-live-updates)*.\\]*\n\nWASHINGTON — President [Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/12\/31\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html) revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady, [Melania Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/01\/us\/politics\/melania-trump-tapes.html), had [tested positive for the coronavirus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/07\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus-blessing.html), throwing the nation’s leadership into uncertainty and escalating the crisis posed by a pandemic that has already [killed more than 207,000](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/us\/coronavirus-us-cases.html) Americans and devastated the economy.\n\n[Mr. Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/08\/business\/media\/trump-biden-debate-virtual.html), who for months has [played down the seriousness of the virus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html) and hours earlier on Thursday night told an audience that “the end of the pandemic is in sight,” will quarantine in the White House for an unspecified period of time, forcing him to withdraw at least temporarily from the campaign trail only 32 days before the [election on Nov. 3](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/trump-vs-biden).\n\nThe dramatic disclosure came in a Twitter message just before 1 a.m. after a suspenseful evening following reports that Mr. Trump’s close [adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/01\/us\/politics\/hope-hicks-coronavirus.html). In her own tweet about 30 minutes later, Mrs. Trump wrote that the first couple were [“feeling good,”](https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLOTUS\/status\/1311900591174680581) but the White House did not say whether they were experiencing symptoms. The president’s physician said he could carry out his duties “without disruption” from the Executive Mansion.\n\n“Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLOTUS\/) and I [tested positive for COVID-19](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-infected-what-we-know.html),” [Mr. Trump tweeted](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1311892190680014849). “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”\n\n> Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 2, 2020](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1311892190680014849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n[Mr. Trump’s positive test result](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/europe\/global-voices-trump-coronavirus-positive.html) posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all.\n\nThe White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.” [Appearances at rallies](https:\/\/www.donaldjtrump.com\/events\/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=djt_web&utm_content=main_menu) in Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air.\n\nDuring late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not [wear masks](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/donald-trump-masks.html) in deference to the president’s disdain for them.\n\n## Editors’ Picks\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/fashion\/1ST-EVERYTHING-IS-SMUT-FRAME\/1ST-EVERYTHING-IS-SMUT-FRAME-thumbLarge-v2.jpg)Are We in a ‘Smut Renaissance’?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/01\/style\/smut-renaissance-heated-rivalry-wuthering-heights.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/22\/multimedia\/22ST-DOMESTIC-PARTNERSHIP-PARTY-01-jmft\/22ST-DOMESTIC-PARTNERSHIP-PARTY-01-jmft-thumbLarge.jpg)Don’t Call It a Wedding. It’s a Domestic Partnership Party.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/01\/style\/domestic-partnership-party.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/08\/arts\/08Myten-Rausch\/08Myten-Rausch-thumbLarge.jpg)After ‘Love Island,’ Rob Rausch Was Wary of ‘The Traitors’](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/28\/arts\/television\/rob-rausch-traitors-love-island.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#after-pp_edpick)\n\nTRUMP’S WEEK\n\n[President Trump interacted with scores of staff members, donors and supporters this week](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html).\n\n“The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, [said in a statement](https:\/\/int.nyt.com\/data\/documenttools\/memo-from-the-white-house-physician\/7f838857c7c6de73\/full.pdf), adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.”\n\nOther aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-2\/merlin_177808863_e41056de-95f2-48a0-a13a-d7217ad3fe2e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\nEven if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was [“going to disappear,”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-town-hall.html) asserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was [“rounding the corner”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-town-hall.html) to the end of the crisis. [He has scorned the advice of scientists](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/16\/us\/politics\/trump-cdc-covid-vaccine.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article), saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation.\n\nFor months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.”\n\nIt was not immediately clear [whether Mr. Trump had already been infected](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html) by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other.\n\n[![]()In Pictures: Trump’s Busy Week Before Testing Positive Oct. 2, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid-week-photos.html)\n\nTrailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he [accepted the nomination](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/08\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-convention-speech-white-house.html) on the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks.\n\nThere is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after [leaving her position as communications director in 2018](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/28\/us\/politics\/hope-hicks-resign-communications-director.html), and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane.\n\nHer positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask.\n\nOnly after [Bloomberg News reported](https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-10-02\/trump-aide-hope-hicks-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-infection) Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results.\n\nThe positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals.\n\nMr. Trump is the latest [world leader to become infected](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/trump-covid-world-leaders.html). Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he [had to be hospitalized before later recovering](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/27\/world\/europe\/coronavirus-britain-boris-johnson.html). Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia.\n\nBut the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-5\/merlin_177879507_b917b074-5549-41d9-8288-365aa39128e8-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn.Credit...Erin Schaff\/The New York Times\n\nIn his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the [coronavirus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/12\/31\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html). [Eight out of every 10 deaths](https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/need-extra-precautions\/older-adults.html) attributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice.\n\nHe has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an [unannounced trip](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/17\/us\/politics\/-trump-annual-physical.html) to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed.\n\nBut while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in [“very good health”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/02\/08\/us\/politics\/trump-health-physical.html) last year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available.\n\n[![]()Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/us\/covid-cases.html)\n\nA variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had [a mild case](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/27\/us\/politics\/robert-obrien-virus.html) before returning to work in August. Others infected include [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/03\/us\/politics\/kimberly-guilfoyle-trump-campaign-coronavirus.html), his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some [Secret Service agents](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/secret-service-coronavirus-trump.html), [campaign advance workers](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/22\/us\/politics\/trump-campaign-coronavirus-tulsa.html) and a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit.\n\nHerman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s, [died of the coronavirus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/30\/us\/politics\/herman-cain-dead.html) in July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time.\n\nMr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls. [“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,”](https:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/news\/politics-and-government\/nevada\/in-exclusive-interview-trump-slams-sisolak-defends-indoor-rally-2121257\/) he said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies.\n\nBehind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-6\/merlin_177854259_a78f1274-8677-42e5-9c45-7384b77e4ab1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna.Credit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times\n\nWhile the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover.\n\nUnder the [25th Amendment](https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/amendment-25), a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty.\n\nSince the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007.\n\nThere is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920.\n\nFour presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.\n\nBut such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office.\n\nThe Coronavirus Pandemic\n\nAn infected president.\n\n[![]()On Monday, Trump Updated the Nation on Virus Strategy. By Friday, He Tested Positive. Oct. 2, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html)\n\n[![]()Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/us\/covid-cases.html)\n\n[![]()White House Rattled by a Military Aide’s Positive Coronavirus Test May 7, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/07\/us\/politics\/coronavirus-white-house-military-aide.html)\n\n[![]()Two White House Coronavirus Cases Raise Question of if Anyone Is Really Safe May 8, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/08\/us\/politics\/white-house-coronavirus-safety.html)\n\n[![]()White House Races to Contain Virus in Its Ranks: ‘It Is Scary to Go to Work’ May 10, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/10\/us\/politics\/white-house-coronavirus-trump.html)\n\n[![]()2 Cafeterias Used by White House Staff Close After Employee Contracts the Virus July 22, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/22\/us\/politics\/white-house-employee-covid-19.html)\n\n**A correction was made on**\n\nOct. 3, 2020\n\n:\n\nAn earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy.\n\n***\nWhen we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at [corrections@nytimes.com](mailto:corrections@nytimes.com).[Learn more](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/explain\/2022\/new-york-times-journalism)\n\n[Peter Baker](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/peter-baker) is the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently \"The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III.\"\n\n[Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\n\nSee more on: [Donald Trump](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/spotlight\/donald-trump), [U.S. Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\nRead 3,723 comments\n\n- Share full article\n- 3\\.7k\n\n***\n## The Latest on the Trump Administration\n***\n- **Gregory Bovino Investigation:** The Department of Homeland Security has opened an internal investigation into a report that Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander, [made disparaging remarks](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/greg-bovino-investigation-dhs.html) about the Jewish faith of the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota during an immigration operation in the state.\n- **Cuts at Veterans Affairs:** The V.A. has [eliminated thousands of medical positions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/politics\/veterans-affairs-nurses-doctors-cut.html) that were left vacant after a wave of resignations and retirements last year, according to a New York Times analysis of internal agency records.\n- **Hiring at U.S.A.I.D.:** The Trump administration is hiring people to help wind down the remnants of the U.S. Agency for International Development after it was gutted last year. There’s just one caveat: [Former staff members need not apply](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/usaid-hiring.html).\n- **Cuba:** President Miguel Díaz-Canel [called for an “urgent” transformation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/world\/americas\/cuba-economy-change-communism.html) of the country’s economic model, according to Cuban state media, as Cuba confronts an oil blockade by the Trump administration that has deepened a humanitarian crisis on the island. And after U.S. military action in Iran and Venezuela, [many Cubans are wondering](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/world\/americas\/iran-attacks-cuba-trump.html) if the administration plans to target their country’s Communist government next.\n- **Sanctions on Rwanda:** The United States [imposed sanctions against Rwanda’s military](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/world\/africa\/rwanda-sanctions-trump-peace-m23.html) as punishment for actions that it said sabotaged a peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda’s government responded by claiming the sanctions unjustly targeted only one party to the conflict and misrepresented the facts.\n- **Trump’s Neck Rash:** President Trump’s physician said in a statement that the president was using a medicated cream as a “preventative” treatment of the skin condition, [which was seen extending out of his shirt collar behind his right ear](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-rash-neck.html). Dr. Barbabella did not say what the skin condition was or what medication Trump was taking.\n***\n**How We Report on the Trump Administration**\n\nHundreds of readers asked about our coverage of the president. Times editors and reporters [responded to some of the most common questions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/06\/insider\/how-the-new-york-times-reports-on-trump.html).\n\n## Related Content\n### [The Trump White House](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/news-event\/donald-trump-white-house)\nThe historic moments, head-spinning developments and inside-the-White House intrigue.\n\n- [Christopher Wray Says He’ll Step Down as F.B.I. Director](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/11\/us\/politics\/wray-trump-fbi-director.html)\n  \n  ![Over more than seven years, Christopher A. Wray oversaw one of the most consequential and tumultuous periods in the F.B.I.’s history.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/12\/06\/multimedia\/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk\/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Image by Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times\n- [Why the Discredited Dossier Does Not Undercut the Russia Investigation](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/01\/us\/trump-russia-investigation-dossier.html)\n  \n  ![Former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters have sought to use the flaws of the dossier to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/11\/30\/us\/politics\/30dc-dossier-explainer\/merlin_190720233_52f28922-65b3-4021-a795-c5033bd4135b-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Cooper Neill for The New York Times\n- [Trump’s Pentagon Chief Quashed Idea to Send 250,000 Troops to the Border](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/19\/us\/politics\/trump-border.html)\n  \n  Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\n### [More in Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n- [Latest Question on Trump’s Health: What Is That Neck Rash?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-rash-neck.html)\n  \n  ![President Trump at the White House on Monday.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02dc-trump-rash-chvj\/02dc-trump-rash-chvj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n- [Seven Takeaways From the Clintons’ Epstein Depositions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/clinton-bill-hillary-epstein-deposition-video.html)\n  \n  ![Hillary Clinton speaking to reporters after her closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee, as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, in Chappaqua, N.Y.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02dc-clinton-qfzt\/02dc-clinton-qfzt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Hiroko Masuike\/The New York Times\n- [As Trump Bashes Spain, the German Chancellor Looks On](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-spain-germany-trade-military.html)\n  \n  ![President Trump with Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Mr. Merz did not object as Mr. Trump rebuked European allies.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03dc-germany-pqfv\/03dc-germany-pqfv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n- [Parents Tried to Shield Their Children From Vaccines. Instead They Got Measles.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/politics\/south-carolina-measles-outbreak-vaccines.html)\n  \n  ![Uptake of the vaccine has been slow, like at this public health fair at The University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, S.C.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03nat-measles-southcarolina-01-kcqv\/03nat-measles-southcarolina-01-kcqv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times\n\n### Editors’ Picks\n- [Are Zendaya and Tom Holland Married?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/style\/zendaya-tom-holland-married.html)\n  \n  ![Husband and wife?](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02ST-ZENDAYA-WEDDING-htcf\/02ST-ZENDAYA-WEDDING-htcf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images\n- [A Crisis in the Alps: Airbnb, Climate Change and Americans](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/travel\/french-alps-problems-overdevelopment-climate-change.html)\n  \n  ![A view over the Chamonix valley from the Balme-Vallorcine ski area. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/25\/multimedia\/25-alps-skiing-development-bvwc\/25-alps-skiing-development-bvwc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Alexandre Juillet\/Chamonix-Mont Blanc\n\n### Trending in The Times\n- [Opinion: The Great Lie of War](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/opinion\/100000010746926\/trumps-head-on-a-pike-foreign-policy.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03eks-vkzt\/03eks-vkzt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Photo Illustration by Ioulex for The New York Times\n- [‘Night Side Songs’ Review: Feel Free to Sing Along](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/theater\/night-side-songs-review.html)\n  \n  ![The new musical “Night Side Songs” features a charming ensemble, from left: Brooke Ishibashi, Robin de Jesús, Jonathan Raviv, Mary Testa and Kris Saint-Louis.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03nightside-fhwp\/03nightside-fhwp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Sara Krulwich\/The New York Times\n- [The Moon Turned Blood Red During a Total Lunar Eclipse](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/science\/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-time-when-tonight.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/02\/multimedia\/02HS-blood-moon-update-01-zftb\/02HS-blood-moon-update-01-zftb-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Victor Medina\/Reuters\n- [For Actually Good Chicken Breast, Try One of Our Top-Rated Recipes](https:\/\/cooking.nytimes.com\/article\/reader-favorite-boneless-chicken-breast-recipes)\n  \n  ![Yasmin Fahr’s honey-garlic chicken breasts.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/multimedia\/27FD-CHICKEN-BREAST-ROUNDUP-honeygarlicchicken-hwbt\/27FD-CHICKEN-BREAST-ROUNDUP-honeygarlicchicken-hwbt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Christopher Testani for The New York Times. 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was instructed to take it out of its case. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/24\/multimedia\/00xp-instruments-widmann\/00xp-instruments-widmann-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Brill\/ullstein bild, via Getty Images\n- [Democrats Denounce Trump’s Iran Attack, but Subtle Divisions Emerge](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/01\/us\/politics\/trump-iran-attack-democratic-divisions.html)\n  \n  ![“We can’t allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon,” said Senator Mark Kelly, who had a more tempered opinion on President Trump’s Iran attack.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/01\/multimedia\/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj\/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Eric Lee for The New York Times\n- [Pakistan Strikes Bagram Air Base, Escalating ‘Open War’ With Taliban](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/world\/asia\/pakistan-bagram-airbase-afghanistan-war.html)\n  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“the end of the pandemic is in sight.”\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/04\/us\/politics\/02dc-virus-trump-sub\/merlin_177879399_b71eae36-09c6-4b20-91bc-172b699f76bb-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day.Credit...Erin Schaff\/The New York Times\n\nPublished Oct. 2, 2020Updated Dec. 31, 2020\n\n> Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 2, 2020](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1311892190680014849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n[Mr. Trump’s positive test result](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/europe\/global-voices-trump-coronavirus-positive.html) posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all.\n\nThe White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.” [Appearances at rallies](https:\/\/www.donaldjtrump.com\/events\/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=djt_web&utm_content=main_menu) in Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air.\n\nDuring late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not [wear masks](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/donald-trump-masks.html) in deference to the president’s disdain for them.\n\n“The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, [said in a statement](https:\/\/int.nyt.com\/data\/documenttools\/memo-from-the-white-house-physician\/7f838857c7c6de73\/full.pdf), adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.”\n\nOther aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-2\/merlin_177808863_e41056de-95f2-48a0-a13a-d7217ad3fe2e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate.Credit...Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\nEven if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was [“going to disappear,”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-town-hall.html) asserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was [“rounding the corner”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-town-hall.html) to the end of the crisis. [He has scorned the advice of scientists](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/16\/us\/politics\/trump-cdc-covid-vaccine.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article), saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation.\n\nFor months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.”\n\nIt was not immediately clear [whether Mr. Trump had already been infected](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html) by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other.\n\nTrailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he [accepted the nomination](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/08\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-convention-speech-white-house.html) on the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks.\n\nThere is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after [leaving her position as communications director in 2018](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/28\/us\/politics\/hope-hicks-resign-communications-director.html), and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane.\n\nHer positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask.\n\nOnly after [Bloomberg News reported](https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-10-02\/trump-aide-hope-hicks-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-infection) Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results.\n\nThe positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals.\n\nMr. Trump is the latest [world leader to become infected](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/trump-covid-world-leaders.html). Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he [had to be hospitalized before later recovering](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/27\/world\/europe\/coronavirus-britain-boris-johnson.html). Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia.\n\nBut the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-5\/merlin_177879507_b917b074-5549-41d9-8288-365aa39128e8-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn.Credit...Erin Schaff\/The New York Times\n\nIn his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the [coronavirus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/12\/31\/us\/politics\/trump-coronavirus.html). [Eight out of every 10 deaths](https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/need-extra-precautions\/older-adults.html) attributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice.\n\nHe has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an [unannounced trip](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/17\/us\/politics\/-trump-annual-physical.html) to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed.\n\nBut while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in [“very good health”](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/02\/08\/us\/politics\/trump-health-physical.html) last year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available.\n\nA variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had [a mild case](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/27\/us\/politics\/robert-obrien-virus.html) before returning to work in August. Others infected include [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/03\/us\/politics\/kimberly-guilfoyle-trump-campaign-coronavirus.html), his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some [Secret Service agents](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/secret-service-coronavirus-trump.html), [campaign advance workers](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/22\/us\/politics\/trump-campaign-coronavirus-tulsa.html) and a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit.\n\nHerman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s, [died of the coronavirus](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/30\/us\/politics\/herman-cain-dead.html) in July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time.\n\nMr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls. [“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,”](https:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/news\/politics-and-government\/nevada\/in-exclusive-interview-trump-slams-sisolak-defends-indoor-rally-2121257\/) he said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies.\n\nBehind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/10\/02\/world\/02dc-virus-trump-6\/merlin_177854259_a78f1274-8677-42e5-9c45-7384b77e4ab1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna.Credit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times\n\nWhile the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover.\n\nUnder the [25th Amendment](https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/constitution-conan\/amendment-25), a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty.\n\nSince the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007.\n\nThere is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920.\n\nFour presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.\n\nBut such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office.\n\n**A correction was made on**\n\nOct. 3, 2020\n\n:\n\nAn earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy.\n\n[Peter Baker](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/peter-baker) is the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently \"The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III.\"\n\n[Maggie Haberman](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia.\n\n## Related Content\n[The Trump White House](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/news-event\/donald-trump-white-house)\n\nThe historic moments, head-spinning developments and inside-the-White House intrigue.\n\n- ![Over more than seven years, Christopher A. Wray oversaw one of the most consequential and tumultuous periods in the F.B.I.’s history.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/12\/06\/multimedia\/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk\/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Image by Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times\n- ![Former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters have sought to use the flaws of the dossier to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/11\/30\/us\/politics\/30dc-dossier-explainer\/merlin_190720233_52f28922-65b3-4021-a795-c5033bd4135b-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Cooper Neill for The New York Times\n- Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n\n[More in Politics](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/politics)\n\n- ![President Trump at the White House on Monday.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02dc-trump-rash-chvj\/02dc-trump-rash-chvj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n- ![Hillary Clinton speaking to reporters after her closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee, as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, in Chappaqua, N.Y.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02dc-clinton-qfzt\/02dc-clinton-qfzt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Hiroko Masuike\/The New York Times\n- ![President Trump with Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Mr. Merz did not object as Mr. Trump rebuked European allies.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03dc-germany-pqfv\/03dc-germany-pqfv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Doug Mills\/The New York Times\n- ![Uptake of the vaccine has been slow, like at this public health fair at The University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, S.C.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03nat-measles-southcarolina-01-kcqv\/03nat-measles-southcarolina-01-kcqv-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times\n\nEditors’ Picks\n\n- ![Husband and wife?](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/02\/multimedia\/02ST-ZENDAYA-WEDDING-htcf\/02ST-ZENDAYA-WEDDING-htcf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images\n- ![A view over the Chamonix valley from the Balme-Vallorcine ski area. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/25\/multimedia\/25-alps-skiing-development-bvwc\/25-alps-skiing-development-bvwc-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Alexandre Juillet\/Chamonix-Mont Blanc\n\nTrending in The Times\n\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03eks-vkzt\/03eks-vkzt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Photo Illustration by Ioulex for The New York Times\n- ![The new musical “Night Side Songs” features a charming ensemble, from left: Brooke Ishibashi, Robin de Jesús, Jonathan Raviv, Mary Testa and Kris Saint-Louis.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/multimedia\/03nightside-fhwp\/03nightside-fhwp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Sara Krulwich\/The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/02\/multimedia\/02HS-blood-moon-update-01-zftb\/02HS-blood-moon-update-01-zftb-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Victor Medina\/Reuters\n- ![Yasmin Fahr’s honey-garlic chicken breasts.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/multimedia\/27FD-CHICKEN-BREAST-ROUNDUP-honeygarlicchicken-hwbt\/27FD-CHICKEN-BREAST-ROUNDUP-honeygarlicchicken-hwbt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/21\/pageoneplus\/21insider-comment\/21insider-comment-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Photo Illustration by Mel Haasch; Grace Cary\/Getty Images\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/multimedia\/27openthread-askvanessa-hwcl\/27openthread-askvanessa-hwcl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Liam Kennedy for The New York Times\n- ![Carolin Widmann was boarding a plane with a Guadagnini violin, made in 1782, when she was instructed to take it out of its case. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/24\/multimedia\/00xp-instruments-widmann\/00xp-instruments-widmann-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Brill\/ullstein bild, via Getty Images\n- ![“We can’t allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon,” said Senator Mark Kelly, who had a more tempered opinion on President Trump’s Iran attack.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/01\/multimedia\/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj\/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Eric Lee for The New York Times\n- ![Destroyed buildings at Bagram Air Base following strikes by Pakistan, seen on satellite imagery captured on Sunday.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/03\/video\/03int-bagram1\/03int-bagram1-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Airbus\n- ![Thanks to his dog, Rumi, Dr. Dhruv Kazi says he spends more time outside and has gotten to know his neighbors — and their dogs.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/multimedia\/WELL-PET-LONGEVITY1-ztjp\/WELL-PET-LONGEVITY1-ztjp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Tony Luong for The New York Times\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-covid.html#after-bottom)","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus - The New York Times
Meta Description	The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”
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Boilerpipe Text	Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.” President Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day. Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times Published Oct. 2, 2020 Updated Dec. 31, 2020 Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020 Mr. Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all. The White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.” Appearances at rallies in Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air. During late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not wear masks in deference to the president’s disdain for them. “The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said in a statement , adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.” Other aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately. Image Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Even if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was “going to disappear,” asserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was “rounding the corner” to the end of the crisis. He has scorned the advice of scientists , saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation. For months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.” It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Trump had already been infected by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other. Trailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he accepted the nomination on the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks. There is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after leaving her position as communications director in 2018 , and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane. Her positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask. Only after Bloomberg News reported Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results. The positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals. Mr. Trump is the latest world leader to become infected . Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he had to be hospitalized before later recovering . Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia. But the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation. Image Mr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn. Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times In his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the coronavirus . Eight out of every 10 deaths attributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice. He has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an unannounced trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed. But while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in “very good health” last year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available. A variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had a mild case before returning to work in August. Others infected include Kimberly Guilfoyle , his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some Secret Service agents , campaign advance workers and a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit. Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s, died of the coronavirus in July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls. “I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,” he said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies. Behind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects. Image Hope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna. Credit... Tom Brenner for The New York Times While the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover. Under the 25th Amendment , a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty. Since the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007. There is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920. Four presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. But such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office. A correction was made on Oct. 3, 2020 : An earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy. Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III." Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. Related Content The Trump White House The historic moments, head-spinning developments and inside-the-White House intrigue. Image by Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times Cooper Neill for The New York Times Doug Mills/The New York Times More in Politics Doug Mills/The New York Times Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Doug Mills/The New York Times Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times Editors’ Picks Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Alexandre Juillet/Chamonix-Mont Blanc Trending in The Times Photo Illustration by Ioulex for The New York Times Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Victor Medina/Reuters Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Photo Illustration by Mel Haasch; Grace Cary/Getty Images Liam Kennedy for The New York Times Brill/ullstein bild, via Getty Images Eric Lee for The New York Times Airbus Tony Luong for The New York Times Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F10%252F02%252Fus%252Fpolitics%252Ftrump-covid.html&asset=masthead) Tuesday, March 3, 2026 [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) Trump Administration - live[Updates](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/03/us/trump-news-updates) March 3, 2026, 5:45 p.m. ET9m ago - [Embracing Military Power](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/trump-military-power.html) - [Labor Dept. Investigation](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/politics/labor-department-secretary-aides-resign.html) - [OpenAI-Pentagon Deal](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/technology/openai-pentagon-deal-amended-surveillance.html) - [Trump in Epstein Files](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/politics/trump-epstein-files.html) - [Approval Rating](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/donald-trump-approval-rating-polls.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#after-top) Supported by [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#after-sponsor) # Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.” - Share full article - 3\.7k ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/04/us/politics/02dc-virus-trump-sub/merlin_177879399_b71eae36-09c6-4b20-91bc-172b699f76bb-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times [![Peter Baker](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/06/13/multimedia/peter-baker/peter-baker-thumbLarge-v3.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker)[![Maggie Haberman](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/12/multimedia/author-maggie-haberman/author-maggie-haberman-thumbLarge-v2.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) By [Peter Baker](https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker) and [Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) Published Oct. 2, 2020Updated Dec. 31, 2020 [Leer en español](https://www.nytimes.com/es/2020/10/02/espanol/trump-tiene-coronavirus.html "Read in Spanish") \[[Read our live updates on President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/06/us/trump-covid-live-updates).\] WASHINGTON — President [Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html) revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady, [Melania Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/politics/melania-trump-tapes.html), had [tested positive for the coronavirus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-blessing.html), throwing the nation’s leadership into uncertainty and escalating the crisis posed by a pandemic that has already [killed more than 207,000](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html) Americans and devastated the economy. [Mr. Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/business/media/trump-biden-debate-virtual.html), who for months has [played down the seriousness of the virus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html) and hours earlier on Thursday night told an audience that “the end of the pandemic is in sight,” will quarantine in the White House for an unspecified period of time, forcing him to withdraw at least temporarily from the campaign trail only 32 days before the [election on Nov. 3](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/02/us/trump-vs-biden). The dramatic disclosure came in a Twitter message just before 1 a.m. after a suspenseful evening following reports that Mr. Trump’s close [adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/politics/hope-hicks-coronavirus.html). In her own tweet about 30 minutes later, Mrs. Trump wrote that the first couple were [“feeling good,”](https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1311900591174680581) but the White House did not say whether they were experiencing symptoms. The president’s physician said he could carry out his duties “without disruption” from the Executive Mansion. “Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/) and I [tested positive for COVID-19](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-infected-what-we-know.html),” [Mr. Trump tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1311892190680014849). “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” > Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1311892190680014849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [Mr. Trump’s positive test result](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/world/europe/global-voices-trump-coronavirus-positive.html) posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all. The White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.” [Appearances at rallies](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/events/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=djt_web&utm_content=main_menu) in Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air. During late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not [wear masks](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-masks.html) in deference to the president’s disdain for them. ## Editors’ Picks [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/27/fashion/1ST-EVERYTHING-IS-SMUT-FRAME/1ST-EVERYTHING-IS-SMUT-FRAME-thumbLarge-v2.jpg)Are We in a ‘Smut Renaissance’?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/style/smut-renaissance-heated-rivalry-wuthering-heights.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/22/multimedia/22ST-DOMESTIC-PARTNERSHIP-PARTY-01-jmft/22ST-DOMESTIC-PARTNERSHIP-PARTY-01-jmft-thumbLarge.jpg)Don’t Call It a Wedding. It’s a Domestic Partnership Party.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/style/domestic-partnership-party.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/08/arts/08Myten-Rausch/08Myten-Rausch-thumbLarge.jpg)After ‘Love Island,’ Rob Rausch Was Wary of ‘The Traitors’](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/arts/television/rob-rausch-traitors-love-island.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#after-pp_edpick) TRUMP’S WEEK [President Trump interacted with scores of staff members, donors and supporters this week](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html). “The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, [said in a statement](https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/memo-from-the-white-house-physician/7f838857c7c6de73/full.pdf), adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.” Other aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-2/merlin_177808863_e41056de-95f2-48a0-a13a-d7217ad3fe2e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times Even if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was [“going to disappear,”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/us/politics/trump-town-hall.html) asserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was [“rounding the corner”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/us/politics/trump-town-hall.html) to the end of the crisis. [He has scorned the advice of scientists](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/trump-cdc-covid-vaccine.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article), saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation. For months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.” It was not immediately clear [whether Mr. Trump had already been infected](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html) by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other. [![]()In Pictures: Trump’s Busy Week Before Testing Positive Oct. 2, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid-week-photos.html) Trailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he [accepted the nomination](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/politics/trump-convention-speech-white-house.html) on the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks. There is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after [leaving her position as communications director in 2018](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/politics/hope-hicks-resign-communications-director.html), and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane. Her positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask. Only after [Bloomberg News reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-02/trump-aide-hope-hicks-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-infection) Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results. The positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals. Mr. Trump is the latest [world leader to become infected](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/world/trump-covid-world-leaders.html). Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he [had to be hospitalized before later recovering](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/world/europe/coronavirus-britain-boris-johnson.html). Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia. But the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-5/merlin_177879507_b917b074-5549-41d9-8288-365aa39128e8-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times In his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the [coronavirus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html). [Eight out of every 10 deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html) attributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice. He has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an [unannounced trip](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/us/politics/-trump-annual-physical.html) to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed. But while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in [“very good health”](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/us/politics/trump-health-physical.html) last year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available. [![]()Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html) A variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had [a mild case](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/us/politics/robert-obrien-virus.html) before returning to work in August. Others infected include [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/politics/kimberly-guilfoyle-trump-campaign-coronavirus.html), his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some [Secret Service agents](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/secret-service-coronavirus-trump.html), [campaign advance workers](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/us/politics/trump-campaign-coronavirus-tulsa.html) and a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit. Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s, [died of the coronavirus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/us/politics/herman-cain-dead.html) in July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls. [“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,”](https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/in-exclusive-interview-trump-slams-sisolak-defends-indoor-rally-2121257/) he said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies. Behind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-6/merlin_177854259_a78f1274-8677-42e5-9c45-7384b77e4ab1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna.Credit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times While the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover. Under the [25th Amendment](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-25), a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty. Since the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007. There is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920. Four presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. But such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office. The Coronavirus Pandemic An infected president. [![]()On Monday, Trump Updated the Nation on Virus Strategy. By Friday, He Tested Positive. Oct. 2, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html) [![]()Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html) [![]()White House Rattled by a Military Aide’s Positive Coronavirus Test May 7, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/politics/coronavirus-white-house-military-aide.html) [![]()Two White House Coronavirus Cases Raise Question of if Anyone Is Really Safe May 8, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/us/politics/white-house-coronavirus-safety.html) [![]()White House Races to Contain Virus in Its Ranks: ‘It Is Scary to Go to Work’ May 10, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/politics/white-house-coronavirus-trump.html) [![]()2 Cafeterias Used by White House Staff Close After Employee Contracts the Virus July 22, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/us/politics/white-house-employee-covid-19.html) A correction was made on Oct. 3, 2020 : An earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy. * When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at [corrections@nytimes.com](mailto:corrections@nytimes.com).[Learn more](https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2022/new-york-times-journalism) [Peter Baker](https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker) is the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III." [Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. See more on: [Donald Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/donald-trump), [U.S. Politics](https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics) Read 3,723 comments - Share full article - 3\.7k * ## The Latest on the Trump Administration * - Gregory Bovino Investigation: The Department of Homeland Security has opened an internal investigation into a report that Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander, [made disparaging remarks](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/greg-bovino-investigation-dhs.html) about the Jewish faith of the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota during an immigration operation in the state. - Cuts at Veterans Affairs: The V.A. has [eliminated thousands of medical positions](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/politics/veterans-affairs-nurses-doctors-cut.html) that were left vacant after a wave of resignations and retirements last year, according to a New York Times analysis of internal agency records. - Hiring at U.S.A.I.D.: The Trump administration is hiring people to help wind down the remnants of the U.S. Agency for International Development after it was gutted last year. There’s just one caveat: [Former staff members need not apply](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/usaid-hiring.html). - Cuba: President Miguel Díaz-Canel [called for an “urgent” transformation](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/world/americas/cuba-economy-change-communism.html) of the country’s economic model, according to Cuban state media, as Cuba confronts an oil blockade by the Trump administration that has deepened a humanitarian crisis on the island. And after U.S. military action in Iran and Venezuela, [many Cubans are wondering](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/world/americas/iran-attacks-cuba-trump.html) if the administration plans to target their country’s Communist government next. - Sanctions on Rwanda: The United States [imposed sanctions against Rwanda’s military](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/world/africa/rwanda-sanctions-trump-peace-m23.html) as punishment for actions that it said sabotaged a peace deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda’s government responded by claiming the sanctions unjustly targeted only one party to the conflict and misrepresented the facts. - Trump’s Neck Rash: President Trump’s physician said in a statement that the president was using a medicated cream as a “preventative” treatment of the skin condition, [which was seen extending out of his shirt collar behind his right ear](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/trump-rash-neck.html). Dr. Barbabella did not say what the skin condition was or what medication Trump was taking. * How We Report on the Trump Administration Hundreds of readers asked about our coverage of the president. 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[Democrats Denounce Trump’s Iran Attack, but Subtle Divisions Emerge](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/us/politics/trump-iran-attack-democratic-divisions.html) ![“We can’t allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon,” said Senator Mark Kelly, who had a more tempered opinion on President Trump’s Iran attack.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/01/multimedia/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj/01pol-iran-democrats-divisions-tgqj-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Eric Lee for The New York Times - [Pakistan Strikes Bagram Air Base, Escalating ‘Open War’ With Taliban](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/world/asia/pakistan-bagram-airbase-afghanistan-war.html) ![Destroyed buildings at Bagram Air Base following strikes by Pakistan, seen on satellite imagery captured on Sunday.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/03/03/video/03int-bagram1/03int-bagram1-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Airbus - [Get a Dog, Live Longer?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/well/pet-longevity-health-benefits.html) ![Thanks to his dog, Rumi, Dr. Dhruv Kazi says he spends more time outside and has gotten to know his neighbors — and their dogs.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/27/multimedia/WELL-PET-LONGEVITY1-ztjp/WELL-PET-LONGEVITY1-ztjp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Tony Luong for The New York Times Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#after-bottom) ## Site Index [Go to Home Page »](https://www.nytimes.com/) News - 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Readable Markdown	Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html#after-top) The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.” ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/04/us/politics/02dc-virus-trump-sub/merlin_177879399_b71eae36-09c6-4b20-91bc-172b699f76bb-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Trump’s positive test result posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign with barely a month until Election Day.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times Published Oct. 2, 2020Updated Dec. 31, 2020 > Tonight, [@FLOTUS](https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1311892190680014849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [Mr. Trump’s positive test result](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/world/europe/global-voices-trump-coronavirus-positive.html) posed immediate challenges for the future of his campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, with barely a month until Election Day. Even if Mr. Trump, 74, remains asymptomatic, he will lose much of his remaining time on the campaign trail. If he becomes sick, it could raise questions about whether he should remain on the ballot at all. The White House did not say how long Mr. Trump would have to remain isolated, but it canceled his plans to fly to Florida for a campaign rally on Friday, stripping his public schedule for the day of everything except a midday telephone call “on Covid-19 support to vulnerable seniors.” [Appearances at rallies](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/events/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=djt_web&utm_content=main_menu) in Wisconsin on Saturday and in Arizona on Monday also appear sure to be scrapped, and the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was left up in the air. During late-night conversations, aides to Mr. Trump were discussing whether he should give an address to the nation on Friday from the White House or find some other way for him to reassure the public. But the aides were still in a state of shock as they absorbed the news, and there was no immediate word on how far the infection may have spread among senior White House officials, who generally do not [wear masks](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-masks.html) in deference to the president’s disdain for them. “The president and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, [said in a statement](https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/memo-from-the-white-house-physician/7f838857c7c6de73/full.pdf), adding: “Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.” Other aides to the president would not say whether he was experiencing symptoms, but people at the White House noticed that his voice sounded raspy on Thursday, although it was not clear that was abnormal for him, especially given the number of campaign rallies he has been holding lately. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-2/merlin_177808863_e41056de-95f2-48a0-a13a-d7217ad3fe2e-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Cleveland at the first presidential debate.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times Even if Mr. Trump does not become seriously ill, the positive test could prove devastating to his political fortunes given his months of playing down the enormity of the pandemic even as the virus was still ravaging the country and killing about 1,000 Americans every day. He has repeatedly predicted the virus was [“going to disappear,”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/us/politics/trump-town-hall.html) asserted that it was under control and insisted that the country was [“rounding the corner”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/us/politics/trump-town-hall.html) to the end of the crisis. [He has scorned the advice of scientists](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/trump-cdc-covid-vaccine.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article), saying they were mistaken about the severity of the situation. For months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he mocked Mr. Biden for wearing one. “I don’t wear masks like him,” the president said, his voice dripping with derision. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.” It was not immediately clear [whether Mr. Trump had already been infected](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-positive-coronavirus-test.html) by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other. Trailing in the polls, the president in recent weeks has increasingly held crowded campaign events in defiance of public health guidelines and sometimes state and local governments. When he [accepted the nomination](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/politics/trump-convention-speech-white-house.html) on the final day of the Republican National Convention, he invited more than 1,000 supporters to the South Lawn of the White House and has held a number of rallies around the country since, often with hundreds and even thousands of people jammed into tight spaces, many if not most without masks. There is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Ms. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after [leaving her position as communications director in 2018](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/politics/hope-hicks-resign-communications-director.html), and on Wednesday traveled with the president on Air Force One to Minnesota. She began feeling sick around the time of the campaign rally he held there, according to one person familiar with the events, and was quarantined on the return flight to Washington, where she disembarked from the back entrance of the plane. Her positive diagnosis came on Thursday, according to the person familiar with her case, but the White House made no announcement about the situation, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, who had also been on the plane and exposed to Ms. Hicks, then held a briefing with reporters without mentioning it or wearing a mask. Only after [Bloomberg News reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-02/trump-aide-hope-hicks-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-infection) Ms. Hicks’s condition did Mr. Trump confirm it during an appearance on Thursday night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, where he said he was waiting for his own test results. The positive tests will undercut Mr. Trump’s effort to change the subject of the campaign away from a pandemic that polls show most Americans believe he has mishandled and onto political terrain he considers more favorable. The president has sought to focus voter attention instead on violence in cities, his Supreme Court nomination, mail-in ballots and Mr. Biden’s relationship with liberals. Mr. Trump is the latest [world leader to become infected](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/world/trump-covid-world-leaders.html). Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was so sick that he [had to be hospitalized before later recovering](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/world/europe/coronavirus-britain-boris-johnson.html). Prince Charles likewise contracted the virus, as have the leaders of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Bolivia. But the symbolism of an infected American president could rattle allies, as well as governors and business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore a semblance of normal life before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-5/merlin_177879507_b917b074-5549-41d9-8288-365aa39128e8-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mr. Trump on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Minn.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times In his eighth decade of life, Mr. Trump belongs to the age category deemed most vulnerable to the [coronavirus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html). [Eight out of every 10 deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html) attributed to it in the United States have been among those 65 and older. In private discussions, Mr. Trump has been fatalistic with associates when talking about whether he or others would get sick from the virus, describing it as essentially a roll of the dice. He has been resistant to permitting details of his health to be made public, raising questions about his overall condition. In November, he made an [unannounced trip](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/us/politics/-trump-annual-physical.html) to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that prompted speculation that he had an undisclosed medical ailment, but the White House insisted that he simply underwent routine tests, without revealing what they were or what they showed. But while Mr. Trump has been reported to have high cholesterol and tips the scale at 243 pounds, which is considered obese for his height, Dr. Conley, his physician, pronounced Mr. Trump in [“very good health”](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/us/politics/trump-health-physical.html) last year after his last full medical checkup. And, unlike many of those who have succumbed to the virus, he will have the best medical care available. A variety of people around Mr. Trump were previously infected by the virus, including most recently Robert C. O’Brien, his national security adviser, who had [a mild case](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/us/politics/robert-obrien-virus.html) before returning to work in August. Others infected include [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/politics/kimberly-guilfoyle-trump-campaign-coronavirus.html), his son’s girlfriend; a White House valet; Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; as well as some [Secret Service agents](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/secret-service-coronavirus-trump.html), [campaign advance workers](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/us/politics/trump-campaign-coronavirus-tulsa.html) and a Marine in the president’s helicopter unit. Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and political ally of Mr. Trump’s, [died of the coronavirus](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/us/politics/herman-cain-dead.html) in July after attending the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., where Mr. Cain, like many in the arena, was seen not wearing a mask at least part of the time. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in public about his own health, saying he was not concerned about being exposed despite his various close calls. [“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and, so, I’m not at all concerned,”](https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/in-exclusive-interview-trump-slams-sisolak-defends-indoor-rally-2121257/) he said last month, brushing off worries about crowded rallies. Behind the scenes, though, the self-described germophobe was angry in the spring that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask before testing positive, according to people in touch with him. Mr. Trump privately expressed irritation with people who got too close to him. According to the president, he began taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, proactively around this time and later said it caused no adverse effects. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/10/02/world/02dc-virus-trump-6/merlin_177854259_a78f1274-8677-42e5-9c45-7384b77e4ab1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hope Hicks before boarding Marine One on Wednesday with, from right, Stephen Miller, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino and Nick Luna.Credit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times While the coronavirus is much deadlier than the flu, the vast majority of people infected by it recover, especially if there is no underlying condition, but the threat climbs with age. If Mr. Trump becomes symptomatic, it could take him weeks to recover. Under the [25th Amendment](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-25), a medically incapacitated president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can reclaim his authority whenever he deems himself fit for duty. Since the amendment was ratified in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a colectomy and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush, although he did not explicitly cite the amendment in doing so. President George W. Bush did invoke the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007. There is a long history of presidents falling seriously ill while in office, including some afflicted during epidemics. George Washington was feared close to death amid an influenza epidemic during his second year, while Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920. Four presidents have died in office of natural causes: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Wilson endured a debilitating stroke and Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in his first term and a stroke in his second. Four others were assassinated in office: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. But such health crises in the White House have been rarer in recent times. Since Reagan was shot in 1981, no president has been known to confront a life-threatening condition while in office. A correction was made on Oct. 3, 2020 : An earlier version of this article misstated the reason that President Ronald Reagan briefly turned over power in 1985. It was for a colectomy, not a colonoscopy. [Peter Baker](https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker) is the chief White House correspondent and has covered the last four presidents for The Times and The Washington Post. He also is the author of six books, most recently "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III." [Maggie Haberman](https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman) is a White House correspondent. She joined The Times in 2015 as a campaign correspondent and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. ## Related Content [The Trump White House](https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/donald-trump-white-house) The historic moments, head-spinning developments and inside-the-White House intrigue. - ![Over more than seven years, Christopher A. Wray oversaw one of the most consequential and tumultuous periods in the F.B.I.’s history.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/12/06/multimedia/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk/00dc-wray-hfo-topart-ctvk-thumbLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Image by Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times - ![Former President Donald J. 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