Donald Trump had mocked Joe Biden for not wearing mask

Melania and Donald Trump look on as Joe Biden hugs his wife Jill after the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday. PIC/AFP

President Donald Trump said early on Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election.

Over 2 lakh killed in US

Trump, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed over 2,05,000 Americans, said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining. The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties "without disruption" while recovering. Just two days back, on the night of the presidential debate, Trump had mocked his rival Joe Biden for wearing a mask. "I don't wear masks like him," Trump said of Biden. "Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen." In the audience was Melania, who was sitting without a mask.

Trump's diagnosis was sure to have a destabilising effect in Washington and around the world, raising questions about how far the virus had spread through the highest levels of the US government. Hours before Trump announced he had contracted the virus, the White House said a top aide who had traveled with him during the week had tested positive.

Pence tests negative

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately," Trump tweeted just before 1 am. "We will get through this TOGETHER!" Vice President Mike Pence tested negative for the virus on Friday morning and "remains in good health," his spokesman said. Trump was last seen by reporters returning to the White House on Thursday evening and did not appear visibly ill. Trump is 74 years old, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide.

The president's physician said in a memo that Trump and the first lady, who is 50, "are both well at this time" and "plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence."

The diagnosis marks a devastating blow for a president who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them. In the best of cases, if he develops no symptoms, which can include fever, cough and breathing trouble, it will likely force him off the campaign trail just weeks before the election and puts his participation in the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, into doubt. Trump's handling of the pandemic has already been a major flashpoint in his race against Democrat Joe Biden, who spent much of the summer off the campaign trail and at his home.

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