Trump had a heavy schedule of appearances ahead of his diagnosis—a fact that is now raising questions about when exactly Trump contracted the virus and concerns about how it may have spread to others in his inner circle and beyond.
In the days leading up to his COVID-19 diagnosis, President Donald Trump had a heavy schedule of appearances—a fact that is now raising questions about when exactly Trump contracted the virus and concerns about how it may have spread to others in his inner circle and beyond.
Here’s a timeline of events leading up to Trump’s early Friday tweet announcing he had tested positive.
Saturday, Sept. 26
Trump introduced Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. The audience of power brokers sat close together on the White House lawn. Utah Congressman Mike Lee, who was seen hugging people at the event while not wearing a mask, confirmed Friday that he had also tested positive.
“It’s entirely possible that the president got infected over the weekend — in fact, I think it’s likely," Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard's Global Health Institute, told Inside Edition.
Barrett said Friday she tested negative for the virus.
Later that night, Trump held a rally in Pittsburgh. Some people behind him wore masks, but most of the crowd did not. Trump’s aide Hope Hicks was also there, pictured not wearing a mask and clapping along to the YMCA.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
Trump and First Lady Melania headed to Cleveland for the debate. White House staff members gathered to seem them off, with many seen wearing masks. Chris Christie spent the day with the president helping him prepare for the debate. Christie said on "Good Morning America" that no one was wearing masks in the room where Trump was prepping.
At the debate, the Trump family walked in with masks on, but took them off as soon as they sat down. Debate moderator Chris Wallace spoke about it Friday on Fox News.
“That actually violated the rules of the Cleveland clinic, which was in charge of all the safety issues inside the hall,” Wallace said.
And a moment from the debate, in which the president mocked Joe Biden for wearing masks, is now going viral.
“I wear masks when needed," Trump said. "I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from it and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."
The candidates stood 15 feet apart and never came any closer. But there are concerns about the air circulating in the debate hall room. “If you are going to be sitting in a place for many hours, the virus really can build up and accumulate if there isn’t great ventilation around,” Jha said.
The Biden campaign announced Friday morning that he and wife Jill Biden tested negative for the virus.
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Hope Hicks flew with Trump to a rally in Duluth, Minnesota, crowding into Marine One with his inner circle, including Jared Kushner.
Hope was also seen walking up the steps to Air Force One, her hand was on the railing, which everyone else in Trump’s entourage then touched.
Three thousand people attended the outdoor rally and were packed tightly together.
That night, Hope Hicks started showing symptoms. On the flight back to Washington, she was quarantined. According to The New York Times, the president was reportedly not himself on the flight and fell “asleep at one point.”
Thursday, Oct. 1
In the afternoon, Hicks tested positive for COVID-19. The president was informed just before taking off for a fundraiser at his golf course in New Jersey — but he stuck to his schedule, according to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
“We discovered as Marine One was taking off yesterday,” Meadows said. “We pulled some of the people traveling who were in close contact.”
The president arrived at his golf club in Bedminster in the late afternoon. There were hundreds of supporters gathered outside to greet the president. Inside the club he met with about 50 wealthy donors, according to reports.
Friday, Oct. 2
About an hour after midnight on Friday, Trump confirmed on Twitter that he and Melania had tested positive.
“We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER,” he tweeted.
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