President Donald Trump has announced he and first lady Melania Trump have COVID-19, joining 7.3 million people across the United States who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the first recorded U.S. case in January. Just before 1 a.m. Friday, Trump tweeted, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
The stunning announcement rattled world capitals and set off fears that the president of the United States may be at the center of a superspreader event in the halls of power in Washington, D.C. — and at several recent gatherings headlined by Trump. Those include a campaign fundraiser at Trump’s Bedminster golf club on Thursday; a campaign rally in Duluth, Minnesota, on Wednesday attended by thousands of Trump supporters; and Tuesday night’s presidential debate with Joe Biden in Cleveland, Ohio.