President Trump, who was scheduled to be in Wisconsin tomorrow for two rallies, has tested positive for COVID-19 and plans to remain at home in the White House while he recovers.
Trump first tweeted last night that aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for the disease and he planned to begin the quarantine process. He followed that up with a tweet shortly before midnight Wisconsin time that both he and the first lady had also tested positive.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!,” Trump tweeted.
In a memo released by the White House, the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, wrote the president and first lady were “well at this time, and they plan to remain at home in the White House during their convalescence.”
“Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on future developments,” Conley wrote.
The president had already faced calls to cancel his Wisconsin campaign swing as the state deals with rising hospitalizations over COVID-19. He was originally scheduled to make stops in La Crosse and Green Bay. But he switched the La Crosse rally to Janesville after issues arose about doing the event at the La Crosse airport.
La Crosse Regional Airport Director Ian Turner told WisPolitics.com he asked the airport’s tenant to cancel the rally, calling it a violation of the lease’s political activity clause. Turner said the tenant in a letter to him yesterday disagreed that the rally violated the lease, but opted to cancel the event anyway.
Former GOP state Sen. Dan Kapanke, who is seeking reelection to his old Senate seat, contacted the La Crosse mayor’s office about moving the rally to the baseball stadium he owns. But the owner of the La Crosse Loggers said he was told it was unlikely he’d receive a permit for the event. La Crosse is considered one of the state’s hot spots for COVID-19, along with Green Bay.
See the president’s tweets here and here.
See the White House memo here.
