Democratic candidate for president and former Vice President Joe Biden expressed sympathy Friday for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after they announced their contraction of COVID-19.
“Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery,” Biden said in a tweet Friday morning. “We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Three days earlier, Biden and Trump participated in a heated debate in Cleveland, Ohio that quickly turned chaotic due to the president’s interruptions. CNN reported that Biden is expected to take a COVID-19 test Friday morning to determine whether he had been exposed.
Additionally, the Biden campaign reported that no one from the Trump campaign or the White House had contacted them regarding possible exposure to COVID-19, according to CNN.
The president announced early Friday morning that he and the first lady had contracted COVID-19 and would begin quarantining at the White House. Close Trump adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive for the virus Thursday, a day after exhibiting mild symptoms.
But news of Hope’s positive COVID-19 test apparently did not stop Trump from traveling to Bedminster Country Club in New Jersey for a private fundraiser. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany also held a briefing that day in the White House briefing room.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative, a Pence spokesman said. The president and vice president will work from their separate residences and their staffs also will be kept apart, the White House official said.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has also tested negative, according to spokesperson Monica Crowley.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that COVID-19 symptoms typically develop between two and five days after infection, and in some cases up to 14 days after exposure.
With reporting by Robert Pozarycki
