President contracts COVID-19

The president and first lady of the United States have tested positive for COVID-19.

President Donald Trump tweeted late last night or early this morning that he and his wife, Melania, have been confirmed with the disease.

His close advisor and former communications director Hope Hicks also has tested positive.

The Trumps now are in isolation at the White House.

The confirmation comes with four weeks remaining to the general election.

Trump, a Republican, faces Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden in the election and the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump’s handling of it has been a hot topic.

Trump says his handling of the pandemic has been excellent, while Biden has trashed him for his handling of the crisis.

Trump has been on-again-off-again critical of measures pushed to help reduce the spread of the virus and pushed for rapid re-opening of the economy and the nation’s schools.

He has, for example, been noncommittal some times about people wearing masks, and has supported it at other times, but as recently as Tuesday during the presidential debates ridiculed Biden for wearing a mask at public events.

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Information from Kaiser Health News was used in this story.