Hope Hicks Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Traveling Maskless With Trump To The Debate

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:14 pm

Hope Hicks, one of Donald Trump’s closest aides, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Bloomberg.

“She was in close proximity to [Trump], maskless, in recent days,” Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs noted on Twitter.

That includes traveling with Trump on Air Force One to and from the first presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday. A day later, on Wednesday, she traveled with the president to Minnesota for a campaign rally.

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Bloomberg noted that Hicks was also seen earlier in the week “riding maskless in a staff van with White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, campaign adviser Jason Miller and others.”

More from the report:

Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides, has tested positive for coronavirus infection, according to people familiar with the matter.

There was no indication that the president has contracted the virus, the people said. Hicks traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to and from the presidential debate on Tuesday.

…

Hicks traveled with Trump to his debate with Biden on Tuesday and to a Minnesota rally on Wednesday. Trump’s entourage entered the debate hall without face coverings, or removed them as they sat down, and refused an offer of masks from a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, which was co-hosting the event.

Biden’s guests wore masks.

Hicks was seen on Tuesday riding maskless in a staff van with White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, campaign adviser Jason Miller and others.

Still, Trump is unlikely to change his irresponsible behavior

Nate Silver asked one of the most sensible questions following the news that Hope Hicks has tested positive for the virus: “So… is Trump going to self-quarantine?”

Though that would be the most responsible step to take for the president and any other staff members who interacted with Hicks, it’s hard to imagine Trump actually doing it.

After all, throughout this pandemic, Trump has refused to be an example to the country – whether it’s downplaying the threat of the virus, refusing to wear a mask, or hosting rallies without any social distancing.

That irresponsible behavior, like the coronavirus, is clearly spreading among his staff.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.