positive.

>> trace: hope hicks tested positive for covid-19 after traveling with the president to duluth, minnesota on wednesday. the first couple is, quote, doing well. but tonight's planned rally in florida has been canceled and former white house physician dr. ronnie jackson says there is little reason for alarm. >> not worried about what's going on right now. the president and first lady are asymptomatic right now. i suspect that will continue. they'll be in some type of relative quarantine in the white house for the next probably 7 to 10 days, closer to 10 days at which point they'll have continued testing done. when he has two negative tests he will be able to go back to normal. >> sandra: fox news camping this morning. chris wallace is standing by for analysis. we begin with chief white house correspondent john roberts live from the north lawn this morning. what are we hearing from the white house at this time?

>> good morning to you. we saw the president's tweet early in the morning, the first lady melania trump also tweeting saying as too many americans have done this year president trump and i are quarantining at home ar testing positive for covid-19. we are feeling good. stay safe and we'll all get through this together. people close to the president yesterday, apparently he was feeling good all day yesterday. no reason to believe that's any different today. it all started wednesday on the president's trip to minnesota. hope hicks showing symptoms. she was isolated aboard air force one on the way back. yesterday morning she tested positive. the president tweeted he and the first lady began a quarantine period after learning of that and had their own test which came back positive just after midnight. the president's physician dr. sean connolly putting out a statement saying the president and first lady are both well at this time and plan to remain at home within the white house

during their convalescence. we'll maintain a vigilant watch and appreciate the help provided. rest assured i expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering and i will keep you updated on any further developments. of course he will be carrying on those duties likely from the residence. how long the quarantine period lasts depends whether or not the president and first lady begin to show symptoms. the national security advisor robert o'brien had mild symptoms and able to work from home and back at work at the white house within some 10 days. right now, though, everything on the president's schedule is in limbo. he was supposed to be at a rally in florida today. he was posed to be in con tomorrow. then there is that second debate two weeks from now. all of that is up in the air at the moment. the vice presidential debate is next wednesday in salt lake city. likely that will go ahead as scheduled because mike pence,

the vice president, and his wife karen pence both tested negative this morning for coronavirus. now, while the president has canceled a fundraiser in washington and the event in florida tonight and wisconsin tomorrow he will be doing some work from the residence. he is scheduled to host a conference call in the 12:00 hour on covid support for seniors. we do not know what treatment, if any, the president is receiving at this time. you will remember back in may after he came into proximity with somebody who had coronavirus he took a course of hydroxychloroquine, zinc. a lot of contact tracing going on at the white house. a lot of people were in close proximity to each other over the last 5 to 7 days with all the campaign travel. sandra, there is a lot of people who will be watching and waiting probably quarantining at home this morning as well until we find out a little more

how far this may have spread. >> sandra: not just people in close proximity to the president but close proximity to the first lady, hope hicks, aide and others, john, can you tell us more about the procedure that happens every day as far as testing at the white house? >> well, typically on most days the president gets tested for coronavirus. not sure if it happens every day. even he has been a little unclear about that. most people who will be spending time with the president have a coronavirus test. we here in the media when we're in pool are all tested for coronavirus the morning of the pool duty. and i can tell you also the president has been very cautious about this. a couple months ago i was with him aboard air force one and brought me up to the cabin and synth on the couch eight feet away from him and having trouble hearing and i moved to a chair closer to him and he said john, back over there on the couch. you have to maintain six feet. he has been very cautious. when you are traveling on the

helicopter and air force one, traveling in the limousine with aides and maybe one of those aides get sick. we don't know what the route of transmission. did they all get it together, did hope get it and pass it to the president. the president has been extremely cautious on the order of doctors and his aides. it is surprising he came down with this frankly. >> sandra: the question everybody is wondering, do we expect to see or hear from the president and first lady at any point throughout the morning? everyone knows how important that would be for the world to see him. >> at the moment i'm told there is nothing in the works. the logistics how do you do it? typically you would send a network pool camera to do it. if the president tested positive for coronavirus i'm not sure the networks would be inclined to do that. you could send the white house communications agency over but then the networks would say well, you have a white house camera shooting this event.

we're not sure we'll take it. the president could do a zoom on a laptop or desktop computer. there is nothing planned at the moment. it is quite possible, sandra, the president may want to say something later on today. >> sandra: john roberts live at the white house. breaking details coming out throughout the morning. we'll see you again shortly. for more on this chris wallace anchor of "fox news sunday". great to see you this morning. as we all digest the news you have such a unique perspective on what you saw as far as the president firsthand the past few days, tuesday night, of course, both candidates on the stage and their families as they walked into that debate hall. >> yeah, in terms of the president, i never got any closer to him than what you saw on tv. he came in, the debate commission had decided there would be no opening handshake and thank god for that.

and they were about eight feet apart from each other at the podiums and never got any closer than that. i would say i was 10 to 12 feet away. obviously close enough i will get a test. in terms of what went on in the hall it was curious. the biden camp and mrs. biden, senator chris coombs of delaware, all their people all came in wearing masks and wore them throughout the entire debate. the trump family came in, i'm told, wearing masks but then took them off once they sat down in their seats. that actually violated the rules of the cleveland clinic which was in charge of all the safety issues inside the hall, which were that everybody except for the president, vice president and i were not supposed to -- were supposed to wear masks. we were the only ones told we were not to wear masks.

and actually a safety person, a health person from the cleveland clinic came up to the first family when they were seated and offered them masks in case they didn't have them and they were waved away. people in the hall noticed that they weren't wearing masks and everybody else in the hall was wearing a mask. when the debate ended mrs. trump came over, walked past me. she was not wearing a mask. mrs. biden walked past me to her husband and she was wearing a mask. so there was a difference in the way the two families and their camps treated the health safety regulations inside the hall. >> sandra: of course, chris, looking at who has been in the president's circle in the last week leading up to this diagnosis you look at the debate prep he was doing. chris christie was on "good morning america" were he and giuliani wearing masks prepping the president? here is how he responded.

>> i was at the white house from saturday afternoon through lunch time on tuesday on and off during those days. i was tested every day. then i went to the white house. no one was wearing masks in the room when we were prepping the president during that period of time. and we were -- the group was five or six people in total. >> sandra: i'll put up on the screen, chris, a list of those who have traveled with hope hicks for the past 14 days. of course the president and first lady but it is a lengthy list. mark meadows has said he has been tested and negative. ivanka trump and members of the family and others. contact tracing is certainly going to be a big thing when you consider the president's travels in recent days. and prep for the debate, chris. >> absolutely. and it does raise questions. i think there are three questions that we have to

confront today. first of all, the health of the president. you know, he is the commander-in-chief and leader of the country. we all hope and pray it's all asymptomatic and gets back to work and normal living. that's our primary concern. the second concern is continuity of government. the fact that the vice president and second lady have tested negative is good news but you've got the national security advisor, the white house chief of staff, you've got who knows how many people have been in contact with the president. and obviously there is a concern about that. and then third, inevitably is the politics of it. the president will be off the trail one would think at least 10 days, maybe two weeks. the question whether or not the debate on october 15th will now happen or not. and that's going to have a political impact and will also have a political impact.

at various points various issues have risen to the top of people's concern. this spring the coronavirus. then at another point it was race. another point it was law and order in the cities with ruth bader ginsburg's death a couple of weeks ago the supreme court. now again the coronavirus and the president's handling of it will go to the top of the agenda and, you know, you don't like to talk about politics now but when you are four plus weeks away from an election everything is political. >> sandra: i think it's important knowing what we know at this point a lot we don't know at this point, chris, this is the statement from the physician, the white house physician. it is important because there is a lot of speculation going on. a lot of different reporters on the scene the past few days speculating on the president's condition. here is what physician said. the president and first lady are both well at this time and plan to remain at home within 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 any further developments. feeling good said the white house physician but there was no specifics in that statement, chris, as far as symptomatic or asymptomatic. of course, those are the details we await at this time. >> yeah. one point we might want to do. this came up, the whole question of masks and safety, in the debate. we did a whole 15 minutes on covid. i asked biden about his reluctance to reopen the country and schools and i asked the president about his attitude towards masks. i gather you got that exchange queued up. let's take a look at that. >> president trump: i have a mask right here. i put a mask on when i think i need it. tonight is an example. everybody has had a test and you've had social distancing

and all the things you have to. i wear masks when needed. when needed i wear masks. i don't wear masks like him. >> yeah. in fact he went on to say i was hoping they would play it a little longer. biden -- mocked biden and said you wear this giant mask and instead of having rallies you have six people all in circles. i suspect that will get played a little bit now as people re-examine how both men have dealt with this. the general feeling on some people's part is that the president has been -- hasn't been cautious enough and perhaps biden has been too cautious. that's going to be an issue now going forward. >> sandra: health obviously first and foremost when it comes to the president and his first family and their circle and hope hicks and others. contact tracing anybody else who was involved. you moved on to the politics of the situation as well timing

will be everything best case scenario, the president recovers. the latest changes to cdc guidelines for periods of isolation precautions persons with this illness, they can generally discontinue their quarantine 10 days after symptom onset and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours. we don't know if the president has or does not have a fever. it doesn't look like it could be the 14 days although we could be told something differently. but you look at the next presidential debate two weeks out. you look at the two more presidential debates on the calendar. look at what the president is going to not be able to do during that period of isolation as far as rallies and campaigning. how much does this change things so close to election day, chris? >> it changes it completely. not to say what the eventual impact will be. the president was going to a

rally tonight. he feeds off these rallies having big crowds and he emphasizes outside. a lot of them are not wearing masks, very close together but he feeds off these rallies and he thinks it mobilizes his base and he is unable to reach out to them. he can do zooms or virtual campaigning. we've all seen with joe biden that it isn't nearly as effective as the rallies. maybe safer but not as effective. and again, this now makes covid-19 and how to handle it and how safe we are or aren't from it, that again the top issue in the country. so you know, when i woke up this morning and read the news i turned to my wife and i said it's 2020 and it has just been one thing after another, coronavirus, race issues, protests, ruth bader ginsburg and now the president of the united states getting covid-19. somebody said it's the october

surprise. it is october 2. who knows how many more surprises we have in store for us? and what their political impact will be. >> sandra: absolutely. as far as the president's ability to carry out his duties going forward, many are questioning that and asking about that. former white house physician ryan jackson was asked about that and here is what he offered. listen. >> he is the president of the united states and commander-in-chief, head of state. he still has a job to do. he still has to lead our country. he still will have to have a certain number of his staff still around him. they will follow strict precautions wearing a mask, washing their hands, social distancing but the president will be required to continue to do his job and there will be a certain number of staff members -- critical staff members that have to be around him on a regular basis day-to-day for him to do that. >> sandra: hopefully we'll learn more from the white house what the president plans to do,

if there are any treatment options will he adhere to during the process. chris, do you have concerns after sharing the space with joe biden and president trump on that debate stage? you were the three -- you were tested, of course, prior to that, but then you did take the mask off to engage in the debate. >> sure. you know, as i said there were three 70 plus-year-old men on that stage, the president is 74, joe biden 77, i'm 72. am i going to get tested? yeah. and obviously all the people -- i'll get tested first and my wife was there, four of my children were there, and depending on how my test turns out, you know, more of them will. everybody in the hall i'm sure is taking concern. i just want to say one thing about the president and what happens to me isn't so important. what happens to the president is. you know, there is no reason to think he isn't going to be able

to carry out his duties. and we all hope and pray that that's the case and that he remains utterly asymptomatic. the point i've made since last april, though, or march, is you can't spin the virus. you can't play with the virus. it is a fact of nature and it will take its own course. obviously as we hope and pray the president remains healthy and he can continue to function as the commander-in-chief if he gets sick, then there is a continuity of government plan and the vice president is healthy. but, you know. what people say now doesn't make any difference. it is what it is and it will take the course it is going to take and we'll have to live with it and deal with it and adjust to it. >> sandra: i'm getting word -- we've got calls, emails out to all sides and obviously inside the white house the trump campaign, etc. also the biden camp as well. we are getting word that joe biden will be tested this

morning. joe biden and his wife dr. jill biden have put out a statement, chris. jill and i send our thoughts to president trump and first lady for the first recovery. we'll continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family. and chris, to go back to another point that you just made about the coronavirus and that was one of the big topics in your debate the other night. where this puts that as far as importance, as far as issues for the american people, now having the president and first lady test positive. >> i think it becomes the most important issue not saying it will be now but you have -- you've had the president talking down the severity of the virus and saying we have it under control. we're rounding the curve. it's fading away. and biden obviously talking about it as much more of a

threat. you know, it is astonishing when you think about it. everybody who comes in contact with the president does take a test. when i interviewed him in july you take a test and you find out about an hour later. so nobody that has come in contact with the president has tested positive. they have all tested negative almost every day i'm told, members of the staff. the problem, of course, you can test negative now and it turns out 24 hours from now you test positive. >> sandra: talking to dr. siegel this morning about that. if he had tested positive -- go ahead. >> i was just going to say it indicates just how contagious this disease is and how seriously you have to take it. >> sandra: so chris, secretary of state pompeo was asked about further contact tracing and testing measures from the white house and new response on what it will look like going forward. >> we're trying to make sure we get additional contact tracing on folks who have been to the

white house. watching that the white house is doing that work as well. we'll be careful but we've been awful careful for months and months and months and we're doing our best to keep everybody safe. >> sandra: as he said that wearing his american flag mask. i wonder how that changes things, too, as far as the optics, chris. you go back to your point about seeing the trump family, members of the trump family in the chairs at the debate. they were offered masks i heard you say, they declined them and there has been sort of that -- those optics that have been out there whether or not those change with the last few weeks here to election day. >> you hope so. the -- i've always been disturbed, frankly, that people think the mask is a political issue and wearing the mask or not wearing the mask says something about your politics. it's a safety issue. the best scientists in america say not that they're a perfect cure or vaccine but wearing a

mask today is the best weapon we currently have to avoid getting the disease and transmitting the disease. if there is one lesson from today it's here is the president of the united states who lives in the biggest bubble that exists on the planet and he got it. through no fault of his own. and so the answer is wear the damn mask. >> sandra: fox obtained an exclusive interview with dr. scott atlas who is a special advisor on coronavirus to president trump. he has just given this interview and said that he expects the president and first lady to make a, quote, complete, full and rapid recovery after the two tested positive. he says that there is zero reason to panic. again this is an exclusive interview to fox. he said this is very difficult to avoid, talking about the virus itself. then said it is no surprise that people get the infection

even with precautions. i anticipate a complete and full and rapid recovery back to normal after his necessary confinement period. i anticipate he will be back on the road in full swing. he ultimately said he is a very, very healthy guy and the overwhelming majority of people even at his age do fine with this. he is very healthy so i anticipate the same for him. that's dr. scott atlas, chris. >> well, i'm going to say something and folks i'm just trying to give you the truth. dr. scott atlas is not an epidemiologist, is not an infectious disease specialist. he has no training in this area at all. there are a number of top people on the president's coronavirus task force who have had grave concerns about scott atlas and his scientific thinking. i'll get a lot of pushback from this. i hope everything he says is true. one, he can't know because the

president is just in the earliest stages of this and two, you know, i understand the desire of the white house and its political people to try to talk this down. i'm not certainly trying to talk it up and i hope and pray the president is fine. but again follow the scientists. listen to people like anthony fauci and debra birx. listen to the independent people who don't have a political axe to ground. i don't think scott atlas is one of those people. >> sandra: we wish for the best for the president and the first lady. chris wallace, great to see you. thank you. >> thank you. >> trace: for more on this let's bring in dr. marc siegel. the fox news medical expert. i don't know if you were listening to the interview with chris wallace and dr. scott atlas and chris wallace saying

dr. atlas is not an epidemiologist. not trying to downgrade him at all. him saying the president is going to be just fine and no reason to panic and chris wallace saying he has no way of knowing that. what is your reaction to early comments. at this point in the game he doesn't have a way of knowing what the president will go through in the course of this virus. is that a fair assessment? >> in fact, i didn't hear the interview with dr. atlas but i heard your interview with chris wallace who i have respect for. he is not an epidemiologist either. he is correct. way too early in the game to know what's going to happen. we all know that. we just found out he is positive. he just found out he is positive. he has been exposed to covid. we don't know if he will have a clinical course of the disease or not. he could be asymptomatic. i thisty public needs to know that the majority of the time that people end up not having a severe outcome. we know about all the 70-year-old people overweight who end up in the hospital but

trace it is a good time to tell people the vast majority of the time that doesn't happen. that's been my experience taking care of covid-19 patients. it is becoming more and more true by the way as we learn how to treat covid-19 patients and diagnose people earlier as we're doing now with the president. having said all of that, it still doesn't mean he won't get sick from this god forbid. chris is right it's too early to make an absolute prediction here. in terms of chris's comments on masks, i want to say very clearly that i, too, believe that masks are important but i don't think they're the only thing that are important. physical distancing is probably even more important but masks are very important especially if you wear them properly. surgical masks are better than cloth masks, n-95s are better than both but we need those for our healthcare workers. n-95 i have to use it properly so it fits on my face properly and i have to change it if it gets dirty or wet.

so masks are important especially if they are used properly. they are not to be used instead of physical distancing. >> trace: we have learned over the course of the virus that contained spaces with poor ventilation are also very risky and who knows when the president contracted this and when hope hicks contracted this. you touched earlier about the president's -- the comorbidity, the fact that he has a couple of pre-existing conditions which would be one high cholesterol which doctors say he is on medication for and two he is bordering on obesity, his weight. do those concerns you at all? do you have numbers to back up the fact that this is something that should concern the american people or what would you say about that? >> i want to start with the most important thing which is at the age of 74, that puts him in a higher-risk group. that's what we're seeing. the severe outcomes always in people over 70. the number two risk factor is

obesity. we've done multiple studies on that now. one of the main ones came out of new york, by the way, nyu, obesity is a high order of risk. those two things worry me. other risk factors that he doesn't have are pre-existing lung disease, kidney disease, blood clotting problems. we're seeing blood clotting with covid. he has no evidence of that from his records. no high blood pressure and not a smoker and no known lung disease. all of that is extremely important. the obesity and age are two factors that concern me. >> trace: we should note the first lady has a much lower risk, 50 years old, no underlying conditions. what would you say about her course of this disease? >> that's so true. we wish her well and praying and hoping for her as well she doesn't get sick. to give you an example in her

age group the latest figures show the death rate is 99.9% not -- the survival rate. it is likely she will do well and not get sick but we don't know for certain. that's the key that chris was bringing up. >> trace: dr. siegel. thank you for the insight. always great. thank you. >> sandra: markets are reacting to the news this morning after president trump and first lady test positive for the coronavirus. the dow in the first seconds of trading down 410 points. down triple digits at the open 30 seconds into trading after stocks rallying in recent dates of renewed hopes for a coronavirus stimulus package and learning the u.s. economy added 661,000 jobs. stuart varney is joining us.

tell us about the reaction in the markets. >> it's a case of the jobs report, while it is important for the economy, it is not terribly important for the stock market's performance today. yes, we created 661,000 new jobs. that's a bit of a disappointment. that put -- may put pressure on congress to pass some kind of more stimulus bill. after all, they've got this problem with the president, maybe we need to spend more money to get us out of this mess. that could be seen as something of a positive for the market. but the real story here is the president has tested positive and we want to know how severe is this illness? how badly is it hitting him? then we'll know how long the quarantine period is and what his recovery will look like. right now the government continues unbroken, uninterrupted as the white house is saying. but the president is in the residence. he is not in the oval office. he can take care of business but that depends on how severe

is his condition. "the new york times" is saying that the president has minor symptoms. his doctor says he is doing very well. it sounds like so far things are mild. the overriding thing on the market this morning is the president tests positive. >> sandra: where markets have been as far as pricing in an improved en require onment for coronavirus or not as far as anticipation for a vaccine, drops in the number of cases in some areas, spikes in others. this has been an incredible time of uncertainty for the u.s. markets to try to anticipate and price in the risk involved with this horrible virus. so now you have the president testing positive overnight we looked at the u.s. markets, the futures as they give us an indication where things will open and there was a significant sell-off. it seems even though we're down

300 or so points that the market is digesting this and going to at least try to look forward. >> that's a very important point, sandra, as we've been making so far on this program today. this is not panic selling. when the dow industrials are down 320 as we speak, that not panic selling. and this fear gauge does not show a spectacular rise. in other words, the market is indeed digesting this. i'll return to this point. we need to know how severe is the illness affecting our president. we need to know what kind of treatment he will receive and how effective it will be. and the back drop is does this throw the election into more chaos and confusion. i think that's the problem for the market more so than the president's condition. look, we have a chaotic election process already going on. this throws a wrench right into the middle of it because we don't know how this affects

voters. which way will voters turn on this? more towards joe biden stressing the necessity of taking care of this virus or swing in some sympathy to president trump? i do want to bring up the case of boris johnson, britain's prime minister. a couple of months ago he contracted the virus, was taken to the hospital, ended up in the icu and was so badly off he had to transfer power to his subordinates. that transfer of power, if it happened here, would be a real market crisis. but so far we're nowhere near that and i'm not going to speculate how close we'll get to it. bear that in the back of your mind. >> sandra: you also made a good point of the timing of all this, stuart, as far as the ability to of the president to get back out campaigning and governing. you say he can do a lot inside the white house. cdc guidelines. we have a lot of doctors on this morning talking about the changes that have been made to

where if you do suffer from the illness you test positive, and then you recover it looks more like a 10-day after symptom period that you have to quarantine or self-isolate as it is called in the cdc guidelines. those days are going to be crucial for the president to get back out and campaign. in a perfect scenario if he fully recovers and get out of quarantine and get back out there. >> what is the treatment, how fast does he recover, how long will he be out of action on the campaign trail? i'll add this. the incubation period to this virus before the test positive is five to seven days. so now the administration has to go back over the president's schedule of the past week and look for where he has been exposed and people exposed to him. he has had several rallies, a couple of news conferences. he has been on the road every day for the past week, i think, at least he is on the campaign

trail to some degree for the past week. that means there are thousands of people who have to be tested. many of those people are senior officials in the government. that test result will have a big impact how this government keeps on going. we already know that vice president pence and second lady, they're negative. steven mnuchin, negative. and because of what the doctors are telling him he doesn't need to stay in quarantine. now that window so far but the rest of the tests i don't know at this point. i don't know what those results are. >> sandra: this was the final jobs report before the november election and isn't it something, we're covering the biggest news of the morning with the president and first lady testing positive. you look at the jobs report that the market is taking in as well and that headline unemployment rate, stewart. down to 7.9%. it was better than the expectations for 8.2% although i believe the number of payroll jobs added in september was

lower than estimates. but still the headline rate keeps coming down, stuart. >> yes, it does. it implies the economic recovery is doing pretty well. in summer we were at 15%. we've cut that more than in half, down to 7.9%. that's a significant degree of success on the issue of jobs and the economic recovery. maybe that is partly why the dow is now down -- i say only 277 points. when the news of the president's positive test first hit the market, we were down 600. now we're down 271, sandra. >> sandra: finally, covid relief negotiations, you are talking the struggling americans and struggling businesses every day. i just wonder what all of this does as far as the president's diagnosis and now having to quarantine inside the white house. what this does ultimately to the dynamic over those covid

stimulus negotiations. >> i think it adds to pressure to get something done. now it's supposed to go to the senate. i'm sure it will go to the senate. before this diagnosis from the president we were assuming the senate would say no and we would get no relief program. bearing in mind this positive test, that might put some pressure on them to do something. and another thing, people are now i think are going to be more cautious. if the president can get it, anybody can get it. i think people will be a bit more cautious about going out and about and that could be a negative for the economy, we try to open it up. if more people get cautious it might not be stalled but slowed down, sandra. >> sandra: while we were talking the dow came well off of its lows of the session at least where it was out of the gate this morning. now off less than 200 points. you'll be watching it on your show.

thank you. >> trace: fox news alert. joe biden will reportedly be tested for coronavirus today after sharing a debate stage with president trump tuesday night but maintaining social distance. let's get to peter doocy reporting live from grand rapids, michigan, where biden has several campaign events scheduled for today. peter, is biden still heading to michigan? >> we don't know. he is scheduled to be here within four hours for remarks at 1:20 in grand rapids. as of right now he remains in delaware. there hasn't been a change to the schedule. but i do want to get to this really quick. brand-new 90 seconds old. kamala harris's campaign sends this over. kamala harris was tested yesterday as part of the campaign's routine testing of principles and tested negative. as of right now there hasn't been any change to her schedule either. she has an event in nevada that hasn't been canceled. nothing has been canceled for joe biden here, either.

he is scheduled to deliver remarks and attend a virtual fundraiser and a mobilization event. the only information and reaction we've gotten from him is well wishes on twitter. but michigan is an interesting state. this is one of the places that the campaign told us yesterday they are about to start sending volunteers out to knock on doors and that represents a sharp 180 degree reversal from the position the biden campaign had had dating back to june when the trump campaign was knocking on doors in battleground states. they were warning that kind of activity and that kind of canvassing was dangerous and putting voters' health in danger. we are told by people in the debate hall on tuesday night in cleveland that biden never got too close to president trump. we are still waiting for answers from the campaign about when biden's last covid-19 test is, but the report that he is getting one this morning is consistent with what officials have told us recently, which is

now that biden and kamala harris are out on the campaign trail more they are being tested regularly. the last time we saw joe biden or that anybody in the press saw joe biden was at a pool press only fundraiser via zoom that he conducted from his house in wilmington last night. his only out of the house activity yesterday was to go to a nearby theater in delaware to record some remarks to be released at a later date. but tuesday, two days ago -- rather wednesday, two days ago, was his busiest day on the campaign trail since march. he hit seven different stops along a train line in pennsylvania and ohio. even though he maintains social distance, there were hundreds and hundreds of people at some of these events that turned out. many of them were wearing masks, nobody got too close to joe biden but he was in proximity to these people who were not all social distancing all the time. does this development that he

was on stage with a president who tested positive and a first lady who tested positive for the coronavirus on tuesday change anything? does the campaign trail on the democratic side go cold? we don't know but we should very soon because again if he will get here on time for the 1:20 p.m. remarks we'll know if he doesn't leave delaware. >> trace: peter doocy live for us in michigan. peter, back to you if the news breaks. >> sandra: reaction continues to pour into the president and first lady testing positive for the coronavirus. nancy pelosi weighing in just a few moments ago sending her well wishes to the president and first lady. we'll have the latest on all of this when we return. a quick break. make family-sized meals fast. and because it's a ninja foodi, it can do things no other oven can, like flip away. the ninja foodi air fry oven, the oven that crisps and flips away.

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the president is behind joe biden in the most recent polling. let's bring in fox news contributor and washington times opinion editor charlie hurts. before i get to you want to take care of breaking news. we have just learned rnc chairwoman ronna mcdaniel has tested positive for coronavirus and in her house in michigan for the past six days. we should also note that barron trump, ivanka trump and jared trump have tested negative. moving on now to your thoughts, charlie hurt, of the president testing positive for coronavirus, what did you first think when you heard the news? >> well, certainly, trace, it is a clarifying moment. it is obviously a very serious disease. i think all of our thoughts and prayers go out to the first family and president trump -- i've been around the guy a fair amount. he is a pretty fearless guy.

i know he will approach this with the same determination and fight that he approaches everything. and there are certain things that are unfortunately out of our hands, this is one of them to some degree. and so i think that everyone -- especially after a couple of days now the media has focused on all this business trying to call on the president to condemn without supremacists which he has already condemned many times. it is one of those moments where it clears out all the underbrush and makes us focus on the things that actually matter. >> trace: chris wallace said we try to focus on the coronavirus and the president's diagnosis and first lady's diagnosis but politics has to be interjected in this because we're 30 days away from the campaign. we should note that supreme court nominee amy coney barrett

has also tested negative for coronavirus. we talk about the supreme court. we talk about the debates. those are now on the back burner, right? now it's all about coronavirus again. and politically speaking, charlie, coronavirus has not been a good issue for the president. >> well, i think the president has not made the best case that i think that he can make about how his administration has handled the virus and responded to the virus. obviously it is a terrible disease. it is a terrifying disease. but you have to -- he is elected president because -- and in that capacity he has to weigh the threat of the disease with the threats of overreacting to the disease such as shutting down the economy and trying to sort of find a good balance. you can't just hand that over to people who haven't been elected. these are major questions that

the american people have a right to vote to have their elected leaders make decisions about. and so you know, i think this is -- it is certainly a clarifying moment but i also think that it is an opportunity for the president to sort of recalibrate and come out and make a very strong case for how his administration has handled something that look, when it started nobody knew anything about any of it. if we want to play the blame game the way a lot of democrats have been playing and trying to prosecute against president trump unfairly, i would argue, you know, it cuts every which way. the bottom line is when this began nobody knew what it was, nobody knew how it behaved. it was a new virus. and i think that the trump administration has done a very, very smart job balancing out how to combat disease without letting the cure be worse than the disease itself. at this moment i know everyone joins me in praying for the

first family and that's the most important thing at this moment. >> trace: you know what i was struck by, charlie, when i first heard the news i was thinking wow. i know people have criticized the president for down playing the virus and some contradictory statements on masks and when and whether to wear them. as john roberts pointed out this morning the president is very careful when it comes to coronavirus. doesn't want people near him within six feet. been very careful about shaking hands and interacting with people. you wonder as chris wallace said he is in the biggest bubble in the world and if the president of the united states is not immune from getting coronavirus, it's got to take the country back a little bit to think wow. >> absolutely. he is the most socially distanced man on the planet who is still working every day and interacting with people every single day. and it does, and you know, if you know people who have gotten the disease, you know it

doesn't -- it doesn't pick among people. it is hard to predict. but yeah, and again, you know, it is a clarifying moment. i do think when you stack up all of the arguments that we should be talking about in this campaign, certainly coronavirus is up there near the top as is the economy and national security and issues like that. but it is definitely a clarifying moment. >> sandra: it's sandra. nancy pelosi made a brand-new interview a few moments ago responding to the president and first lady testing positive. >> we all received the news with great sadness. i always pray for the president's family that they're safe. i continue to do so more intensified. and i know that he will have the best of care and that's what we want for everyone in our country. out of an abundance of caution i was tested. i don't have the results yet. i have concern about the tests

because the tests that are happening at the white house are not as accurate as they should be. >> sandra: and we along with the speaker of the house send our best wishes to the president and first lady as well. she will be tested and she called into question the testing that happens at the white house, which we had explained to us at the top of the hour. charlie, an interesting point because they're tested so often they often make the case that's why they don't always social distance or always wear a mask because they say they're tested so frequently. of course we know there are sometimes false negatives as well and in which case you have to go on and get further testing or testing that takes a little bit longer, charlie. >> and, of course, that's exactly the point that i think is the most important point and i think a lot of americans understand this is the fact that because it is a new disease, because this is something that we've never dealt with before, even whatever it is nine months into

it, even around the white house where they have access to the most advanced medical information and practices known to humankind, you still -- we still don't -- it's not perfected and that's the nature of going through a global pandemic. and while i do think that there are a lot of these issues that are very important to talk about because it is a public health crisis, i also think there is a politically speaking, i think there is a real danger trying to score political -- i'm not suggesting the speaker was doing that at all. i thought her statement was a very good statement. but outside of that, you know, any attempt to score political points based on a pandemic that we literally didn't know existed one year ago, is -- i think it's dangerous politically and i also think and unwise but i also think it's really bad faith. i love what the president said in his announcing he tested

positive. he said we'll get through this together. and i wish that -- i think it is a lot better if we approach something like this, something bizarre, unknown, horrible like this as, you know what, we'll do this together. we're going to be constructive and figure out how to beat this thing the way we have beaten a lot of other things in the past. and that's i think that that's the pose that the president has been trying to strike from the beginning. >> sandra: charlie hurt, thank you. trace. >> trace: we should note the national security team has sent a note out saying the president to delegate authority in case the symptoms get worse. we have no indication that the president has any symptoms at all. we'll come back. continuing coverage of the breaking news about the president and first lady next. ♪

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six to less than 18, it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach area pain, and swelling. change your thinking to ibs-c. if your constipation and belly pain keeps coming back, tell your doctor and say yesss! to linzess. >> sandra: fox news alert. president trump and first lady now among more than 7 million americans testing positive for covid. welcome to "america's newsroom" on friday morning. i'm sandra smith. >> trace: good morning, everyone. i'm trace gallagher. the president and first lady are in quarantine at the white house. news breaking after hours we learned white house aide hope hicks has tested positive.

the white house physician says the president and first lady are doing well and the president will continue to carry out his duties while recovering. "fox news sunday" anchor chris wallace was the moderator of the first presidential debate earlier this week and here is what he said last hour on "america's newsroom." >> the coronavirus and the president's handling of it will go to the top of the agenda and, you know, you don't like to talk about politics now but when you are four plus weeks away from an election everything is political. >> trace: griff jenkins live in washington chris said everything is political. hours into the breaking news how political has it gotten already? >> well, it has certainly drawn a response, trace. good morning to you from the former vice president who tweeted this just in the last hour or so saying jill and i send our thoughts to president trump and first lady melania trump for a swipt recovery. we'll continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.

his running mate senator kamala harris also tweeting the president and first lady for a full and speedy recovery. important to note for context that joe biden has made the president's handling of the coronavirus a signature part of his campaign and criticism of it. now from the president's health to the november election the national security and administration's response has far reaching implications. let's unpack what we know. that news from early this morning. the president tweeting 12:54 a.m. tonight the first lady and i tested positive for covid-19. we'll begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately and get through it together. the first lady tweeting they're okay. since then vice president mike pence's press secretary tweeting news he and the second lady have tested negative. they put out a tweet. vice president pence tested for covid-19 every day. this morning vice president pence and second lady tested

negative for covid-19. vice president pence remains in good health and wishes the trumps well in their recovery. i spoke to an official in the vice president's office. not sure how it might impact things. we got a memo from sean connolly about the president's health says the president and first lady are both well at this time and plan to remain at home within the white house, rest assured, he says, the president will continue to carry out his duties without disruption while recovering. as you mentioned that news came after the long-time trusted aide hope hicks tested positive. she was with the president wednesday at the rally in duluth, minnesota. on tuesday at the debate and last saturday at a rally in pennsylvania. that has put in motion vigorous contact tracing within the president's circle. here is what we know so far. mark meadows tested negative. jared and ivanka tested negative. secretary of state mike pompeo while traveling abroad flying from rome to croatian took a

test and found out he and his wife have tested negative. now, so where does this leave us and what does it mean for the president's schedule? well, what was going to be a fundraising event in d.c. and rally in florida, both of those have been canceled. as far as impacting the campaign trail and the vice presidential debate in salt lake city the presidential debate in miami on the 15th is very unclear. we have calls into the commission on presidential debates to get some clarity. none coming so far. so a lot of questions with some news that has rocked not only washington but sent shock waves worldwide, trace. >> trace: the list of questions is long. griff jenkins live in d.c. thank you. >> sandra: let's bring in our chief political anchor bret baier. thank you for joining us this morning. of course, reaction is pouring in from around the world as we await to see and hear from the president and the first lady

themselves this morning. but as far as what you are hearing this morning, bret. >> good morning. i think there is a lot of outpouring of thoughts and prayers for the first family and swift recovery. i think that obviously in this current environment that you heard chris wallace say we're enveloped in a political atmosphere especially four weeks out from an election. how does this affect things? in a quarantine situation the president won't be out in person campaigning. not a good thing for the trump campaign. but he -- we're told they'll work on some things to set up virtual appearances from the white house. as he is quarantining. obviously it brings the issue of the fact that covid-19 made it to the highest person in the country, the commander-in-chief in the bubble that he has, it makes it that more evident that this virus is vicious and easily contracted.

>> sandra: you look at the president's whereabouts over the days that led up to his positive diagnosis. as you can see him landing there on thursday heading to a rally. that was last thursday at the jacksonville rally. friday newport news. saturday the rose garden announcement. covid testing, the debate on tuesday, minnesota wednesday, bedminster thursday, tests positive. bret, health first and everyone wishes the best for the president and first lady as they try to recover from this. then it's the contact tracing. who is in the president's inner circle in the white house, who has been around the president as he engaged in a lot of these travels over the past several days and we don't know specifically when he became infected. >> right. that's the tough part about this disease. once you show symptoms, you are likely contagious days before

that. and you look at the travel, there is a lot of interaction with a lot of different people. we do know that jared and ivanka trump are negative. so they were on all of those trips. so that's potentially a good sign. but it will be a testing thing for everybody that has been in close proximity. the white house chief of staff mark meadows also negative. >> sandra: because so many people are just now finding out about this news, bret. it hit all of us in the middle of the night at 1:00 a.m. eastern time is when we learned the president and first lady tested positive. the president put out confirmation of that via a tweet just before the 1:00 a.m. hour. here is the statement from the physician, the white house physician, the president and first lady are both well at this time and plan to remain at home within the white house during their convalescence. rest assured i expect the president carry out his duties while recovering and keep you updated on any further developments. the doefts -- develops is

whether he could be symptomatic or asymptomatic. as far as how long the president will have to be isolated at the white house as well as their health. >> that's right. this virus affects people differently as we've seen across the country. we've had sources say hope hicks was feeling really bad. not as bad to be hospitalized but just really like a bad case of the flu. so we don't know yet about the first family. just what we've been told so far they're asymptomatic. he was talking to sean hannity last night and the news about hope hicks came out and he said realtime at 9:00 or 9:30 that they had just taken the test. so soon after they put out that positive. i think this really does change the collective thinking about it but how much does it change

the election? i think we'll find out in the coming days. >> sandra: while the white house physician said they're both well at this time, the ap is reporting from a white house aide they are being told that he is suffering from mild symptoms. we have not independent confirmation of that, bret. we're likely to learn more in the coming hours. you can go back to the president's words on the debate stage tuesday night when he was pressed about sometimes not wearing a mask. here is the president. >> president trump: i wear a mask when needed. i wear masks. i don't wear masks like him. every time you see him he has a mask. he could be speaking 200 feet away and shows up with the biggest mask i've ever seen. >> sandra: this puts this issue front and center just a few weeks away from election day. and you go back to the treatment of the president -- by the president of the issue of wearing masks, wearing one

himself, at times wearing one, at times not. what this will do as far as his record and his treatment of the seriousness of this virus, bret. >> i think it's beyond masks. that's an important part of this as you talk about what you can do to prevent, but here is a guy that is in the biggest protective bubble. the secret service, anybody who gets around him takes that instant test. now, when he is out and about, that doesn't happen as easily and they try to distance him, but the fact that the virus got there i think just changes the collective mindset about how contagious this thing is. we all knew it was but this just changes people's perceptions perhaps and again the biggest thing is to send our thoughts and prayers that he recovers quickly. >> sandra: still awaiting specific word from the white house about how the president

plans to carry out his duties and how he plans to as president, of course, and how he plans to campaign now that he has to be isolated. obviously this could get political really fast. we wish the president and first lady the absolute best as they try to recover from this, bret. but i mean the political implications of this are wide for obvious reasons. nancy pelosi just was on an interview a few moments ago and sent her best wishes to the president and first lady but also had this to say. if i could get it right in front of me here. she said that his behavior was a brazen invitation for something like this to happen. the biden campaign has put out a statement it didn't have anything like that. it sent their best to the president and first lady. but you just wonder what that is going to look and sound like as we get that kind of reaction in the coming days. >> yeah. i think that's -- that's interesting to listen to

because i think the initial sense i got from a lot of the statements from democrats and republicans is just hoping that he recovers and we continue the race. i think the questions about what happens to campaigning, what happens to the next debate in miami, if he is down for 14 days and even if he is asymptomatic and does the quarantine, you know, you wonder whether he will make that in person or they will adjust some things. so politics factors in, but the news itself is a big deal. >> sandra: and we also got word from stephanie grisham, the press secretary to the first lady, that barron has tested negative, thank goodness, having both his parents test positive that would be of note. but it is going to be a wild next few hours. how important is it, do you think, that the president in some capacity, whether it's on

a tape or something shows the country, shows the world how he is doing, tells us how he is doing whether it's a tweet or video or whatever it may be from the white house so that we can see for ourselves how he is doing? >> i think that's important and i think something you will see happen whether it's tweeted out video as he has done in the rose garden numerous times or some kind of message. i doubt it will be an address on this. but it likely would be some video statement and it's by himself. they won't bring the pool in to talk to the president in this environment. >> sandra: a fair point. all right, bret. we'll see more of you throughout the day and 6:00 p.m. tonight special report. >> trace: breaking "america's newsroom," joe biden will be tested for coronavirus today following president trump's positive diagnosis. the two candidates shared a debate stage tuesday but remained more than six feet apart. joining me now is biden

surrogate jenna arnold. we appreciate you joining us. in your understanding will the former vice president still be traveling to michigan today? >> i can't speak on behalf of the campaign but i can say that biden is still laser focused on having the conversation this country is desperate to have around jobs and healthcare. specifically how to protect themselves and loved ones from covid. the 7.3 million people who have gotten covid who have suffered everything from asymptomatic to scenarios that make up the horrors and our worst nightmares. there is a lot about standing questions just because there is breaking and unfortunate headline coming out of the oval office. biden will stay very focused on the subjects that keep people awake at night. >> trace: what are you being told about the testing the former vice president and his wife dr. jill biden will undergo? when will it happen? do you know what type of test? did any of that information

come to you? >> no. i'm not sure that understanding the nuances of those details much matter. biden as a citizen of the united states or candidate for the presidency is going to take the absolutely most responsible and conservative measures what is becoming a clear and dangerous virus that even those who thought this was a hoax i think are now recognizing that this is something that is incredibly transmitable and so unpredictable who will be affected. some of the athletes, i know those in the best shape are the ones that are long haulers at this point. my 96-year-old grandmother survived this. so i do know they're going to be as conservative and as responsible both with the candidate and his immediate circle and all those people he comes in contact with. i think it's fair to put that to the side and say they are going to do everything to make sure they can keep everyone safe. >> trace: you can put it to the side but it is important.

he was on stage with the president tuesday night. so it is important and people are curious to find out if and when -- >> i'm sure there is a plan being designed with scientists and medical professionals to make sure they can get their answers. >> trace: in recent months the vice president has been criticized for not aggressively campaigning even by some democrats saying he needs to get out there and just yesterday the biden campaign was talking about doing more in-person canvassing because of the criticism. maybe not in direct response but they are aware of it. do you know if that has changed at all. has it changed the strategy going forward of the biden campaign? >> i think trump's diagnosis this morning isn't a new variable in the realities related to covid. we have known this was extraordinarily dangerous since january. and so when it comes to how individuals are interacting

with each other at the supermarket or canvassing is something that will be on a case-by-case basis. i can confidently say that in my individual capacity and on behalf of my surrogacy it is of the utmost importance to make sure everybody is protected at all times and i keep thinking thank god for the worldwide web because we can do the zoom calls and these online rallies. so i don't know if if what happened last night is necessarily going to change the campaign. >> trace: we have to leave it there. thank you for your time. we appreciate it. >> you're welcome. >> sandra: thank you, trace, cluster of coronavirus at the white house. the president, first lady and top aide all testing positive ahead. more on what it means for the administration, the campaign and all those who have recently been in contact with president trump. veterans, if you could lower your mortgage payments by $250 a month $3,000 a year, what would you do with the money?

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>> sandra: fox news alert. the president and first lady will be spending their first full day in quarantine today after the president tweeted late last night they had both tested positive for covid-19. joining us now is dr. jeanette nesheiwat a fox news contributor. we have so many questions for you. we're also getting word that larry kudlow has confirmed that

he has tested negative sending prayers to the first family. doctor, take us through what is likely to be happening as someone who first-hand treats patients with covid-19. what would be happening now by the white house position and president and first lady inside the white house to monitor symptoms if there are any. the white house hasn't confirmed that. to potentially treat the president and first lady. take us through that. >> we're praying for our president and for our first lady that they continue to remain asymptomatic. so far what we know is they tested positive. they were hopefully continue to be asymptomatic but they will be monitored very closely. their vital signs, do they develop a fever, our president and first lady any difficulty breathing? they'll be monitored and watch closely every day. probably every four to six hours their vital signs may be checked.

they will be in isolation in quarantine for at least 10 days. if they continue to remain asymptomatic after 10 days and for an additional 48 to 72 hours have no symptoms their fever free they'll likely be released to go back to work. most people after 10 days are improving and have no more symptoms the studies and data we have show they are not contagious as previously thought which is reassuring. for now our president will be monitored very closely. his team of doctors will decide what their -- therapy they want to give him. deaf -- they may supplement him with vitamin d and zinc. also other things that have antioxidants and

anti-inflammatory properties. lastly his doctors may decide if they want to prophylacticly give him a course of remdesivir. that's something that i'm sure they'll discuss it. there have been studies on covid symptoms by the use of remdesivir, you can have either a five-day or 10-day course like the flu. the earlier we start tam flu the more effective it will be. he will be monitored closely and he and the first lady hopefully will remain asymptomatic. >> sandra: we don't have confirmation he is asymptomatic and no information. the a.p. reported he is suffering from mild symptoms. we don't know that. we haven't independently confirmed that.

what i can tell you is what the white house physician has said publicly through a statement saying that the president and first lady are both well at this time. we certainly hope that is the case and that remains the case. but we will report on any potential symptoms or lack there of as we get that information. i can tell you that senator lindsey graham's spokesperson just said that senator graham spoke with the president and he is in good spirits and sounded good. we have a call-out to senator lindsey graham's office. dr. nesheiwat what about the risks to president trump being 74 years old, current health and ability to fight this virus? >> fortunately, sandra, we have progressed tremendously in the past six months and gained so much knowledge. we've learned so much. we're at a different place today than we were six months ago. we have the tools and knowledge

to fight this virus. so the mortality rate has decreased in the past couple of months. the death rate isn't what it was six months ago. because of the information that we've gained and we now know how to better treat this disease. for our president he is in a bit of a higher risk group because of his age. he is over the age of 65 and also slightly overweight but many americans are as well. but he does not have heart disease. he does not have underlying cancers or weakened immune system. he is very active and from what we hear we don't know that he has any symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath or fever and headache. those are the symptoms that i see in my patients, difficulty breathing. hopefully he won't develop any of those symptoms and closely monitored. he is at a higher risk but he is under the care of the most incredible doctors in the world. he is getting hands-on care. monitored very closely. so that is very reassuring to

me. i feel confident he will be well taken care of and i do think that he will get through this especially with all the tools that we have gained in this past several months. >> trace: dr. nesheiwat, thank you for joining us. we've learned so much over the past six months about viral load and everybody assumes hope hicks tested positive that the president got it from hope hicks. we don't know that. we have no way of knowing where either one of them got this. the problem remains hope hicks doesn't feel well. she has symptoms. she doesn't feel well. do you worry about viral load if for the sake of argument the president got it from hope hicks and she is not feeling well? we talk so much about viral load. does that indicate at all what the president might be in store for getting this from her? your thoughts. >> absolutely. are you exactly right. we don't know for sure if he picked it up from hope. he may have picked it up

several days ago. remember, the incubation period for the virus is 2 to 14 days with average onset of symptoms between 5 and 7 days. because they were on the same aircraft doesn't mean he picked it up from her and yes, she wears a mask. the viral load if she was crosstalking, sneezing and close contact with the president maybe only a small amount of the virus entered the mucous membranes of our president. it could make a difference and so far we're not aware of any symptoms for our president and first lady. but they are again going to be monitored. the lower the viral load, how much of the viral coronavirus particles have entered your body, the lower that is, most likely the better the prognosis. >> sandra: all right. excellent information. dr. nesheiwat, appreciate you coming on with us this morning. larry kudlow did an interview a

short time ago outside the white house. he said the chief will come out closely referencing chief of staff mark meadows. the camera is up. live shot at the white house. we'll potentially hear from mark meadows, the president's chief of staff any moment now. we're watching that and will bring it to you when it happens. a quick break and we'll be right back. some things are good to know. like where to find the cheapest gas in town and which supermarket gives you the most

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>> trace: back now to our continuing coverage of our top

story. president trump tweeting overnight that he and the first lady have tested positive for covid-19 and will quarantine at the white house. let's get to john roberts who has been up all night since that tweet. he joins us now with the latest. good morning, john. what are we hearing this morning? >> trace, good morning to you. we're likely to have more information coming out of the white house in the next little while. not exactly sure when but we're told the chief of staff mark meadows will be coming out to the driveway to talk to us and give us an update what status is. at this moment we know the president and first lady are in the residence behind me and they are in isolation as they await to see if the symptoms begin to develop or if they remain relatively asymptomatic as they have so far. i was told the president was feeling pretty good yesterday when he returned from a fundraising round table in bedminster, new jersey yesterday. he has been a little bit hoarse for the past few days but

attributed to the campaign schedule. he plans to hold a conference call at noon for covid support for senior citizens and talk in the west wing having him do some sort of video appearance to talk to the nation about what is happening. that hasn't been nailed down yet. they are trying to figure out when he can do it and how he can do it as well. he is, again, in isolation and getting a camera to him would be problematic. contact tracing and testing continues at the white house. barron trump tested negative as have vice president pence and karen. amy coney barrett has tested negative as has the treasury secretary steven mnuchin, mike pompeo and mark meadows and the rest of the white house staff. their tests came back negative as well. ronna mcdaniel tested positive but that may not be related to

the president. that may just simply be coincidental. it is unclear this morning what the president and campaign plan to do about campaigning in this last month of the election. the president was supposed to have a fundraiser in washington, d.c. this morning, a rally in florida later tonight and a rally in wisconsin tomorrow. we also did not know about the status of the debates. the next presidential debate is october 15th in miami. that's two weeks from today. if the president does not develop severe symptoms he could potentially be back in the game for that. are you supposed to isolate for 10 days and have three negative tests. and then you can get back to work. the white house physician sean connolly, though he has said the president and first lady are feeling good, are in good spirits hasn't talked at all about a potential course of treatment for the president. you remember back in may the president went on a round of medication as well as zinc and hydroxychloroquine, when he had been near somebody who tested

positive for coronavirus. he said if he were to get the virus, that he would probably try that again but we don't have any official word from the white house. unclear as well when the president contracted this. you heard dr. nesheiwat talking last hour about the fact that it's between 2 and 14 days of incubation. the president has been all over the country in just the last week doing four events last friday alone in four different states. trace, he could have picked it up from anywhere. we just don't know. >> sandra: jacksonville, newport news, minnesota. new jersey. he has been on quite the travel spree. >> trace: john roberts. >> he has been everywhere, man. >> trace: thank you, john, back to you as the news breaks. >> sandra: all right. president trump's positive covid-19 affecting the campaign with the election 32 days out. the president was supposed to, as john just mentioned, travel to florida for a rally later today. that trip, of course, has been canceled and also questions about how this could impact former vice president joe

biden's campaign. let's bring in tom bevan editor of real clear politics. welcome, tom. this changes everything, of course. we send our well wishes and thoughts and prayers to the trump family as the president and first lady try to recover and fight this virus. meanwhile there are big questions over what the implications are obviously for his governing and for his campaigning. you throw up on the screen there the seven-day whereabouts of the president and he has been a lot of places. as trace just mentioned the jacksonville rally, newport, on to new jersey and the announcements he made in the rose garden. at the white house, the debate tuesday night, on into this week, of course. and then he tested positive and announced that at 1:00 a.m. eastern time. how much does this change things? start with the trump campaign. >> fundamentally alters the final month of this race. the president will be on the sidelines for two weeks.

what can he do from the white house virtually in terms of reaching voters? communicating with people? i think a lot of the burden will now fall on his surrogates. ivanka, jared, mike pence will have to do a lot of campaigning in advance of his vice presidential debate next week with kamala harris. a lot of spotlight and burden will fall on him. that's one aspect of it. the other aspect is how it is playing with voters across the country, questions about trump's health, questions about brings coronavirus back into the picture. will it generate sympathy for him? how will independent voters look at this? it is all to be determined. right now the main impact is on the mechanics of the campaign itself and donald trump being on the sidelines for at least two weeks. >> sandra: it will take a while to see after this announcement of the positive test results from the president where the issue of coronavirus stands with the american people heading into election day. but certainly, tom, you can talk about how it has been polling as far as importance

for the american voter heading towards election day up until now. >> both nationally and in many of the swing states, all of the swing states the economy the number one issue. we got economic news today that highlights that. but coronavirus is right there. it is the number two issue in most polls. and in most states. a major concern. it's been a weakness for president trump and a strength of who could handle this issue for joe biden. to the extent this moves the numbers in some way we'll have to wait and see. the economy has been far and away the number one issue for the majority of this campaign. >> sandra: we're awaiting possibly the moment outside the white house where mark meadows chief of staff might talk to reporters and get a report on the president's condition hopefully. and that is a live look at the white house, trace, as we potentially will hear from the president's chief of staff giving an update on the president and first lady's

condition, trace. >> trace: mark meadows pops out the door we'll take that live and that should happen at any moment. in the meantime we'll be right back. veterans, record low mortgage rates have now fallen even lower. by refinancing at newday you can save $3000 a year every year. with their va streamline refi, there is no income verification no appraisal, no out of pocket costs and no va paperwork for you. you can start the process right over the phone. refi now and cut $3000 a year off your mortgage payments. loans can close in as little as 30 days.

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robust in its v-shaped recovery. unfortunately that's not what everybody is focused on this morning. as all of you know, the president and first lady tested positive for covid-19. they remain in good spirits. the president does have mild symptoms and as we look to try to make sure that not only his health and safety and welfare is good, we continue to look at that for all of the american people. he continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic. we've talked a number of times this morning. i got the five or six things that he had tasked me to do like i do every single morning and he is certainly wanting to make sure that we stay engaged. i think the other thing that is critically important, the

doctors continue to monitor both his health and the health of the first lady. they will continue to do that. they will be glad to provide some updates later today as we look at this. but i think the great thing about this president is not only is he staying committed to working very hard on behalf of the american people, his first question to me this morning was how is the economy doing? how are the stimulus talks going on capitol hill? a number of us in the core team of the white house continue to get tested on a daily basis like we have been. and as we look to that, we are very excited about making sure that not only that the health and safety of the president and

first lady is addressed, but certainly that we address this battle together as a nation together and the american people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job, and i'm optimistic that he will have a very quick and speedy recovery. >> how would you describe his symptoms? is he taking hydroxychloroquine? >> i won't get any particular treatment he may or may not have. he has mild symptoms as we look at that. the doctor will continue to provide expertise in the residence. he is in the residence now. and in true fashion he is probably critiquing the way i'm answering these questions. and i can tell you that a

number of us will be reporting back to him on the task at hand. >> what date and time did you find out that hope hicks had tested positive and did you sit on it until after the president went out to his fundraiser in new jersey? >> actually, as we look at this i'm not going to get into the tiktok. in terms of hope hicks we discovered that right as the marine one was taking off yesterday. we actually pulled some of the people that had been traveling and in close contact. the reason why it was reported out is that we had already started the contact tracing just prior to that event. as you know, last night even in the early hours of this morning the minute we got a confirmed test on the president we felt it was important to get the news out there at that time. so that's why we sent out the

tweet late or actually early this morning. [inaudible question] >> why aren't you wearing a mask right now? >> i have been tested. we're hopefully more than six feet away. if there is any concern there. we have protocols in place and when early on -- early on when we first started to tackle the covid-19 battle, we actually did two different things in the white house. a number of contingencies as we looked at not only additional testing but certainly mitigating the risk for social distancing and private meetings and the like. but i think it goes to the broader question is even with a lot of mitigating factors, jim,

what you have is a virus that is contagious, that certainly can continues to be regardless of whatever protocol we have, that it has the ability to affect everybody. as you know, the president, we keep a pretty wide circle. all of you that interacted with you know that. even with that wide circle around the president we find that he is having to deal with this like so many millions of other americans and people around the world have had to do. i can tell you that what we're doing is focusing on the they rapeutics, continuing to do that and it hasn't changed. >> officials who are on the flight with the president on wednesday including kushner and others, are they all quarantining and have they been tested? >> we've tested all our core staff and i can tell you that

mr. kushner, mr. scavino, myself, a number of us have been tested and come back with negative results. and yet at the same time i fully expect that as this virus continues to go on, other people in the white house will certainly have a positive test result and we've got the mitigation plan in place to make sure that the government not only continues to move forward but the work of the american people continues to move forward. so even as recent as this morning at a little after 8:00 the president was giving me a number of things to make sure that i get done and i'm sure that i will actually have those do-outs have to be back to him later today. i have to wrap.

i'm not going to -- i wanted to come out and give an update to all of you so that to show the courtesy of giving an update. we'll have future updates. i'm glad to do that. any other specifics at this time would be -- >> sandra: an update on president trump after he and the first lady tested positive for covid. he said the president and first lady remain in good spirits. the president is suffering from what he described as mild symptoms. he continues to be in good spirits and called him energetic. said that he wants to make sure that we stay engaged. he is on the job. he will remain on the job said his chief of staff. doctors are monitoring their health right now. there will be an update later in the day. he said the first question that the president had to ask him this morning when he began work how is the economy doing? and asked about stimulus talks on capitol hill.

also a moment, trace, where reporters pressed the president for information on hope hicks and her diagnosis and when it was confirmed that she was positive with covid-19 and mark meadows didn't get into it said he wasn't going to get into the time frame but questions over contact tracing obviously still key as far as who in the president's inner circle may have come into contact with the president, the first lady or hope hicks as testing continues for many of them. >> trace: i think it's looking at the valid point. nobody knows about the timeline. hope hicks was diagnosed first and confirmed to have coronavirus and then the president and there is this assumption that maybe it went from one to the other. there is no way to know that. so to go into the timeline is futile. it might have come from the same person that both came in contact with. we don't know. he said a couple of times the president is suffering mild

symptoms. he didn't go into detail about what those symptoms are. doctors will tell you. in fact we're looking to get a doctor to come answer some of these questions. there is a difference between fever, headache and fatigue versus sore throat, runny nose ant respiratory problems. that's what the doctors are looking at to see what and how severe the symptoms might progress to and it's one of the things they're looking at. he also didn't answer or in fact wasn't asked about the president appearing today because there is this feeling among political analysts the president still wants to be seen by the public and that still wants to show that he is in charge. and clearly from the president is one of those people who wants to make it very clear that he is, in fact, still running the ship. >> sandra: want to bring in dr. jeanette nesheiwat. for more on this, doctor, i'm sure you heard some of what we heard from the chief of staff giving an update of the

president. suffering from mild symptoms. he is in residence and joked at one point that the president probably is critiquing his answers right now suggesting the president is inside watching tv and watching the way he answered those questions. what did you make of what you just heard from the white house? >> i like the fact they're mild symptoms. if we remember that most patients will have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. hopefully they remain mild and he doesn't have any difficulty breathing, chest pain or shortness of breath. even if he does develop any of those more significant symptoms or complications we have the tools to fight it. we can provide the medications, remdesivir, we can provide high levels of oxygen. if we need to go even further extremes we have convalescent plasma, the antibody that can help fight against the virus to reduce the viral load. we have vitamin d, zinc, we have the tools and therapies. it is a matter of keeping an eye on his oxygen levels. that's one of the things i look

at very closely when i have patients coming in to make sure their oxygen levels aren't dropping into the 80s. we want to keep them in the 90s and provide supportive care that is available. >> sandra: mark meadows said he is optimistic that the president will have a quick and speedy recovery and asked about any treatments he might be already taking. mark meadows responded he would not get into the details of that. we will likely learn more. he did say there would be an update from the white house later today as far as the health of the president and first lady. dr. nesheiwat, thank you. we will have much more coming up on this developing story, president and first lady testing positive for covid-19. the announcement came out just before the 1:00 a.m. hour overnight. more on all of this coming up. brand-new hour. - [announcer] meet the ninja foodi air fry oven. make family-sized meals fast. and because it's a ninja foodi,

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before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. i look and feel so much better. see me. ask your dermatologist if cosentyx could help you move past the pain of psoriasis. >> sandra: breaking news at this hour 11:00 a.m. on the east coast following confirmed covid-19 cases of the president and first lady. mark meadows told reporters president trump is suffering from mild symptoms at this time. the president is in good spirits and energetic while quarantining with the first lady in the white house private residence. friday morning. i'm sandra smith. >> trace: good morning i'm

trace gallagher. medical teams are working to track the virus's spread doing contact tracing with people who have come in close contact with president trump. here is what we know at this hour. president trump, first lady melania both infected. their son baron testing negative. a long list of people the president has been in contact only two other people in trump's circle testing positive as of now. >> sandra: it includes senior white house adviseor hope hicks. news of her positive test was the first to hit the news late last night. also the chairwoman of the republican national committee the rnc ronna mcdaniel says she also has tested positive. among those who were tested and found to be negative both vice president mike pence and second lady. jared kushner, ivanka trump, mike pompeo and amy coney barrett. what is the latest you are

hearing from the white house, john roberts, this morning? >> we looked into that. good morning to you as well. the problem with the test is that you can test negative at one point during the day and then test positive later on in the day. that happened with katie miller, the vice president's press secretary. she tested negative and then tested positive. we understand that the president had a coronavirus test yesterday morning as he typically does which would have been negative and then tested positive along with the first lady later on in the evening. mark meadows would not characterize exactly what the symptoms are that the president is experiencing. he said they were mild. he would also not go down the road whether or not the president was again taking a combination of hydroxychloroquine, zinc as he did when he was near katie miller back in may and took a course of that as a preventive to make sure he didn't get coronavirus. here is what meadows told us a few minutes ago in the white

house driveway. >> he continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic. we've talked a number of times this morning. i got the five or six things that he had tasked me to do like i do every single morning. >> one of the things we learned more about the timeline. the president getting off marine one as he was headed toward bedminster. the president and white house learned about hope hicks' positive coronavirus test just before the president got on the helicopter. mark meadows was saying they actually took a couple of people who were closer to hope hicks than the president was off of that trip. the president apparently did not know at the time these pictures were taken that he had been exposed and infected with coronavirus. i'm told he was feeling pretty good when he got back from bedminster yesterday and any symptoms he was experiencing were fairly mild in nature.

he has been hoarse for a few days because of the grueling campaign scheduled and getting out there to 90 minute to 2-hour rallies. on hannity last night he didn't seem any the worse for wear. the president talking about hope hicks's positive. >> president trump: hard when you are with soldiers, when you are with airmen, when you are with the marines and i'm the police officers, i'm with them so much and when they come over to you it's very hard to say stay back. it is a tough situation, a terrible thing. >> as you can tell by listening to the president there a little bit of hoarseness but nothing overt. symptoms said to be mild. nancy pelosi sending her well wishes to the president this morning but also suggesting contracting coronavirus is a cautionary tale.

>> we receive the news. i continue to pray for the president and his family more intensified and he will have the best of care and it's what we want for everyone in our country. maybe now that people who see the president of the united states with all the protection that he has and the first lady, still having this exposure it might be as you say a learning experience. but more than learning, it has to be something that is acted upon. >> unclear how long the president is going to have to isolate. how long he will be out of the oval office and off the campaign trail. typically you have to isolate for 10 days and if you have three negative coronavirus tests in that time period then you can get back to work. but clearly campaign rallies for today, planned for florida tomorrow wisconsin, those are both gone. it might be possible for the president to beam in virtually. the other big question, sandra, that's up in the air now is what happens to the debate on

october 15th? that's exactly two weeks from today. it is quite possible the president could be back out of the white house and attend the debate. it's something the campaign and the commission on presidential debates will have to keep a close eye on. >> sandra: a lot to take in there. president trump's daughter weighing in on her father's coronavirus diagnosis, she tweeted praying for the swift recovery of my father and melania and all those impacted by covid. the president will continue to fight for the people of this great country as they fight this together. martha maccallum is a anchor of "the story". it all started with the positive confirmation this morning. this is mitch mcconnell just tweeted this out a few moments ago. the senate majority leader. just finished a great phone call with the president, mitch

mcconnell. in good spirits and we talked business, how impressed senators are with the qualifications of judge barrett. full steam ahead with the timely process to the nominee the court and country deserve. problems with our graphics here and i'll move on, trace, as we await martha to join us here. nancy pelosi has responded this morning to all this. she sent her well wishes to the president and first lady. larry kudlow this morning talking a lot about what he is hearing inside of the white house. but bottom line the first response we've gotten since the announcement by the president himself was mark meadows a few moments ago saying the president is in good spirits. suffering mild symptoms and energetic. >> trace: fascinating mitch mcconnell came out and said the president is good spirits. impressed senators are with the qualifications of judge barrett. democrats said it needs to be delayed in the wake of the

diagnosis. mitch mcconnell saying no, it is going forward. >> sandra: martha is with us now anchor of the story. your thoughts on this developing story. >> yeah. i mean, this is an incredible development. we all send our best wishes to the president of the united states and the first lady. ronna mcdaniel and hope hicks also on that list of those who have tested positive. we certainly hope that they all have a very good outcome. we just heard from mark meadows, all of us together and he did not answer a lot of questions. he just said that the president was in good spirits and that he was experiencing mild symptoms. so so much obviously weighs on the next 48 to 72 hours. in terms of how the president will fare with this and as mark meadows said they have all kinds of contingency plans in place. he spoke with the president this morning and he was upbeat and giving him orders and instructions on what to do

today. there was one shouted question which i think is the question on all our minds, will we see the president today? and i think that is something that a lot of americans would like. i think it would be very reassuring if they can arrange that. he is quarantined. in a different format than what we're used to and something that would provide americans with lot of reassurance. as far as the campaign goes, it changes a lot, sandra. i have heard you guys covering this throughout the morning. we will see a lot of changes in the coming days, i think. >> sandra: absolutely. a lot of questions and i mentioned leadership around the country is responding. i just read the tweet from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and mentioned that nancy pelosi has gone on tv the morning and also responded. let's listen. >> maybe this will be the moment where people will say

okay, masks, distance, sanitation, tracing, treatments. let's understand the diagnosis that our country has had at the highest level and recognize that every life, every diagnosis is important to us. >> sandra: just over 30 days out from election day. what does this development -- what role will it play in the coronavirus, covid-19 being one of the central focuses of both campaigns and one of the biggest issues in the 2020 election? >> well, i think it is clear in terms of the campaign and where they have put their energy for the trump campaign they've tried to move beyond this issue. that makes -- this makes that impossible at this point. it will be front and center. a lot of people will want to see how does the president fare with this? he told everyone it is a terrible disease that has taken the lives of 200,000 people around the country but he has very much wanted to move the script forward. lot of americans have wanted to move the script forward.

this changes that. there is no doubt he will be down off the campaign trail for a minimum of 10 days. and how they deal with that i'm trying to see what the future of the debate looks like on october 15th. does it become something that's virtual? does it change the nature of that? will we see the president and everybody around him wearing masks all the time now? the messaging on that becomes very problematic. >> sandra: to your point mark meadows was just out on there when he walked out of the white house maskless and he was asked and i'm more than six feet away and have been tested. mark meadows is the first we heard from the white house since the president's diagnosis. we cut more sound from what we just heard. >> not only is the health and safety of the president and first lady is addressed, but certainly that we address this battle together as a nation

together and the american people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job, and i'm optimistic that he will have a very quick and speedy recovery. >> sandra: we certainly hope that's the case. martha, when you look at what we know about this virus. it is incredibly contagious. you look at the contact the president and first lady, hope hicks has had and the places they've gone in recent days you have to look at the president's inner circle and everyone he has come in contact with and mark meadows commented on the contact tracing that they've had to do since learning of hope hicks' diagnosis and then of the president and first lady. a.g. bill barr coming into us from our d.o.j. producer that bill barr has tested negative for covid-19 but this is what's happening right now. everyone who has been around the president has to be tested and we have to know this as we watch the president try to

fight this virus. >> absolutely do. there have been in the last seven days three rallies, one debate, and a lot of flights with that inner core group. there is a lot of concern how wide that circle goes and i really think, sandra, when i look at this, there is so much we don't know right now and we hope that the president and first lady are among those people who have a quick recovery. he is in the age group and weight group that have a little bit of an increased risk of having a difficulty grappling with this virus. it will be something to watch. he will either become the poster person for someone who recovers quickly and gives everybody a sense of confidence and hope that you can get over this fairly quickly, obviously everyone will want to know the treatment he receives and whether or not the treatments are successful. those are things that could send a positive message potentially depending on how it goes. the other is if he has an

adverse effect and difficult situation grappling with this. that will be a big concern for him as the president of the united states and country as a result of that. but it is also going to send a message that will make this front and center and very high concern for americans across the country as they weigh the next president of the united states. >> sandra: you and i have been talking about how much it changes things for the trump campaign and also a lot of talk about what this means for the biden campaign and how they plan to proceed. they have put out a statement i have this in the hill right now. biden has no plans to scale back campaign. there were questions whether or not he would choose to do so. in that all-staff email jen o'malley told aides the campaign is taking every precaution in light of the trump news in order to protect biden and running mate kamala

harris. >> they would start doing campaigning in the other states. the trump campaign has had tons of people canvassing in all the states and it is something that will come under more scrutiny once again. so i think that joe biden has taken a very conservative approach to this all along. how do americans receive that? do they look at him now and say it was a smart thing to do or look at the president and how he fares with this and how bold he has been in terms of holding these rallies and getting out there across america, all of that will be absorbed by voters as they evaluate the situation going forward, sandra. >> sandra: all right. it is incredible. there will be a lot of developments as we go through this day. see you tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern time on "the story". thank you, martha. we are also getting this in.

this is the associated press citing a source reporting joe biden has been tested for covid-19 and still awaiting the results. as anything comes in on that we'll bring that to you. >> trace: meantime the president kept a busy schedule prior to being diagnosed crisscrossing the kun tee for campaign rallies and facing off with joe biden on the debate stage. kristin fisher is live in washington have we heard anything about when the president may have contracted covid-19 >> that's the big question now and especially important with a few hours before testing positive president trump was at a private fundraiser in bedminster, new jersey. moments ago mark meadows said president trump is experiencing very mild symptoms. unclear exactly when those symptoms started. earlier today our john roberts was told the president was not showing any symptoms before, during or immediately after that trip yesterday to

bedminster. but jennifer jacobs a reporter for bloomberg news is reporting something different. i normally wouldn't share another reporter's tweet on our air. this is important. the same reporter who accurately broke the news that hope hicks had tested positive. she tweeted this morning that quote, some of trump's closest aides sensed on wednesday that the president was feeling poorly. the president seemed exhausted, i'm told. some chalked it up to fatigue from an intense campaign schedule. others began to worry he had the coronavirus. you'll remember on wednesday president trump told a rally in duluth, minnesota the day before it was the debate in cleveland and on monday the president was in the rose garden announcing the big expansion of coronavirus testing. before that there was a debate prep over the weekend, a rally saturday night in pennsylvania, a rally friday night in virginia. chris christie, he was one of the people helping the president get ready over the weekend for the debate and listen to how he describes what it was like inside the room. >> no, no one was wearing masks

in the room. when we were prepping the president during that period of time. and we were -- the group was about five or six people in total. >> now he has to get tested again and so does everyone else in close contact with the president and first lady and hope hicks. a process that is already well underway. it is a long list of people that includes some of the most important people in the u.s. government. all just one month before an election and just days before the senate was hoping to begin those confirmation hearings with judge amy coney barrett. >> it's interesting, i want to point out that john roberts said the president was tested yesterday morning and tested negative. the reports that wednesday he wasn't feeling good are fascinating when you mix those together. kristin fisher live for us in d.c. thank you. president trump's coronavirus diagnosis rattling investors this morning. how wall street is reacting to the news.

the president stays active but in a demographic vulnerable to the most severe covid-19 complications. a look at the risks are next. >> i think we have to remember, you know, he is in great physical health. among people his age the vast majority of people recover from this very quickly. most of them don't even know they have it. veterans, record low mortgage rates

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overall feeling good. i'm looking forward to a speedy recovery. dr. mccarey we know the first lady and president both suffering mild symptoms. we do not know what those symptoms are because the chief of staff mark meadows wouldn't elaborate. are there some symptoms that you are more concerned about than others? fatigue, fever, versus sore throat, runny nose, etc. >> yes, well, it looks like there are some mild symptoms according to the chief of staff and we know that in general there is a sort of high viral load infection and a low viral load infection. certain symptoms go more with the high viral load infection like a fever, persistent cough, significant fatigue. general low energy may be more consistent with sort of a lower viral load. what is interesting is that there were two studies in the

last two weeks that showed that the viral load overall is much lower now than it was in march or april. and that definitely correlates with mortality according to a wayne state study and a tie-in study. if you look at the second wave in europe now from that data it is clear the cases are way up but the mortality rate is just not surging consistent with the low viral load theory. it is not surging even accounting for the lagging indicator of mortality and the increased tool box that doctors have now. >> trace: doctor, when you hear hope hicks that is clearly younger demographic and safer demographic is feeling pretty bad, anything to extrapolate from that or reading too much into that? we do not know where the president got it or where hope hicks got it. if it was the same contact, if they gave it to each other, is there any concern on how she is reacting and her course of the

virus? >> no, they are really independent cases. her having symptoms doesn't really mean the president would have similar symptoms. if we put things in context she has a 99.9% complete cure and recovery doing absolutely nothing. the president has a 99% chance of a complete cure and recovery doing absolutely nothing. so this is a realtime for supportive care. at the same time there are real concerns and a 1% risk is something we take seriously in any medical condition. >> trace: you talk about supportive care. what would you do at this early phase if you were treating the president, if you were recommending or, you know, consulting with somebody who was treating the president? what would you recommend at this point? >> to be honest with you, trace, the battle that we often have is that patients say you know, i feel pretty good. i want to be out there and active and we're the ones encouraging them to avoid other people. it's pretty clear that there are a couple options in terms

of therapies that are not quite yet indicated. but the doctors, given the special circumstance and the person of priority here, they may consider some of these therapies like remdesivir or monoclonal antibodies. it may just be a coincidence. there is a general feeling the earlier they're given the more effective. again there is a 99% cure rate doing nothing. telling someone to stay hydrated, healthy, nourished. >> trace: thank you, doctor. >> sandra: thank you, trace. joe biden shared a debate stage with president trump earlier this week. an update on his campaign plans after the president tests positive for covid and how all of it could affect the trump campaign in the race for the white house just weeks out from election day.

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saying fema lost track of food and supplies worth more than the quarter billion dollars. the agency sent millions of meals and gallons of water and suggested it was too much for local governments to take in in puerto rico. >> sandra: greg abbott announced each county in the state will have only one location for people to drop off ballots with some counties in texas covering thousands of square miles could mean a long drive to have your vote counted. the governor saying it's about keeping the election secure. democrats accuse the governor of voter suppression. >> trace: no official word yet on when former vice president joe biden will be getting tested for coronavirus after sharing the debate stage with president trump. campaign says he has been getting tested on a regular basis for the past few months. let's get to peter doocy live for us in grand rapids, michigan. peter.

>> trace, joe biden is supposed to be here in grand rapids in less than two hours but without any official updates from the campaign keeping quiet about changes to the schedule that is going to slide because he still has not left delaware. associated press just crossed an item on the wires that says he has been tested this morning and now waiting for his results. in recent weeks, biden/harris campaign officials are telling us the former v.p. and harris and staffers who interact with him a lot are regularly tested and that if biden or harris ever test positive they'll tell the public to be transparent. we know harris tested negative as part of this protocol. the pool outside of her place in d.c. reports she left the house heading to las vegas for an event. still waiting to hear about joe biden. his day today is supposed to include remarks about the economy, a virtual fundraiser and mobilization event. we did notice on wednesday as

we were traveling with biden as he took a train tour of pennsylvania and ohio that dozens of biden supporters have started showing up to his events to cheer the motorcade as it passes by. these groups there are a lot of masks, not a lot of social distancing, biden rarely gets too close. before he goes anywhere or does anything he does consult with a group of public health officials, a small group that gets together four times a week to brief him on the latest science concerning covid-19. michigan where they want to be today is critical to biden's hopes of winning the electoral college. his pitch to convert every car to electric is tailor made for michigan voters. he started leasing a larger plane for the first time put biden-harris on the side of it. it appeared that travel in-person events, visits to swing states was about to start

ramping up. but this morning at least for a few hours the campaign trail has gone cold as we await to hear the former v.p.'s test results as he sits back in delaware. >> trace: when we hear we'll bring it back. thank you, peter doocy. >> sandra: president trump's positive test reshaping the 2020 campaign. james holloman author of the daily 2020. i'll put it up on the screen. a dozen questions to gauge the political ramty indications of trump's coronavirus diagnosis. how sick the president will get first and formost, with the president and first lady is their health and we hope that they recover quickly. >> absolutely, sandra. as we just heard from the doctor a few minutes ago, you know, 99% of people are fine.

and a lot of people stay asymptomatic. we know the president has mild symptoms. it is possible this will be a very mild case and he will feel better in the next couple of days and get out on the campaign trail in a week or two weeks. so right now it is impossible to state with certainty how this is going to play out. ultimately it comes down to how sick the president gets. >> sandra: throughout the morning we've been updating viewers on anybody remotely inside the president's circle or around his circle who have been in contact with him who have gotten tested and confirm they were negative. the rnc chairwoman tested positive. we don't know if it's related to this circle. there is word there was someone in her family infected so she got tested. as we deal with all of that your second question is who else close to the president has the virus? >> yeah.

and thankfully mike pence doesn't have it. i think we'll continue to hear these results. i think what it shows is no one is safe prince charles, prince albert, president trump. the president is -- has a whole apparatus around him and that can't stop this contagion. it is a reminder that we all have to take this seriously and even though the trend lines have been good, it is important to continue to be safety conscious and that will change the whole conversation on the campaign trail as well. >> sandra: you ask how transparent the white house will be with the president's condition. an update from mark meadows. what kind of schedule trump will keep while convalescing? an important question. we don't know to what degree we'll continue to see the president campaign. >> we're supposed the hear from

the president in the noon hour. the white house says he is planning to do a call with seniors to talk about covid. he is not going to have his fundraiser at his hotel in d.c. oraly tonight in florida. but i would expect the president is feeling good. he will call into fox and friends and sean hannity and be available and answering questions still. but if he is not feeling well and not feeling up for it and i expect he will keep a lower profile. >> sandra: now the white house says he is suffering from mild symptoms. how will joe biden adjust? a lot being floated around what they might do next. what are you hearing? >> i heard an update from peter in grand rapids. one of the things that's interesting last night hours before the president revealed his diagnosis the biden campaign announced they would start door knocking again.

a big reversal. they've been criticizing the republicans from going door-to-door and last night they reversed themselves. republicans have knocked at 20 million doors and it will be interesting to see if the democrats walk that back a little bit. the other thing to watch there is a lot of attack ads on television now as viewers know and it is in poor taste to be running attack ads against the president if he is sick and recuperating. will they pull back some of those ads and run more positive commercials about the former vice president instead of negative commercials about the president? >> sandra: i'm out of time. struck me as interesting the question about public sympathy and what that could lead to as far as polls for the president. you are comparing this to when this has been affected -- other world leaders have been affected by the virus. >> the two most interesting are

boris johnson in britain and the brazilian president. both got it. johnson was put on a ventilator and the president of brazil had mild symptoms but both saw increase in approval ratings afterwards. boris johnson has fallen a little bit but both in better shape politically when they got the virus. we're close to the election. a lot of people made up their minds and already voted. interesting to see if the president's approval rating rises a couple points as this plays out. >> sandra: mitch mcconnell during an interview said he believes the second debate between the president and former vice president joe biden should go forward. potentially remotely. >> super is interesting. will there or won't there be debates. how they might change the formats yesterday. now today if we'll have them at all. i think we'll still have them

but an open question for a few days. depends on how the president is feeling. >> sandra: really interesting development there. more on that coming up. james, thank you for your time this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> trace: ceo developer of pfizer -- president trump said we were weeks away from a vaccine during the debate. pfizer is one of the frontrunners and second company that made a vaccine-related statement. on wednesday moderno said it won't be ready for widespread distribution until the spring of 2021. >> sandra: we're still awaiting official word on joe biden who took a covid-19 test. after president trump tested positive. how will this affect biden's campaign trip to michigan? brand-new reaction from capitol hill as the president and first lady test positive for

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>> sandra: this just in, reaction continues to pour into the president testing positive for covid-19. here is senator lindsey graham tweets this. the president was in good spirits this morning when i spoke with him and very engaged in the upcoming hearing regarding supreme court nominee judge amy coney barrett. chuck schumer said i wish president trump and first lady trump a speedy recovery. i join the nation in praying for the first family's health and safety. what happened to president trump is a reminder why the whole country, including senators and staff, must follow the science and protocols laid out by the cdc and public health officials. if you ignore science and don't wear a mask and don't follow social distancing guidelines it puts you and everyone else around you at risk.

we'll continue to have reaction from leaders in this country and around the world are respondsing to the developments. >> trace: a.c. is reporting joe biden took a coronavirus test this morning and awaiting results. president trump's campaign events are canceled. let's talk about what it means for the presidential election. matt bennett the co-founder of third way and former clinton white house deputy assistant. great to see you. joe biden was supposed to be in grand rapids in an hour and 45 minutes. he will at least be late. not sure if he will continue with this. do you see the biden campaign maybe recalibrating things? you think this changes the way they approach the rest of the campaign? >> well, i don't know about the rest of the campaign. it probably does change the way they approach things in the next few days. as we know even if the vice president tests negative today and people around him do, it doesn't mean that he hasn't contracted the virus. you could be negative for up to 14 days. so i think they will be as they have been from the beginning

very, very careful about doing anything in person whether it's events with their principals or door knocking or anything. >> trace: the president tested negative yesterday morning. going forward door knocking is a good point. just yesterday the biden campaign decided they would go back out and start door knocking because republicans have knocked on millions of doors. democrats have been criticized by both parties for not being aggressive enough on the campaign trail. do you believe this kind of gives them an out now to maybe maintain their strategy? >> well, i think it may adjust the strategy. i don't know they were looking for an out. everything has to be put back on the table for consideration. this is such an incredibly massive development. we don't know who has been infected within the campaign. and we do know that as james holloman pointed out in the earlier segment anybody can get

this. presidents, prime ministers and princes and campaign workers and people they're talking to. they'll be very careful. >> trace: bigger picture going forward. what about the debates? the next one is 14 days -- 13 days away. your thoughts on going forward with debates? >> it doesn't seem like they can do the next presidential debate in person. the president would still be within the quarantine window even if he never develops symptoms and first lady already has. so it's vanishingly unlikely they would do it in person. if the president is healthy enough they could do it remotely. i don't think that would change things all that dramatically because very small audience of these debates and people have become very accustomed to remote television as we're doing now. it probably would work if he is up to it. >> trace: politics always plays into this as chris wallace pointed out a few times to us this morning. you go forward and have the

supreme court, the debates we've been talking about all week are on the back burner now. you have republicans saying we're going forward with amy coney barrett. she is still talking. this is something we're looking forward to. does this change the dynamic as far as that goes now that coronavirus is back on the front burner? >> probably not in terms of the timetable unless people in the senate start getting sick. mcconnell has been very clear he will ram this through before the election and i think that probably hasn't changed. what has changed, though, is we have seen over the course of this campaign the declaration that this changes everything. first coronavirus, then the economy, then george floyd, then the violence, and, you know, time after time we're told this will define the election. it would be the supreme court fight. now it's probably going to be the president's coronavirus and not the supreme court fight. it does take the spotlight off a little bit. >> trace: although we have 28 days left for other october

surprises, matt bennett good to see you, sir. thank you. >> thank you. >> sandra: fox news alert breaking just now senator mike lee of utah has now confirmed he has tested positive r covid-19. he has just issued a statement on the matter. yesterday morning i was experiencing symptoms consistent with long-time allergies. out of an abundance of caution i sought medical advice and tested for covid. unlike the test i too a few days ago while visiting the white house. yesterday's test came out positive. i will remain isolated for the next 10 days. like so many others i will now spend part of 2020 working from home. i have spoken with leader mcconnell, chairman graham and assured them i'll be back to work in time to join my judiciary committee colleagues in advancing the supreme court nomination of judge amy coney barrett in the committee and onto the full senate.

the republican senator from utah mike lee confirming he tested positive for covid-19 as we continue to get results from many of the president's people in his inner circle. mike emanuel is joining us as we learn of the latest development. what more can you tell us this morning? >> the video you're showing was mike lee at a hearing with james comey on wednesday where he was the central going after the former f.b.i. director and fired up about it. the news is shocking when you hear a high profile public figure, whether the president of the united states or prominent senator. today house speaker nancy pelosi suggested president trump and first lady testing positive could help talks to find a covid relief agreement. >> this kind of changes the dynamic because here they see the reality of what we have been saying all along. this is a vicious virus. i'm optimistic.

we always have to find a path. that's our responsibility to do so. i believe that we will. >> trace: pelosi had been engaged with steve mnuchin trying to cut a deal. they've been speaking multiple times a day. when talks stalled last night pelosi moved forward with her own bill. the house passed the $2.2 trillion relief packages. 214 to 207. it isn't going anywhere in the senate or white house. today a white house official urged pelosi to return to the negotiating table. >> if we can have some good-faith talks. they will probably continue today, would you rather have zero or would you rather have everything you want? there has to be compromise in life. politics is always the art of the possible. >> white house counteroffer was 1.2 trillion. when democrats rejected that republicans were pessimistic. zblief owe been trying to get

an outcome for quite awhile. we've gotten to the closer to the election. the spirit on coronavirus we had in march and april has disappeared. >> money to state and local governments. republicans used it will be used to bail out governments that were fiscally irresponsible before the coronavirus. mike lee confirmed he tested positive for the coronavirus. important to point out that he did meet as a member of the judiciary committee with amy coney barrett, the president's supreme court nominee earlier this week. amy coney barrett, mike, confirmed earlier this morning she had tested positive based on who she had met with and she has tested negative. but a lot to keep track of here as continued reaction comes into the president testing positive. mike. >> she has been meeting with all the republican senators and

joe manchin, the west virginia democrat last night. there has been precautions taken in terms of you don't see her marching around capitol hill going office to office. senators come to her. great news if she tested negative and we hope for a speedy and full recovery to those who have tested positive, sandra. >> sandra: a lot coming in here. thank you for that. trace, as we learn more and obviously the news on mike lee, the white house has reached out to the vice president's office regarding mike pence's schedule going forward. one could assume that mike pence might have to get out there in a greater capacity to campaign with the president having to self-isolate in the white house. but we'll likely learn more on that. in the hours to come get further updates from the white house medical team on the president's condition. >> trace: the vice presidential debate in utah next week. you talk about the whole idea of mike pence getting out there. a lot of political analysts saying that will be a given.

the vice president is going to have to kind of pick up some of this load. he will go out and campaign and make appearances and have to make sure that the president is represented in a lot of places that the president was supposed to be and that may start as early as tomorrow. >> sandra: the news keeps on coming in. we'll take a quick break. a live look at the white house. we'll be right back. with one call to newday usa. our team is standing by right now to take your call. and from start to finish, you can do it all without ever leaving the house. with our va streamline refi, there's no income verification. no appraisal. and no out of pocket costs. nobody works harder for veterans than my team at newday usa.

>> trying to put it all

together. cleveland clinic said everyone in the debate hall was tested but they are reaching out to all guests there. >> "outnumbered" starts right now. >> ♪ >> ♪ >> melissa: a busy new hour awaiting an update from the white house physician on president trump and first lady melania trump. they tested positive for covid-19. the president confirming that. he and the first lady for quarantine. white house chief of staff mark meadows said the president is energetic and carrying out business as usual. >> they remain in good spirit. the president does have mild symptoms. the great thing about this president is not only is he staying committed to working very hard on behalf of the american people, his first question