it's just hard to understate how

remarkable these rallies have been where the president -- we've asked the president repeatedly, aren't you worried for yourself? aren't you worried for your supporters who are there to get sick? the president, the white house, has always emphasized that the president is kept at some distance that they have these intense testing regimens in place to protect the president. of course, unsaid among all of that is the people who are there taking that risk upon themselves to be in the crowd, not socially distanced. the white house has always said, this is an issue of freedom of speech and they are not afraid of this virus. clearly this now is evidence that the white house maybe had reason to be more afraid than they have been. and the confidence that they had in that testing bubble has clearly now been shattered. >> our thanks to abc white house producer jordyn phelps. the news having a global impact. news of the president's diagnosis sent stock futures

tumbling. all three major averages look set for significant losses when the market opens this morning. at one point, the dow was predicted to drop more than 400 points at the opening bell. the major stock market advantages across asia slid overnight on the white house coronavirus news. >> we knew this news would have a major impact on the markets on stocks, and we are seeing that right now. obviously, again, we are in uncharted territory. when the leader of the free world has tested positive for a very contagious, very dangerous virus, again, the president and the first lady testing positive for covid-19. we've got a lot of questions to the white house. also to former vice president joe biden's camp as well. we are waiting to hear about answers. of course, it's the middle of the night, but we understand the white house is very busy right now as we try to learn some of that information, so we will stay on top of it. coming up, more news ahead.

welcome back. we are continuing our coverage of the president of the united states, donald trump, testing positive for coronavirus. that news breaking just hours ago. we're going to bring in dr. alok patel. dr. patel, we have stressed mask-wearing, or medical experts have stressed mask-wearing, the cdc has stressed mask-wearing. does this just underscore how important this is? >> mona, it underscores it in the most alarming way any of us could have imagined. you know, this is just proof

that getting tested every single day, or however many times we heard people in the white house getting tested, is not a barrier. that's another way to detect the virus. we saw the pictures of hope hicks entering a plane. we've heard the president's comments. we've heard him ridicule people who are wearing masks. we heard it tuesday night in the debate. i hate to say it, it feels ironic, but i do hope this is a massive wake-up call to everyone out there who has been reluctant to wear a mask. i hope everyone realizes now, this virus doesn't care what your beliefs are, it does not care how often you get tested, it will infect you if you're not careful. >> dr. patel, as you just alluded to there about how serious people should take this virus there, we know that states are lifting restrictions. we see what's happening in texas, florida, where the president enjoys immense support while he's in office. what does it say to you and what would you say as a medical professional to those folks who

have seen the president, who has kind of mocked others for wearing masks. he was kind of late to the game when it came to making sure that he was masked up when he was around others. what would you say to the president's supporters and to all americans? >> what i would say to everyone is, it has not gone away. summer did not kill off the virus. it isn't "it is what it is." we have over 200,000 dead americans. we could unify right now. everyone could look at this and not panic and not see this as a national security disaster and just unify and say, you know what, we actually can come together, and we are empowered. it is completely within our own abilities to blunt the spread of the virus this winter. and this just puts a massive exclamation point on the fact that we have to wear masks, we have to take it seriously. it doesn't matter if you have the white house medical team watching you and if you get tested all the time. 27 states are seeing upticks. we're not out of the woods yet.

it could get worse if we're not careful. >> our thanks to dr. alok patel. he mentioned it, the president his press secretary said is the most-tested man in america, yet he was not exempt from this. >> when we come back, more on our breaking news of the night.

we're staying on top of breaking news that president trump has tested positive for the coronavirus. we are monitoring this developing story. but first right now, while we get to that, we're going to go to new evacuations that are under way in northern california's wine country, and more orders are possible. exhausted fire crews are battling the glass fire, which has scorched more than 92 square miles and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings. now they're bracing for a staggering flame surge fueled by the weather. >> forecasters say gusting winds

will combine with triple-digit heat up and down the state, but those conditions will ease going through the weekend. a new pandemic relief bill passed by the house has little, if any, chance of becoming law. house democrats approved the $2.2 trillion measure last night. it's unlikely to be taken up by the senate where republicans say it's too costly. negotiations on a bipartisan relief bill continue. amazon says the nearly 20,000 of its frontline workers have tested positive or presumed positive for covid-19 since the outbreak began. the online retailer claims that infection rate is well below that of the general population. the data disclosure comes after months of internal and external demands for transparency. wisconsin is one of 30 states seeing a spike in coronavirus cases. hospitals are nearly full. 20% of tests are coming back positive and doctors say they're overwhelmed. thursday wisconsin reported its highest-ever number of daily cases, nearly 2,900 new infections.

the carolina panthers have deployed two robots that can zap coronavirus and other germs using ultraviolet light to disinfect locker rooms. they're also zapping heavily used equipment like training rooms. studies say the robots are highly effective. we want to take this time to give a belated happy birthday to the 39th president of the united states. >> jimmy carter celebrated his 96th birthday thursday with a drive-by parade outside his home in georgia. carter was seated next to his wife rosalynn. you see them there wearing masks. >> carter is the longest-living president in u.s. history. he reached 96 after a year of health challenges, including brain surgery and several falls. we wish president jimmy carter a happy birthday there. you mentioned that you saw the president, the former first lady there, wearing masks. there as that parade going by. we had that other major story this morning with president trump testing positive for covid-19. so we see the state of affairs that are happening in our

country right now when it comes to this very dangerous virus that's taken the lives of more than 200,000 americans and made so many others ill. >> and kenneth, we can draw parallels there. the former president is celebrating his birthday, like many of us have celebrated our birthday, during this unprecedented time in these conditions where we're wearing masks, social distancing, trying to stay close to our loved ones without getting them sick. and this is the reality that americans have been dealing with. >> right. >> this has been our reality since mid-march. so we see president jimmy carter, former president jimmy carter, making the most of it, as many americans have been. we see in october, we're still not in the clear just yet. >> it makes me think about, you remember when this pandemic started, we were sitting here together at abc, and we saw tom hanks test positive for covid-19. people started to really truly take it seriously. now we've gone through this pandemic together, more than six months, so many lives taken, now the president of the united states testing positive for

covid-19.

breaking news, president trump and the first lady have tested positive for covid-19, the president confirming it at 12:54 a.m. in a tweet, mona. >> the president was already on standby. white house adviser hope hicks had tested positive. he said both he and melania were in quarantine awaiting test results. then as you mentioned, that tweet at 12:54 saying, note does and i tested positive for covid-19, we will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately, we will get through this together. the president's long called this virus the invisible enemy, but now as the world watches, he is part of the face of this virus now. >> 74 years old, he's a high-risk category. we know it's having a global impact. we heard from rebecca jarvis, our chief financial correspondent, who said that the

stocks are already pointing down. she said exactly this, stock futures immediately sold off on news that president trump has tested positive for covid-19. at this time the s&p 500 is pointing to a 1.5% lower open there. we also heard from the first lady in a tweet. she says, as too many americans have done this year, potus and i are quarantining at home after testing positive for covid-19. we are feeling good and i have postponed all upcoming engagements. please be sure you are staying safe and we will all get through this together. the president has already started to cancel events. he had five campaign rallies, large rallies with a lot of we've seen in the past, many not wearing masks. he's already started to cancel events, so people are wondering this morning also, will the president even be able to attend the two remaining debates? >> it's important to note the white house says trump gets tested multiple times a day for the coronavirus. at one point his press secretary said the president is the most tested man in america. but this shows that even he

still was not exempt from this virus. you mentioned his rallies. he held multiple rallies in the last few weeks where, while he was more than six feet away from the crowd, people were jam-packed at airport hangars without masks, largely without masks, listening to the president give speeches. and he mentioned that. he actually pointed to it as a point of pride during the debate this week with former vice president joe biden in which he said, i draw large crowds to my rallies and the only reason why joe biden is still implementing six feet distance and social distancing is because he cannot draw the same crowds that i can, and openly mocked him again for continuously wearing masks in public. >> we are continuing to stay on top of this developing story, the breaking news out of washington that the president and first lady have tested positive for covid-19. a number of questions that are unanswered at this hour. but we are continuing to stay on top of it.

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breaking overnight on "world breaking overnight on "world news now," president trump testing positive for the coronavirus. in a tweet he says he and the first lady are beginning quarantine. we have complete coverage on this friday, october 2nd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning and thank you for joining us. that tweet coming at 12:54 a.m. president trump testing positive for covid-19. >> the president tweeted dha the and the first lady tested positive for covid-19, adding they will get through this together. some sources tell abc news the president is experiencing

symptoms. the president's doctor says he expects him to carry out his duties without disruptions while recovering. >> this all unfolded overnight as word got out that one of the president's closest advisers, hope hicks tested positive. the press was not notified. the president has down-played the virus for months and mocked former vice president joe biden and others po for wearing masks. >> i have heard from so many people tonight, thinking he has to have it in his inner bubble. now the fact that i can't get folks on the phone, the amount of sheer panic going on within the president's campaign cannot be understated. and you have to remember, too, think about the last couple of days of donald trump's life. he is also attacking joe biden

for not be beiing out, not campaigning. donald trump, in the last five days, as you know is when this thing can be contagious, and eventually you come out and have symptoms. think about what he's done. he was on the trail as jordan just talked about, in minnesota. prior to that he was at the debate. he is doing debate training with rudy giuliani there, chris christy. he had a huge event at the white house on saturday afternoon in the rose garden, to your point, another big event at the white house, for his new supreme court nominee, amy coney barrett, surrounded by his top advisers, the folks that are out on the campaign trail, sometimes with him, sometimes without him. remember, the president campa n campaign, they're actually campaigning, doing bus tours, stops at local community

centers, diners. they are trying to move on past the pandemic that they choose to ig fo ignore. that is going to be a massive problem right now to figure out how they move forward. and i got to tell you something, guys, think about this for a second. hope was around the president. the president has gotten this. who else is probably positive at this point? jordan spoke a little earlier the fact that hope was on air force one yesterday in quarantine. there were multiple people in the president's inner circle. forget national security, the press secretary. the list goes on and on of individuals that travel with this president. >> our thanks to john, who has been covering the president since he first launched his campaign. we're going to bring in infectious disease expert, a few days ago he said we didn't know

the disease, now we know it. it affects elderly people with health problems and heart problems. how accurate is that statement? >> well, mona, covid-19 in some ways meaning it will infect everyone, including kids, adults, healthy people, people with chronic medical conditions. what is true about that statement is that the elderly and patients with chronic medical conditions, like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, being overweight or obese, it tends to be much more severe in those individuals. >> dr. ellerin, he went on to also say, "take your hat off to the young because they have a healthy immune system, but it affects virtually nobody, it's an amazing thing." again, how problematic is that messaging, since the conflicts with a lot of what even his own medical experts say? >> yeah, you know, unfortunately

that message is not true. we just learned from a large study done in southern india that actually children and young adults can be responsible for up to one-third of transmissions. we did think earlier on that children may be less likely to get infected, less likely to transmit. some of that may be true compared to adults, but we still know children and young adults can be super spreaders. so really, again, this virus can infect anyone, and anyone can potentially transmit it to other people. >> dr. ellerin, before you leave us, i want to point out the fact that we know hope hicks was displaying symptoms. we are waiting to find out, has the president of the united states -- exactly his condition. we know the first lady tweeted out saying they're feeling well. we know the president's doctor says that he's keeping vigilant watch. but we have a number of questions into the white house about the president's exact condition at this hour.

yes, it's in the middle of the night, but we understand that with this breaking news, obviously having the president of the united states test positive for covid-19, that is a major development. so at this point, i think i asked you earlier tonight but i'll ask you again, when it comes to vigilant watch, what are those doctors looking for? >> right, so this is such an unpredictable virus. that's what's puzzling. even within the same family, you can see some people with life-threatening illness and other people that are completely asymptomatic. what we have to remember is that this virus can infect just about every part of our body. i think we have to be most vigilant about the lungs, making sure our oxygen levels are normal. people can have dangerously low oxygen levels even as they're texting and feeling perfectly fine. so i think monitoring that is important. but it can affect the blood vessels and lead to clots. the brain, the heart.

so really close vigilance is key in this setting. >> the fact that the president is at the white house and not at walter reed medical center, what does that say to you? >> well, i mean, i think that's good news, meaning that remember, most people who are infected with covid-19 do well. that's true even with the elderly. i think what that means is, he likely either is not symptomatic or only has mild symptoms. i think what it means is that he's doing well. obviously if he moved out of the white house that would be a cause for more concern. but again, irrespective of where he is, we know that he has some of the best medical attention that the world can offer. >> dr. ellerin, what if the president doesn't display any symptoms? we hear that hope hicks might be displaying symptoms. if the president or first lady do not display symptoms, does that send any kind of message? is that something we should look into?

>> well, you know, again, we've learned so many things about this virus that's different from other infections. and one of them is that you can transmit this virus even if you're not symptomatic. so it may seem obvious that his senior adviser was the person who transmitted it to both the president and the first lady. but that's not necessarily true, meaning, even a person who's asymptomatic could have given to it the person who becomes symptomatic. so how he got this is still unclear. but we know that close contact is the major risk factor for transmission. so it's always good news when you don't have symptoms, but again, it takes about seven days on average after infection for people that do develop more severe illness to manifest that. so i think only time will tell and close monitoring is crucial. >> dr. todd ellerin, infectious disease expert, thank you so

much. we appreciate your expertise. among many questions that we're trying to learn answers to is on the democratic side. the president's democratic rival, joe biden, who was six feet, socially distanced away from him in the presidential debate, but still within proximity of the president. when it got pretty loud, i'm pretty sure with the yelling and other things, they tell you to stand even farther away. when it comes to joe biden, what steps are joe biden and his camp taking at this point? we know these a month ago, joe biden said he's been tested at least once. that was a month ago. and that he promised he will be tested regularly during his general election campaign against the president. we would expect for that to amp up. we're a month away, a little more than 30 days away from the election. >> you mentioned vice president joe biden, who has criticized the president heavily of his handling of the pandemic. he has not -- he or his campaign have not said anything or

addressed the fact that the president has announced he tested positive but vice president mike pence has. he says, karen and i send our love and prayers to our dear friends, president donald trump and flotus melania trump. we join millions across america praying for their full and swift recovery. god bless you, president trump, and our wonderful first lady, melania. vice president mike pence was set to go head to head with joe biden's running mate, kamala harris, senator kamala harris, just next week. the future of that debate still in the air right now. >> and still questions remain on how close has the vice president been to the president and has he been tested? especially after this diagnosis of a positive covid-19 test for president trump. coming up, we have much more news ahead. stay with us, you're watching "world news now."