Hope Hicks: Trump self-isolates after close aide tests positive for coronavirus

Hope Hicks, who serves as a counsellor to the president, reportedly tested positive for the disease on Thursday, the day after she travelled with the president to a rally.

In a tweet after the news emerged, the president said: "Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible!

"The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!"

Ms Hicks, 31, has travelled with the president a number of times during the past week, including on presidential helicopter Marine One, and on Air Force One to Tuesday night's first presidential debate.

Mr Trump appeared to blame soldiers and law enforcement officials for her contracting the virus.

"It's very, very hard when you are with people from the military or from law enforcement and they come over to you and they want to hug you and they want to kiss you," he told Fox News.

"You get close and things happen."

In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said: "The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously.

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"White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the president and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the president is travelling," he added.

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 200,000 Americans and more than one million people worldwide.

Mr Trump told Fox News that he and Mrs Trump had been tested and would know the results by the end of the week.

"I spend a lot of time with Hope, and so does the first lady. And she's tremendous," he said, adding that he was surprised to hear Ms Hicks had tested positive for the virus.

"She knows there's a risk, but she's young," he said.

Ms Hicks quit as White House communications director in 2018 but returned earlier this year as an adviser, working closely with the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner.