Mrs. Hicks, a senior aide to the President and the closest person to the virus, traveled with him this week on Air Force One.
President Trump said late Thursday on Twitter that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, would begin a "quarantine process" pending the results of their coronavirus tests after a senior advisor who is often with the couple tested positive.
It was not immediately clear what Mr. Trump meant by the "quarantine process," and White House officials refused to provide any guidance immediately. Until 11:30 PM
Even if Mr. Trump tested negative for the virus for the first time, the incubation period for the virus can last approximately two weeks, which means that he will not be sure for several days that he has not been infected with it.
Mrs. Hicks is the closest person known to the president to have contracted the virus that causes Covid-19. The virus, approaching a close advisor to other aides, raised alarms inside the White House, as officials were concerned that other senior officials might be infected.
White House officials had been aware of Mrs. Hicks's possible diagnosis since Wednesday evening, when she flew with the President aboard Air Force One to Minnesota for a campaign rally in Duluth. One person familiar with the events said on Wednesday that Mrs. Hicks began showing slight symptoms around the time of Mr.Trump's rally, and that she was isolated on the return flight to Washington and then got off the rear entrance of the plane.
Mrs. Hicks accompanied Mr. Trump in the first presidential debate against former Vice President Joseph Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, on Tuesday in Ohio. Attendance at the event has been drastically curtailed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus; People familiar with the planning said Mr Trump wanted people from the audience.
Speaking to Mr. Hannity, Mr. Trump appeared to blame the soldiers and law enforcement officials who said they wanted to hug her and thanked her for her work in the White House.
"She's a very nice person," the president said. “When soldiers and law enforcement officers come to her,” he said, she does not want to refuse their pleas.
There is no one closer to Mr. Trump than Mrs. Hicks, who returned to the White House this year after leaving her position as Director of Communications in 2018. She has overseen important aspects of the President's daily schedule, and has worked closely with Mr. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.
Mrs. Hicks was one of a handful of senior White House aides sporadically seen wearing masks at meetings, according to her colleagues. But it's also been portrayed around Mr. Trump without one.
Mr Trump has faced intense criticism from health experts and his Democratic opponents for his handling of the Coronavirus crisis over the past nine months. The virus has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States and infected more than seven million people, forcing businesses, schools and much of everyday life to close.
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