The American people learned early Friday morning that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have contracted COVID-19. According to CNN, the President’s close aid, Hope Hicks, tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, leading the President to contract the deadly virus as well.

This news arrives only three days after the first presidential debate of the 2020 election, where the President mocked Democratic nominee Joe Biden for consistently wearing masks in any public outings. The President has held large campaign rallies throughout the pandemic, where many of his supporters packed into large auditoriums, seldom wearing masks or following Center for Disease Control social-distancing guidelines. 

According to the CDC, President Trump falls into the category of an “increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19,” due to his age and weight. The President is 74 years old, and the age groups from 65 years and over have accounted for 153,032 out of 194,091 deaths related solely to COVID-19 in the United States this year. Furthermore, the President’s height of 6’1 and weight of 243 pounds categorizes him as obese, meaning that serious complications could arise from this virus that his body would not be able to handle. 

The President and First Lady have since tweeted, saying, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” His statement was met with mixed reactions from the American people, with some wishing him a speedy recovery, and others pointing out the irony of contracting the disease that he has downplayed throughout this year.