Pompeo says he has tested negative for coronavirus

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters he tested negative for coronavirus on Friday, hours after President Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced late Thursday that they have tested positive.

“I am feeling fantastic,” Pompeo told reporters traveling with the State Department in Europe.

The first couple’s diagnosis came hours after news broke that White House adviser and top aide to the president Hope Hicks tested positive for the disease. Pompeo noted that he has not been in Washington for over two weeks.

Pompeo’s wife, Susan, also tested negative for coronavirus. The couple is flying back to Washington Friday night.

The secretary said there would be no change to his itinerary while on the way to Croatia, where he is scheduled to meet with government officials including the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

“We’re praying for the president and the first lady, that they’ll have a speedy recovery,” Pompeo said. “I spoke with the vice president’s office this morning as well. We’re taking this, obviously, very seriously, and we’ll do everything we can to keep everyone safe, including you all.”

The secretary is flying back to Washington Friday night and said that he’s now reevaluating speaking to a conservative group in Florida on Saturday. It is also unclear if the secretary will continue on a planned trip to Asia next week, scheduled for stops in Japan, Mongolia and South Korea. 

State Department medical staff “said it would be perfectly fine to make both of those trips, but we’re going to continue to look at it,” Pompeo said, adding that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was also on official travel. “We’ll continue to evaluate.”