Donald Trump falsely told Fox News that he had only 'just' found out that Hope Hicks had tested positive for COVID - when in fact she told him hours before, report claims

Donald Trump lied on Fox News about when he had learnt that his close advisor Hope Hicks tested positive for COVID-19, it has emerged, as White House staff members are infuriated at being left in the dark.

Hicks, the 31-year-old senior counselor to the president, tested negative on the morning of September 30 but began feeling unwell that evening, while with Trump on Air Force One.

She tested positive on October 1, and immediatlely informed the president, according to the Washington Post.

That evening, on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, the president at 9:40pm said he had 'just' learnt of her positive test.

Hannity said: 'By the way, some news broke earlier this evening. Hope Hicks, who’s worked for you for a long time has tested positive for coronavirus.'

Trump replied: 'So she did test positive. I just heard about this. 

'She tested positive. She’s a hard worker, a lot of masks. So she wears masks a lot, but she tested positive, and I just went out with a test, because we spend a lot of time and the first lady just went out with a test also.

'So whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don’t know.' 

Hope Hicks, one of Donald Trump's closest advisors, tested positive on October 1

On September 30 she had traveled on Air Force One to a rally in Minnesota

On October 1 Trump told Hannity at 9:40pm he had 'just' found out about her diagnosis

At this point, according to CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, the president had already tested positive with a rapid-result test - information he did not share.

He would not confirm his diagnosis until 1am, over three hours later, when the results of the more accurate PCR test were returned. 

Trump went on to accuse the armed forces and law enforcement of giving Hicks the virus.  

'It’s very hard when you're with soldiers, when you’re with airman, you’re with the Marines and the police officers, I'm with them so much,' he said. 

'And when they come over to you it’s very hard to say, “Stay back, stay back.” It’s a tough kind of a situation. It’s a terrible thing.' 

After appearing on Hannity Trump tweeted what he had told the host: that Hicks was positive

Many staff members were not formally told of their colleague's infection, and only learnt through the grapevine or from White House contact tracers.

Hicks, 31, has been isolating since Oct 1

Two told the Washington Post they would have curtailed their contact with other people and taken a test immediately had they known sooner. 

Several aides said they suspected there might be a positive case in the West Wing when co-workers started wearing masks, but by the time they learned about Hicks that evening, testing facilities were closed. 

The news was made public not by a White House announcement, but by Bloomberg News, tweeting at 8:09pm.

Hicks was described by the Post as being intensely private, yet several of her friends anonymously told the paper she was hurt at being singled out as 'patient zero' for the White House outbreak.

Only after her test was revealed did it emerge that Ronna McDaniel, chair of the RNC, had tested positive on September 30 - the day before her.

McDaniel had last seen Trump on September 25, the New York Times reported - the day before the Rose Garden 'super spreader event'.

It was attended by at least nine people - including Hicks - who later tested positive.