By Kristen Welker, Monica Alba, Dareh Gregorian and Rebecca Shabad -
NBC News
WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19
three days before his first presidential debate
against Joe Biden on September 29, 2020, although a pre-meeting test was negative, three sources familiar with the case confirmed Wednesday .
This was revealed by his then White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in his new book, the extract of which was published on Wednesday by The Guardian newspaper.
Meadows says in the book that, in those days, Trump
seemed "a little tired"
and suspected that he might have a "slight cold" before learning of his positive when he was heading to a rally in Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump (left) and Joe Biden (right) during a moment of the presidential debate that took place on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio.Patrick Semansky / AP
Trump tested positive again on October 1 and was hospitalized the next day when he announced his medical condition on Twitter.
The former president categorically denied through a statement on Wednesday that he was ill at the time of the first positive result.
"The story that I had COVID-19 before, or during, the first debate
is Fake News,
" Trump said. "In fact, a test revealed that I did not have COVID-19 before the debate," he said.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that the first test that Trump underwent on September 26 was a "
false positive
", since the next one was negative.
One of the sources also said that the negative test was carried out just hours after the positive one and that the tycoon tested negative again on September 30, a day after the debate.
[How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against the new omicron variant?]
According to the version of his chief of staff, Trump tested positive the same day he held a ceremony in one of the White House gardens to announce the nomination of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
More than 150 people attended the event, many of whom did not wear a mask or keep a safe distance.
Several attendees were infected with COVID-19
.
Meadows points out that Trump underwent a second negative test when he was going to Pennsylvania, according to the extract published by The Guardian.
NBC News, sister network to Noticias Telemundo, has not had access to the book and a lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to questions submitted.
However, Meadows emphasizes that, although the rules of the debate with Biden specified that each candidate had to "test negative for the virus" in the 72 hours before the meeting, "nothing was going to prevent [Trump] from going out there."
Donald Trump looks at the mask he holds in one of his hands during his presidential debate with then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. Julio Cortez / AP
Consequently, the former president
participated in the debate against the organization's rules
.
Trump did not announce until Oct. 2 that both he and then-first lady Melania Trump had been infected with the coronavirus.
Although the former president was initially reported to have "mild symptoms," he
was
eventually
admitted
to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Asked by NBC News about the timeline of his illness on October 15, Trump said he tested positive for the first time on October 1.
"
It was then when I found out,
" he clarified.
[FDA panel recommends emergency use of the first COVID-19 pill]
Asked whether he underwent a diagnostic test on the same day as the debate, he replied, "I probably did, and I had a test the day before, and the day before, and I was always in good shape, and I was in great shape for the debate".
The organizers of the debate claimed that
at least 11 attendees tested positive for coronavirus
.
White House aide Kellyanne Conway also tested positive on October 2 and a day later former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie did, attending Judge Barrett's event and preparing Trump for debate.
