CEDARVILLE, Ohio - From the comfort of their homes, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) spoke about President Donald Trump's and First Lady Melania Trump's COVID-19 diagnoses Friday afternoon. 

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Mike DeWine says he and his wife Fran, were tested Friday along with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who attended the debate Tuesday night in Cleveland

  • DeWine says to the best of his knowledge, Ohio is not involved with the White House in terms of contact tracing from the president's diagnosis

  • House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes on Twitter says before the debate started in Cleveland, a Cleveland Clinic doctor offered masks to attendees who were not wearing them but they refused

DeWine addressed Ohioans in a somber tone Friday following the news from the White House.

He says he and his wife hope the president and the first lady have a speedy recovery as well as everyone else around the country battling COVID-19.

"What's happened, tragically, will get people's attention," says DeWine.

DeWine says it is human nature for people to downplay the virus when they don't personally know anyone affected by it but given the high-profile nature of the presidency, this is different.

"They may not have met him. They may not know him personally but you see him on TV everyday," DeWine says.

Ohioans and the rest of the world saw the president on TV Tuesday night during the first debates held in Cleveland. DeWine did not attend but Husted was there.

"I did not come within 50 feet, at minimum, of the president or anybody who was part of the group. I guess it was one of those times that not having a good seat was a good thing," says Husted.

Husted and others were required to test negative in order to attend including House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron). On Twitter, she says before the event started, a Cleveland Clinic doctor offered masks to attendees who were not wearing them. She says those people refused the offer, which backs up other similar reports.​​​​

 


"I thought that they (Cleveland Clinic) and Case Western Reserve University did everything they could to get people to do the right thing but as we've learned in life, in trying to get them to do those things and to follow the rules, not everybody does it," Husted says.

DeWine says the same can be said for those who have attended the president's rallies here in Ohio.

"The truth is, we have very little ability despite what we've asked people to do. It still comes down to what people will do," DeWine explained.

DeWine was also asked if he would advise fellow state Republican lawmakers in the legislature to wear masks following the president's news.

"It's a separate branch of government. They make their own decisions, but I would not assume that legislators will not in the future wear a mask. I mean, I don't think we should make that assumption. ... We'll see," says DeWine.

None of their test results came back as of 6 p.m. Friday.