MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) — With the election quickly approaching, both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have been fighting to secure battleground states like Wisconsin — all in the midst of a pandemic that has upended the campaign season.

That march down the campaign trail took another turn on Friday when Trump announced he had tested positive for coronavirus, making him one of more than 7.3 million Americans who have been infected.

The president took to Twitter early Friday morning to announce that he and First Lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19, not long after news broke that top aide Hope Hicks had also contracted the virus.

The announcement had immediate effects on his campaign plans: Trump was expected to travel to Wisconsin this weekend for two rallies in Janesville and Green Bay. Both events have been canceled, according to the Associated Press. No other campaign programming has yet been announced to replace the rallies.

The latest “Make America Great Again!” events had already proven controversial in Wisconsin as the state is struggling with its most severe coronavirus outbreak yet, with cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all reaching record highs.

Saturday’s rally was originally planned in La Crosse, which, along with Green Bay, is listed as a “red zone” for COVID-19 spread by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat asked the president to cancel his visit out of concern about large gatherings in the midst of the spike in case numbers. The La Crosse rally was eventually shifted to Janesville, in Rock County — though a public health officer in Rock County also urged the Trump campaign to reconsider. 

Before the president’s COVID-19 news, others in the state had urged him to cancel his visit as well, including a group of physicians, the Green Bay mayor, and Gov. Tony Evers.

“Both La Crosse and Green Bay are two of the hottest hotspots in the state and in the nation,” Evers said at a DHS media briefing on Tuesday. “And it makes no sense to me that President Trump would come for his campaign events.”

On Friday, Evers shared his “best wishes” for the Trumps’ recovery.

Both Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, along with various campaign surrogates, have made multiple stops in Wisconsin recently, working to win over the battleground state that flipped for Trump by a slim margin in 2016.

Trump last visited the state Sept. 17, stopping in Mosinee for an event much like others he’s held: an outdoor rally at an airport that drew large crowds of supporters, some without masks. Biden held his own event in Manitowoc shortly after, on Sept. 21, speaking to a small crowd at an aluminum foundry while wearing a mask.

With 32 days left until the election, Trump’s COVID-19 infection could be a major shakeup for the last stretch of the campaign. 

So far, the president has been experiencing “mild symptoms,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters Friday. The First Lady also said on Twitter that she has mild symptoms but is “overall feeling good.” 

White House physician Sean Conley said in a memo that he expects the president to “continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering.”

Later on Friday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced that the president was being taken to Walter Reed Medical Center, where he would remain for a few days. She said the move was made out of "an abundance of caution." 

Still, even if the president doesn’t develop severe symptoms, he will be losing time on the campaign trail during his period of recovery and isolation. His staff hasn’t yet announced how long he plans to continue isolating in the White House. 

The CDC recommends that those with confirmed COVID-19 cases and symptoms should continue to isolate for at least 10 days after symptoms appear and at least 24 hours without fever. If Trump does remain in isolation for this minimum 10-day stretch, he’ll only have around three weeks to make any last physical stops in battleground states like Wisconsin.

According to the Associated Press, the Trump campaign has postponed all events featuring the president and his family. Vice President Mike Pence, who has made mutiple reelection campaign stops in Wisconsin, will continue campaigning, the AP reports.

Pence and his wife tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday, according to Pence’s press secretary. 

In addition to the Wisconsin rallies, Trump has also canceled an event in Florida set for Friday. And his diagnosis also calls into question the plans for the next presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15.

The campaign hasn’t specified whether virtual events could still be an option, depending on the president’s recovery status. The Biden campaign has held several “virtual campaign stops” in Wisconsin, including roundtables and rallies held in video streaming format.

Meanwhile, Biden — who faced off with Trump for over 90 minutes at Tuesday’s debate — and his wife have also both tested negative, their primary care physician announced Friday. A negative test isn’t completely conclusive, as the diagnostic PCR tests can miss infections in their earliest stages. Biden still traveled to Michigan for scheduled campaign events on Friday.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average, which takes into account a range of state and national polls, Biden was leading Trump by almost seven percentage points in Wisconsin as of Friday.

As of Friday afternoon, several other politicians and journalists had tested positive for the coronavirus. Meadows said that he fully expected more positive results would come out of the White House.

A range of Wisconsinites expressed their support for the president and First Lady’s recovery, including Congress members from both parties.

Former Gov. Scott Walker shared a prayer for the Trumps’ healing as well as for “all those who are suffering today.” And Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley took it as a reminder that “if the most protected person in America can get the virus, so can you.”

Andrew Hitt, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said in a statement, “We look forward to their speedy recovery and to seeing the President in Wisconsin again soon.”