US election: Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, tests positive for Covid-19

Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows has returned a positive test for Covid-19.

The shock diagnosis comes as the US anxiously awaits the result of the presidential election, and on the nation's biggest day of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.

Mr Meadows is a key member of the Trump campaign – and in recent days has thrown his support behind Mr Trump challenging the vote counting in several battleground states.

CNN's Chris Cuomo said Mr Meadows' diagnosis demonstrates Mr Trump's "nonchalance" toward the Covid-19 pandemic, despite himself – and a number of other White House staffers – testing positive back in October.

According to reports, Mr Meadows – who rarely wears a face mask – was not wearing one on election night at the White House, where he interacted not just with the President but Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and Mr Trump's son Donald jnr.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for Covid-19. Photo / Getty Images

One White House aide told CNN that officials are now "alarmed", given Mr Meadows has been around other staffers and Mr Trump's family members while potentially contagious.

Mr Meadows, who "abided by President Trump's efforts to play down the coronavirus throughout the summer", The New York Times reports, tested positive to the virus on Wednesday.

A second White House campaign aide, Nick Trainer, is also infected.

Mark Meadows, who has tested positive for COVID-19, was in the White House Residence on election night huddled around Donald Trump alongside Ivanka, Jared, Don Jr., and other family members and senior staffers.

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) November 7, 2020

Mark Meadows: "Let me pull this away -- that way I can take this off."

Reporter: "No, can you please keep it on?"

Meadows: "I'm more than ten feet away."

Reporter: "No --"

Meadows: "I'm not going to talk through a mask."

Meadows walks away. pic.twitter.com/Meavzxr7LA

— The Hill (@thehill) October 12, 2020

I hope that meticulous contact tracing will done to prevent further infections, as it appears Mark Meadows was near quite a few people, in close proximity and without masks, on Tuesday. He was likely actively shedding virus & contagious for #covid19 at that time. pic.twitter.com/Gc0aA7dw5M

— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) November 7, 2020

It comes just seven weeks after Mr Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and his youngest son Barron – as well as at least 30 others – contracted the virus at an event celebrating the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Just nine days before the presidential election, Mr Meadows somewhat changed his tune, telling CNN the US was "not going to control the pandemic … because it is a contagious virus just like the flu".

"What we need to do is make sure that we have the proper mitigation factors, whether it's therapies or vaccines or treatments to make sure that people don't die from this," he said.