President Trump walks along the Colonnade with Judge Amy Coney Barrett after a news conference to announce Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court on September 26. | Alex Brandon/AP

A face mask might have protected Trump — and the people around him — from the coronavirus.

Early Friday morning, we learned President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. White House aide Hope Hicks, who had traveled with the president earlier in the week, also tested positive and was reportedly experiencing symptoms Wednesday. The president and first lady reportedly have “mild symptoms.”

It’s a stunning turn of events for a world leader whose egregious mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic is the main reason the virus’s toll on Americans has been so severe, in terms of both cases and deaths. It’s also a reminder of how