More than 20 people in and around the White House have recently tested positive for the coronavirus including President Donald Trump himself.
The president announced on Friday, October 2, after midnight that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, joining several other high-ranking US government officials who have contracted SARS-CoV-2. Trump went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday evening to undergo treatment. He was discharged on Monday, October 5.
On Tuesday, Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. His case was just the latest revealed among top White House officials. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive on Monday for the coronavirus; four of her aides reportedly also have tested positive. McEnany like others in the White House cluster failed to immediately quarantine after Trumps diagnosis, and she appeared in front of reporters without a mask in the following days.
McEnany and other Republican officials attended a White House event on September 26 honoring the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced after Trumps diagnosis that they had tested positive; both were at the event, which took place indoors and outdoors. Several other people, including former senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, also tested positive after attending the event.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another attendee, announced that he tested positive and checked into a hospital.
Barrett, for her part, was diagnosed with Covid-19 over the summer but has recovered. It is unknown whether she now carries immunity.
But its not just the one event. On Saturday, October 3, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) announced he had tested positive. Johnson was not at the Barrett event, but he did attend a lunch with other Republican senators last week.
Beyond the relatively well-known senators, members of the press, and White House officials who have tested positive, less well-known government staff members and security officers have been infected with the coronavirus in recent days. A number of such cases have been confirmed, including McEnanys deputies, Trump aide Nicholas Luna, and military officials assigned to the White House. Vice Commandant Charles Ray of the Coast Guard tested positive on Monday, and other military leaders entered quarantine.
The White House, in other words, is now a Covid-19 hot spot. And the administration appears to be doing little to trace the outbreak, creating concern that the White House will become a source of community spread. At least one likely secondary infection has been reported: New York Times journalist Michael Shear, who traveled with the president the evening after the Barrett event and tested positive shortly after, said his wife tested positive following his diagnosis.
While its not clear how the president was exposed, Trump was in regular contact last week with senior counselor Hope Hicks, whose positive coronavirus test was revealed on Thursday, October 1. Hicks had traveled with Trump multiple times last week, including to the September 29 presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.
Over the summer, Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy were diagnosed with Covid-19 but have successfully recovered. The virus has also infected at least 14 House members nine Republicans and five Democrats since March. But this is the first time the virus, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans, has spread in such a concentrated manner among White House officials, staffers, and members of the press corps.
As of Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have both tested negative, as have Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill. Some other Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, tested negative as well.
Trump and his staff have been traveling to campaign events for several weeks. Just in the past week, the president has held rallies in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, in addition to the September 29 debate in Ohio. Eleven people tested positive for the coronavirus in cases traced to pre-debate planning and set-up, according to the Cleveland mayors office.
One way to mitigate the White House outbreak would be to undergo a major contact tracing operation, though the Trump administration has made few efforts on that front so far. As Voxs Dylan Scott explained, the only way to figure out the full extent of the outbreak is contact tracing: identifying who has been in close contact with the president since he became contagious, and asking them to quarantine to prevent Covid-19 from spreading to others, and to get tested themselves.
The Trump campaign announced in a statement Friday that he and his family are suspending in-person events. Pences campaign travel will continue, and he plans to participate in the vice presidential debate against Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday.
Heres what we know about who has tested positive and negative for SARS-CoV-2 so far.
This list includes people who attended the September 26 Barrett event and/or have had close recent contact with the White House.
Crede Bailey, the head of the White House security office, has been hospitalized with Covid-19 since September, according to Bloomberg. He reportedly became sick before the Amy Coney Barrett event.
Two housekeeping staff members at the White House tested positive roughly three weeks ago, according to the New York Times.
Vice Commandant Ray, Sen. Johnson, and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel have also recently tested positive. Johnson and McDaniel were not at the Barrett event, but McDaniel had contact with Trump in the days before it.
Given the level of uncertainty created by this news, Vox has compiled a list of key administration figures who help run the country, key lawmakers who have been in contact with the president, and key Democrats in the 2020 election cycle who have recently gotten negative test results for the virus.
While it could take several days for an individual who has contracted the virus to test positive, these are the initial negative tests. Heres a partial list so far:
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Stephen Miller has tested positive for coronavirus. Heres everyone else in the White House cluster whos tes - Vox.com