White House Outbreak
COVID-19 has been tearing its way through the White House and the President’s inner circle since the September 26th event held in the White House Rose Garden to celebrate President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barret to the Supreme Court. A photo from the event shows that many attending did not wear masks, and there was no attempt to social distance. As of Wednesday, twelve attendees of the event have tested positive for the coronavirus. In addition to the attendees of the ceremony, eleven people who have either come in contact with President Trump or attended campaign events in the week since the Rose Garden event have also tested positive.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
News of a coronavirus case close to the President broke on October 1st, when he tweeted that his adviser, Hope Hicks, had tested positive and that he and First Lady Melania Trump would be quarantining as they awaited their own results. Just over two hours after that tweet, the President tweeted at 12:54 AM on October 2nd that both he and the First Lady had tested positive. Since then, the number of coronavirus cases associated with the President has risen each day. Most recently, it was announced on Tuesday evening that Stephen Miller, senior adviser to the President, had also tested positive.
The outbreak appears to have also extended outside of those in direct contact with the President. Three White House journalists and two deputies from the White House Press Office have also tested positive, which can possibly be traced back to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who announced she had tested positive on Monday. The outbreak has also had implications in other parts of Washington. Rose Garden attendees Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tils of North Carolina both tested positive. A third senator, Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin also tested positive, although any connection to the White House outbreak is unclear. The trio of positive tests prompted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel to move, and ultimately receive unanimous consent, for a two-week recess in the Senate.
Thus far, President Trump has been one of only two people from the White House outbreak to be hospitalized. In what was described by the White House as a precautionary measure due to the growing number of positive cases around him, the President was brought to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on October 2nd. His stay lasted only four days and featured a motorcade parade on Sunday. In a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday evening, President Trump announced that he had been treated with an experimental antibody treatment that is still in development and not available to the general public. In addition to President Trump, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who was present at the Rose Garden event, has also been hospitalized, and has yet to be released.
It is important to note that not everyone close to the President has tested positive. Notable people with negative tests include Vice President Mike Pence, special adviser Jared Kushner, and Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barret. It should also be noted that due to the nature of COVID-19, the full impact of this outbreak may not be known for weeks or possibly even months and will continue to be a developing story.
