A personal valet for President Donald Trump, who among other things serves meals to the president, has tested positive for the coronavirus, but a White House spokesman said Thursday that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have since tested negative.
The valet, a member of the military, would have had very close contact with Trump, and assisted the president with his food, clothes and other personal needs.
Trump, however, denied having close contact with the sick valet. “I’ve had very little personal contact with this gentleman,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office. “I know who he is, good person, but I’ve had very little contact.”
Nonetheless, Trump said, starting today he and Pence will be tested for coronavirus daily, instead of weekly, as had previously been the standard practice in the West Wing.
A White House official who spoke to NBC News said the male valet, like other valets, does not wear a mask around the president.
The official said Trump was “not happy” when he learned Wednesday that his valet had tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 73,000 Americans.
A source with knowledge of the situation described it to NBC News as an “operational failure,” and said everyone who works in close proximity to the president should be wearing masks.
“We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
“The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health.”
Pence was en route to visit a health-care facility in Alexandria, Virginia as news broke about the valet.
The vice president did not wear a mask during his visit to the facility, which houses some patients with Covid-19. Pence did not respond to shouted questions from reporters about the valet being positive for coronavirus.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/coronavirus-trump-military-aide-at-white-house-tests-positive-for-covid-19.html