President Trump's Valet Tests Positive For Coronavirus

KEY POINTS

The president's valet tested positive on Wednesday
No sign that Trump or Pence are ill; both undergo regular coronavirus tests
Both leaders have been criticized for ignoring social distancing guidelines

An individual serving in the White House has tested positive for the coronavirus but both the President and Vice President have continued to test negative, a spokesperson said. The individual serves as one of the president’s valets, according to a source who spoke anonymously with the Associated Press.

Hogan Gidley, speaking on behalf of the White House, said the individual tested positive on Wednesday. The unidentified person was confirmed to be a military service member who works in the White House.

The announcement marks the latest instance of someone in close proximity to Donald Trump or Mike Pence having tested positive for the coronavirus. Previously, a staffer working under Pence became ill with the disease but later recovered. Before that, an individual who had been at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the same time as the president was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

For the past two months, the White House has instituted weekly illness screenings for everyone working on the grounds. Staffers are also routinely required to undergo temperature checks.

This latest case comes amid intense criticism leveled against both Trump and Pence after both leaders made recent public appearances in which they declined to wear face masks or fully adhere to social distancing practices.

Last week Pence visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and appeared to be the only member of his group to decline to wear a face mask. This lead some to accuse the vice president of being careless by ignoring his own administration’s social distancing guidelines. While Pence at first pushed back on this criticism, he later admitted that he should have worn a face mask during his visit to the hospital.

More recently, Trump visited a Honeywell factory in Arizona where N95 masks are currently being mass produced. During his tour, the president and several members of his entourage were seen without face masks or gloves, prompting some critics to accuse Trump of taking unnecessary risks.