KEY POINTS

  • President Donald Trump is not going to follow a mandatory 14-day quarantine when he visits New Jersey on June 26
  • Gov. Phil Murphy announced the new coronavirus quarantine order on June 24
  • Murphy said that the president is an "essential worker" but stressed that the public must think of the safety of the community 

President Donald Trump will not observe a mandatory 14-day quarantine when he visits his New Jersey golf course in Bedminster on Friday (June 26), which goes against the new coronavirus quarantine order of Gov. Phil Murphy, D-NJ.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said during a press conference that Trump is exempt from this rule because “the president of the United States is not a civilian.”

Gov. Murphy, along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY., and Gov. Ned Lamont, D-CT., announced on Wednesday (June 24) that visitors in the tri-state region will need to adhere to a two-week quarantine if they have been to coronavirus hotspots across the country or they could face fines.

The tri-state region identified Arizona as one of these hotspots, where Trump had been for his campaign rally on June 23.

Arizona logged its new single-day highest COVID-19 death on June 24 with 79 patients. The number of fresh cases stood at 1,795, which was lower than the previous day’s number of 3,591 new cases.

Deere, however, has downplayed any risks that Trump’s entourage could carry the virus to New Jersey. He said that those working with the president have tested negative for COVID-19.

“With regard to Arizona, the White House followed its COVID mitigation plan to ensure the President did not come into contact with anyone who was symptomatic or had not been tested,” the spokesperson said. “Anyone traveling in support of the president this weekend will be closely monitored for symptoms and tested for COVID and therefore pose little to no risk to the local populations.”

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President Donald J. Trump, joined by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey; Senator Martha McSally, R-AZ, and Rep. Debbie Lesko, R- AZ, is met by Clint Hickman Vice Chairman of Arizona’s 4th District on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors upon the President’s arrival Tuesday June 23, 2020, at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

Gov. Murphy said in an interview with CNN that the “President of the United States is an essential worker,” but he wanted to stress that the public has a responsibility to help lower the transmission rate and think not only for themselves but for the community.

“We’ve been through hell, and we don’t want to go through hell again,” the governor said. “And that’s the spirit that underpins what we’re asking folks to do.”

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