Trump Suggested He Might Have Contracted COVID-19 From Gold Star Families Whose Loved Ones Died In The Military

President Trump suggested Thursday that he may have contracted COVID-19 from the Gold Star families he met with who discussed their loved ones that died in the line of duty.

In an interview on Fox Business, Trump told host Maria Bartiromo that he “figured there would be a chance” he would become infected with COVID-19, citing his meetings with the families of America’s war dead.

“Sometimes, I’d be in groups of, for instance, Gold Star families. I met with Gold Star families. I didn’t want to cancel that,” he said. “But they all came in, and they all talk about their son and daughter and father. And, you know, they all came up to me, and they tell me a story.”

Trump further explained that as he was being told stories about fallen soldiers, “I can’t say, ‘Back up, stand 10 feet,’ you know? I just can’t do it.” At one event, Trump said that he spoke to 35 people whose family members had died and suggested that he might have contracted the virus there.

“I can’t back up, Maria, and say, ‘Give me room. I want room. Give me 12 feet. Stay 12 feet away when you talk,’” he said.

The Gold Star family members “come within an inch of my face, sometimes,” Trump said. “They want to hug me, and they want to kiss me. And they do. And, frankly, I’m not telling them to back up. I’m not doing it.”

It is not known where exactly Trump contracted the virus, but the White House has refused to provide a timeline of Trump's coronavirus test results.

Apart from the meetings the president described Thursday, he has held large-scale campaign rallies in recent months where attendees do not practice social-distancing and Trump recently hosted a packed, mostly mask-less White House Rose Garden ceremony where he nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. That ceremony, which was attended by numerous administration officials and members of Congress, has since been identified as a potential super-spreader event.

However, high-ranking military leaders who also attended the Sept. 27 Gold Star event contracted the virus following the president's diagnosis.

Among the military officials that tested positive was Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray, who tested positive Monday. Ray's diagnosis forced all but one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to self-quarantine this week after they met in a secure conference room at the Pentagon last Friday.

A second high-ranking officer who was at the Pentagon meeting, Assistant Marine Commandant Gen. Gary L. Thomas, tested positive Wednesday.