The White House is under pressure to explain why President Trump pressed ahead with a fundraising trip a day after a senior aide had to be isolated aboard Air Force One after complaining of symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus on Thursday, yet Trump still took part in a roundtable with supporters and spoke at a fundraising committee reception at his New Jersey golf club. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Friday that officials became aware that Hicks was positive just as Trump’s chopper lifted off to begin his trip to New Jersey.
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A senior administration official said Trump was tested before he departed for the trip, while a spokesman also added that the White House followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and best practice for limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
While it might be assumed Trump was negative before the trip to New Jersey, the White House did not specifically reveal the result of the test.
Trump announced that he and the first lady were quarantining late on Thursday evening before later confirming that they had also tested positive.
A former administration official said Hicks was isolated from other passengers on Air Force One during their return from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday evening after complaining of feeling unwell. She was tested on Thursday.
CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins further reported that some aides were aware of her positive test before the president traveled to New Jersey.
[LIST: People in Trump’s orbit tested for COVID-19]
I’m told a small group of officials were aware Thursday a.m. that Hope Hicks had tested positive. Despite that, President Trump traveled to New Jersey for a fundraiser and his press secretary held a briefing.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 2, 2020
Hicks, who had previously worked as White House communications director, currently serves as senior counselor to the president and is known to be one of Trump’s most trusted aides.
A day before the Minnesota trip, she was with the White House team who accompanied the president Tuesday to Cleveland for the first presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Several other aides have contracted COVID-19 — including National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, a personal valet, and the vice president’s spokeswoman Katie Miller. But Hicks, a member of Trump’s innermost circle, represented his closest brush with the virus.
Senior aides are tested daily, as are other figures who come into proximity to the president, including reporters.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said: “The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously. White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the president is traveling.”
