Less than a week after meeting with President Trump, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus, though a second test came back negative. This means our president, and many of our senior government officials, may have been exposed to COVID-19. Trump should be tested immediately, if he has not been tested already, and he should limit in-person contact as much as possible.
Regardless, we do know this: Bolsonaro attended a dinner with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the Mar-a-Lago resort last Saturday. Trump stood directly adjacent to Bolsonaro and was photographed with him multiple times. Clearly, the president’s potential exposure to this virus was not indirect or minor, as the White House argued earlier this week when Bolsonaro’s press secretary tested positive. Trump was within a few inches of Bolsonaro, and given the contagious nature of this virus, the health of our 73-year-old president is now a legitimate concern.
The public has a vested interest in the health of its leaders — especially its president, who has been charged with overseeing and managing this crisis. There’s no question that a positive test would have serious political ramifications. Confidence in our government is already waning: Imagine the reaction if the public learned our government was unable to protect the president from COVID-19.
However, keeping that information secret would be irresponsible. Not only would it be unrealistic to hide the results from the press, but it would also undermine the public trust in our system and put other U.S. officials and world leaders at risk.
The White House must publicly address this. It is now common knowledge that Trump, who is more vulnerable to this virus and its effects due to his age, interacted with a man who may have COVID-19. This exposure could have serious political ramifications, and the public must be prepared.
