UPDATED 5/8, 11:24 p.m. ET: Ivanka Trump's personal assistant has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins said that while the president's daughter's personal assistant has contracted the disease, they haven't been in contact with her in several weeks, according to her source.
"Ivanka Trump’s personal assistant has tested positive for coronavirus, I’m told," she tweeted on Friday night. "The assistant, who works in a personal capacity, hasn’t been around Ivanka in several weeks & has been teleworking. Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner both tested negative today, source says."
UPDATED 5/8, 12:55 p.m. ET:One of Vice President Mike Pence’s aides has tested positive for coronavirus. “Pence was scheduled to travel to Des Moines, Iowa, in the morning, but his departure from Andrews Air Force Base was delayed by nearly an hour as staff dealt with news of the diagnosis,” CNBCwrites. The staffer was reportedly not on the plane, however.
The White House medical office told NBC it is initiating contact tracing for the person in question.
See original story below.
COVID-19 has breached President Trump's inner circle, after one of his personal valets recently tested positive for coronavirus. According to CNN, the valet is a member of the U.S. Navy and works very closely with the President and his family to ensure their safety. Trump was reportedly upset when he learned about the news.
On Thursday, the White House confirmed that the valet did indeed test positive.
"We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for coronavirus," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."
This news comes after reports that President Trump declined the option of wearing a mask while touring a mask factory in Phoenix this past Tuesday. When asked before his visit if he planned to wear a mask, the President told reporters that he would only do so if it was absolutely required, but suggested that it was impractical for a leader to wear one during a public appearance.
"I’m supposed to make a speech. You’ll tell me: Should I leave the mask on when I’m speaking?" Trump said before his departure on Tuesday. "I don’t know. I just — it doesn’t sound right. But if it’s a mask environment, I would certainly wear a mask."
Vice President Mike Pence and other senior White House staff members who interact with the President regularly are reportedly still being tested weekly for COVID-19 as well.
