According to a report in Washington Post, news that two White House staffers tested positive for the coronavirus has "rattled" staffers in the administration and prompted Donald Trump's campaign advisors to adjust their schedule for major events designed to get him re-elected in November.
On Friday it was announced that one of the president's personal valets tested positive for COVID-19 as well as Vice President Mike Pence's spokesperson Katie Miller, which caused panic at the White House as officials attempted to track down their movements and who they had been in contact with previously.
As Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and Dr. Anthony Fauci go into quarantine possible exposure, the Post reports, "... nervousness and concern among White House staffers became more palpable on Saturday, according to people familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the tensions. Now that Redfield and Hahn are staying away, some officials said they don’t know if they should keep going to work at the White House. Staffers who had potentially been in contact with Miller were still getting calls on Saturday from officials trying to gauge their exposure to the virus, according to one person who received a call."
"After news of Miller’s diagnosis, aides were going through seating charts, looking at her schedule to discern where she had been and trying to question anyone who may have been close to her in a room. Emails were sent about possible exposure, and staffers were called," the report continued.
Noting that a number of Pence aides were abruptly sent home on Friday over concern for their health, one administration official confessed Friday was “totally nuts.”
Now that the coronavirus has hit home at the White Office, Trump's 2020 campaign is also making other arrangements.
"The concerns are spreading to the Trump campaign, where a senior official said there was no plan to hold a large-scale campaign event with the president until at least August," the Post treports with one official admitting, "It’s just not practical right now to even try.”
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