Last week, it was reported that President Trump’s personal valet and Vice President Pence’s press secretary both tested positive for coronavirus. The White House is now scrambling to conduct contact tracing to determine whether any other staffers are infected and three of the top officials leading the coronavirus response are now in quarantine because they were exposed.
In response, Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas issued the following statement:
“The fact that the virus was able to penetrate a fortress like the White House completely exposes Donald Trump’s reckless and irresponsible promises that the country is ready to go back to normal.
“Against the advice of medical experts, Trump has spent weeks encouraging states to reopen, falsely claiming his policies have made American safe again.
“But if he can’t protect his people from getting infected in the safest building in the world, how can Americans trust Trump’s word that they can safely go back to frequenting restaurants, bars and barbershops again?
“The truth is: they can’t. The US leads the world in reported deaths and infections because Trump downplayed the crisis early on and refuses to listen to medical experts. His refusal to provide enough testing and to insist on social distancing makes the crisis far worse.
“As evidenced by the spike in infections in the White House, his push to reopen the country too early will lead to more deaths and torpedo any progress some governors have made.”
BACKGROUND:
- States have begun reopening at Trump’s urging despite polls showing that an overwhelming majority of Americans are concerned about rolling back social distancing measures too soon and experts warn about the danger of prematurely opening.
- On April 30th, Trump rolled back social distance guidelines despite no state meeting the federal standards to reopen, resulting in more deaths, confirmed cases and untraced spread of the virus.
- Republicans governors around the country have followed Trump’s incompetence in reopening their states, putting millions of Americans at risk.
- On May 7, it was reported that Trump’s personal valet tested positive for coronavirus, and a few days later, Vice President Mike Pence’s Press Secretary also tested positive.
- Additionally, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield are self-quarantining following exposure to a coronavirus case at the White House.
- And now, the IHME model shows more Americans are moving around because Trump eased social distancing guidelines, increasing the risk of more infections and deaths