For nearly a week, the White House has blatantly refused to admit when Donald Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus. Their refusal to provide this very basic information opens questions about whether Donald Trump and his administration knew that he may have been infected much earlier than publicly announced.
Despite that, he carried on with his schedule of dangerous, in-person events that flouted all expert advice, medical guidelines, and lacked any mitigation efforts like masks or social distancing.
One of those dangerous gatherings was a September 27 White House event with Gold Star Families – attended by at least one military official who has since tested positive for the virus. Donald Trump could have already been infected when he attended this event — but rather than admit that he regularly puts military members and their families at risk, Trump is trying to shift blame for the White House outbreak on to them.
In response, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked and degraded military members and their families. Now, it appears he knows he may have exposed them to a deadly virus because he was too selfish to sacrifice a good photo-op that he thought could help his reelection campaign.
“These families sacrificed everything for our nation. They have a right to know whether the President knowingly put them in danger of contracting this deadly virus for his own political gain.
“Trump can give them this confidence by revealing the last time he tested negative for coronavirus, something that should be simple for someone who claims to be tested so regularly.
“Especially in light of the fact that he refuses to take this basic step, his suggestion that these families may be responsible for giving him the virus is gross, inappropriate and will not be tolerated.
“He owes them an apology and a detailed timeline of when and how he tested leading up to their meeting.”
Background: President Trump Potentially Exposed Gold Star Families to Coronavirus; White House Refuses to Report Date of Trump’s Last Negative Test Before Diagnosis
- President Trump Tried To Blame Gold Star Families For Catching Coronavirus. “President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he might have contracted Covid-19 from Gold Star family members who were too close to him when telling stories of their loved ones who died in the line of duty. In an interview on Fox Business, Trump told host Maria Bartiromo that he ‘figured there would be a chance’ he would become infected with the coronavirus, citing his meetings with the families of America’s war dead. ‘Sometimes I’d be in groups of, for instance, Gold Star families. I met with Gold Star families. I didn’t want to cancel that,’ Trump said. ‘But they all came in and they all talk about their son and daughter and father. And, you know, they all came up to me, and they tell me a story.’” [Politico, 10/8/20]
- But The White House Refuses To Disclose The Date Of Trump’s Last Negative Test Prior To His Diagnosis, Suggesting That He Might Have Exposed Families To The Virus. “If President Trump was actually tested every single day, his doctors and political aides could easily say when his last negative test was. Instead they’ve refused, casting serious doubt on what they’ve claimed for months.” [Twitter, @kaitlancollins, 10/5/20]
- Quiet Outreach To One Veterans Group And Some Attendees About Possible Exposure To The Virus Began On October 2, The Day After Trump’s First Publicly Known Positive Test.“The White House quietly informed a veterans group that there was a COVID-19 risk stemming from a Sept. 27 event honoring the families of fallen U.S. service members, the head of that charitable organization told The Daily Beast. The White House warning, which came on Oct. 2, is the earliest known outreach to visitors of the complex that there was a risk of coronavirus emerging from the grounds where the president, the first lady, and at least 17 of his aides, according to Politico, have now tested positive for the virus… A Republican close to the White House also told The Daily Beast that others present at the event received outreach from a White House office—though not the medical office—late last week urging them to get coronavirus tests.” [Daily Beast, 10/7/20]
- But Other Attendees Were Never Notified About Possible Exposure. “One Gold Star son who attended the Sept. 27 event, Daniel Bradley of California, said that he had not been notified by the White House about a COVID risk. He got tested on his own afterwards, ‘out of an abundance of caution.’ The results came back negative, Bradley said.” [Daily Beast, 10/7/20]
- An Anonymous Republican Source Revealed That The White House’s Attempt To Contact Trace The Gold Star Family Event Is A “Mess.” “The source described a chaotic scene in the White House as it tries to manage the internal outbreak. ‘The communication breakdown during this is even worse than usual,’ this source said. ‘Different departments and offices are not talking or communicating appropriately, people are doing different things, and officials are having trouble getting on the same page. The East Wing and the West Wing are dealing with this totally differently. It’s just a mess.’” [Daily Beast, 10/7/20]
- Photographs From The White House Event Honoring Gold Star Families Show That Attendees Did Not Wear Masks Or Maintain Social Distancing. “The White House’s handling of an event for the family members of deceased U.S. troops was thrust into a new light on Tuesday amid the disclosure that a Coast Guard admiral who attended has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing some of the military’s top generals and admirals into quarantine. The Sept. 27 ceremony, held on Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day with dozens of people in attendance, recognized the families of 20 deceased service members… Most attendees did not wear masks or maintain social distancing, White House photographs of the event show. [Washington Post, 10/6/20]
[Flickr, The White House, 9/27/20]
- Adm. Charles W. Ray, Vice Commandant Of The Coast Guard, Tested Positive For Coronavirus After Attending The Event. Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, the service said in a statement on Tuesday. He had begun experiencing mild symptoms over the weekend, a week after attending the Gold Star event, but ‘is in good spirits,’ Rear Adm. Jon Hickey, a senior Coast Guard spokesman, said in the statement.” [Washington Post, 10/6/20]