The White House said late Saturday that President Donald Trump tested negative for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
In a memo, Trump’s doctor said he received confirmation that the president’s COVID-19 test was negative, adding that Trump was “symptom free.”
The president told reporters on Saturday that he took a test the previous evening for COVID-19, after individuals who had been near him tested positive. Trump said on Saturday that his temperature was “totally normal.”
Trump has come into contact with several individuals who’ve been around those with coronavirus and met with at least one person who was later diagnosed with it: Fabio Wajngarten, an aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who posed for a photo with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence while at Mar-a-Lago for meetings with the U.S. president.
Other lawmakers who came in contact with Wajngarten, including Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), self-quarantined out of an abundance of caution.
On Saturday, the White House announced that it would check the temperatures of anyone who comes in close contact with Trump or Vice President Mike Pence. Pence, who was also near individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, said Saturday that he had not yet been tested but would be “happy” to do so and would consult with the White House physician.
The president has recently strayed from experts’ advice on how to avoid contracting or spreading the virus. On Friday, at a press conference about coronavirus, Trump shook hands with other speakers and stood in close proximity to many people — despite health experts’ recommendations that Americans practice “social distancing” to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Read live updates from HuffPost reporters around the world who are tracking the pandemic and the measures being taken to flatten the curve of transmission.