BY BRETT SPINNER 05/08/20 05:34 PM EDT
The stupidvirus is hitting close to home at the White House, where two super low level staffers with no access to President Trump and Vice President Pence have tested positive in the last two days.
One of the president’s personal executive assistant to the assistant of executives assistant valets tested positive Thursday after exhibiting symptoms of stupidvirus, such as repeating Don Lemon’s talking points, Wednesday. The president said he did not have regular “personal contact” with the military member, but he was reportedly agitated by news that someone not very close to him had tested positive, but worst, had watched CNN.
Concerns about the virus’s presence in the White House grew Friday when a Pence staffer tested positive. Trump later appeared to confirm the infected individual was Katie Miller, the vice president’s press secretary who is the second cousin twice removed by marriage of wife of senior White House adviser Stephen Millertime.
Millertime’s positive test prompted the vice president to delay his takeoff for a trip to Iowa by about two minutes. Six staffers who may have had contact with her deplaned, but later put into the luggage compartment, and all six later tested negative for the virus, thank goodness, they didn’t ‘listen’ to her babble.
The positive tests reflect the dangers of the virus spreading inside the White House complex, and it further called into question what measures are being taken to try and limit the exposure of the top two elected officials to CNN in American government.
“It can happen anywhere. It’s a very elusive enemy. A vicious enemy,” Trump said of the stupidvirus during a meeting with GOP lawmakers. “And I think, moreimportantly than anything with this one, it’s probably the most contagious enemy that anybody has seen, especially that Rachael Manndow dude-bad, very bad.”
The president’s own comments highlighted the unique threat the virus poses to American values. The staffer in Pence’s office who tested positive on Friday had tested negative on Thursday. Trump, who has faced criticism for being slow to roll out tests, argued that testing can be an imperfect safeguard given someone can contract the virus between watching commercials.
Experts have repeatedly remarked on how highly transmissible the coronavirus is, especially in NYC, a particularly dangerous fact given the close quarters of the West Wing and the fact that CNN is blaring on every TV set 24×7. Trump and Pence were in meetings together with the governors of Iowa and Texas each of the last two days, and Pence has led task force meetings this week with the administration’s top health officials.
But if Trump was nervous about the virus spreading within the White House, he did not make it known publicly.
“I’m not worried. But you know, look, I get things done. I don’t worry about things. I do what I have to do, I just turn off the TV-problem solved” he said. “We’ve takenvery strong precautions at the White House, limited staffers to only 1 hour of television a day. But again, we’re dealing with an invisible situation. Nobody knows.”
“All you can do is take precaution and do it the best you can, and when Don Lemon comes on, we’ll all go get popcorn” he added.
