(Bloomberg) -- The number of White House staff infected with the coronavirus continues to rise, with a senior adviser, Stephen Miller, along with a press officer joining one of President Donald Trump's valets and a military aide in testing positive. The most senior U.S. military officer entered quarantine.
Trump returned to the White House Monday evening after a four-day stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for Covid-19. Aides hope to keep him at the presidential residence and away from the Oval Office but are uncertain how long that will last, according to people familiar with the matter.
Key Developments:
- Trump Return Trailed by Doubts on Recovery, White House Outbreak
- Harris and Pence Set to Debate as Virus Spreads at White House
- Republicans Beef Up Virus Measures for On-Time Barrett Hearing
- Trump Invokes His Own Bout With Covid as Voters' Doubts Grow
Top Aide Miller Says He Has Tested Positive (7:10 p.m.)
Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the president, said Tuesday night that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Over the last five days I have been working remotely and self-isolating, testing negative every day through yesterday. Today, I tested positive for Covid-19 and am in quarantine.” Miller said in a brief statement released by the White House.
Miller's wife, Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence, contracted the virus in May but recovered.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Katie Miller has tested negative over the last two days but as a precaution left Salt Lake City, the site of Wednesday's vice presidential debate. The person added that Pence has not had close contact with Stephen Miller.
Pence tested negative on Tuesday, his physician said in a statement.
White House Press Office Sees Another Infection (3:14 p.m.)
Jalen Drummond, an assistant press secretary, tested positive for the coronavirus, according to people familiar with the matter. Several other press aides have been infected, including White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt.
Drummond's case brings to at least 22 the number of people tied to recent White House interactions who have contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Chair of U.S. Joint Chiefs Enters Quarantine (1:22 p.m.)
General Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, is among officers in quarantine after the Coast Guard's vice commandant tested positive for the coronavirus, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.
Coast Guard Admiral Charles Ray was tested “after feeling mild symptoms over the weekend,” the service said in a statement. Ray was at the Pentagon last week for meetings with personnel including service chiefs, Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. -- Travis Tritten
Trump Had Restful Night, Reports No Symptoms, Doctor Says (12:39 p.m.)
The top White House physician, Sean Conley, said Trump reported “no symptoms” on Tuesday after a “restful first night at home.”
“Vital signs and physical exam remain stable, with an ambulatory oxygen saturation level of 95-97%. Overall he continues to do extremely well, I will provide updates as we know more,” Conley said in a statement released by the White House.
Trump Wants to Return to Oval Office, Ending Home Isolation (12:24 p.m.)
Trump wants to return to the Oval Office on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after being released from a three-day hospital stay for treatment of Covid-19, according to people familiar with the matter.
Some of Trump's aides don't want the restless president to leave the White House residence yet but are unsure how long he'll continue to isolate himself, the people said. He has not yet gone to the West Wing and it's not clear if he will.
Two More White House Personnel Infected With Virus (11:35 a.m.)
Two more White House staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus.
One of those infected is Coast Guard aide Jayna McCarron, a member of the White House Military Office. She's part of the crew that safeguards the nuclear “football” containing codes for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The office is a vital cog in operations that provides communications, food, transportation and valet services at the White House complex.
The other is one of the president's valets, who is also active-duty military, and traveled with the president last week, according to people familiar with the matter.
The news came a day after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and two other members of the communications staff also tested positive. -- Jennifer Jacobs
Read More: Results of Covid-19 Tests for U.S. Politicians, Officials: List
White House Says Staff Asking Trump to Slow Pace (11:05 a.m)
Trump is “improving dramatically and quickly, but listen, we understand he's not out of the woods,” Alyssa Farah, White House communications director, said on Fox News. “He's energetic, it's taking senior staff around him to tell him, let's slow down the pace,” she also said.
Farah said that administration employees “feel comfortable working here, those of us still here. We are taking precautions in the West Wing” after the president's return from hospital Monday. “If anything, the team has been highly inspired.” -- Josh Wingrove
Trump Looking Forward to Oct. 15 Debate (10:42 a.m.)
Trump said he is “feeling great” and indicated in a Twitter post that he expects to be healthy enough to participate in the debate against challenger Joe Biden next Thursday.
President Is Mulling a Televised Speech to Nation (9:25 a.m.)
Trump is considering a televised address to the country after returning Monday from a three-day stay in the hospital for treatment of Covid-19, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The president and his campaign have sought to cast his return as a triumphant presidential moment just weeks before Election Day, even as recent polls show him falling badly behind his challenger Joe Biden. -- Saleha Mohsin
Trump Says U.S. ‘Learning to Live' With Covid-19 (8:03 a.m.)
Trump resumed his tweets Tuesday morning with a comparison between the novel coronavirus and the regular influenza outbreaks that typically start hitting the northern hemisphere in the fall.
After telling Americans not to fear the virus or let it “dominate” them, Trump pointed out that the nation doesn't shut down because of the flu.
The U.S. hasn't lost 100,000 people to the flu in a single season in more than a decade, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comparisons between deaths caused by coronavirus and the flu aren't simple because of differences in the way they're counted, but there is broad agreement among epidemiologists that the coronavirus is substantially more dangerous.
Twitter Inc. later labeled Trump's post as having violated rules about “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
Trump Trails Biden in Poll Straddling His Viral Infection (5:58 a.m. New York Time)
The president's running even further behind Democratic challenger Joe Biden in a new poll before the Nov. 3 election. Leaders have sometimes seen bumps in approval when they fall ill, as happened with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he contracted the virus earlier this year.
Trump's deficit to Biden has widened to 16 points, a CNN poll released Tuesday showed, with 57% of likely voters backing Biden and 41% supporting the incumbent. The poll was conducted after the first debate and mostly after Trump's coronavirus infection became public.
One key group backing Biden in the poll was people over the age of 65, 60% of whom supported him, compared to 39% who backed Trump. Older voters were a key part of Trump's coalition in 2016, with 53% picking him according to a Pew post-election survey.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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