Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien tested positive for COVID-19 but the White House said his infection poses no risk to the president or Vice President Mike Pence.
O’Brien, 54, the closest person to the president known to have contracted the disease, has been out of the office since late last week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
O’Brien caught the virus while taking a few days off from work, spending time with his family, according to people familiar with the matter. His daughter, who is college age, became ill first, White House economic director Larry Kudlow told reporters.
O’Brien “has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,” the White House said in a statement, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. “There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president.”
O’Brien initially tested negative before receiving a positive result, they said. He hasn’t seen the president since before his vacation.
“I haven’t seen him lately,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Since his diagnosis, O’Brien has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, another person said. The people asked not to be named to discuss details that aren’t yet public.
O’Brien and senior staff on the NSC are tested daily for COVID-19. His office is near the Oval Office and Pence’s West Wing office.
O’Brien’s infection comes as the pandemic continues to surge with infections and deaths on the rise in many U.S. states. Trump last week resumed regular briefings to reporters about the virus after polls showed voters increasingly disapprove of the president’s handling of the virus.
There have been 16.2 million cases of coronavirus worldwide since the pandemic began earlier this year, with deaths passing 648,000, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there have been more than 4.2 million cases and 146,935 deaths, according to the data.
The president has changed his message in recent days on the virus.
Last week, Trump abruptly called off Republican National Convention activities set for August in Jacksonville, Florida, citing concerns over the outbreak. He began promoting the use of masks after downplaying the need for them. Trump also said some public schools may not be able to open on time in virus hot spots, after earlier calling on them to restart.
NSC staff weren’t informed that O’Brien had tested positive, one person familiar with the matter said. Some found out through press reports, they said.
