A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for coronavirus.
A Bloomberg News reporter traveling with Pence to Iowa on Friday tweeted that one of Pence’s aides had tested positive and that his plane’s departure was delayed for an hour. CNN and NBC also reported that one of Pence’s staffers had tested positive for coronavirus, and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany later confirmed the diagnosis.
NEWS: Pence flight to Iowa delayed an hour after a staffer tested positive for coronavirus, I’m told. Some aides disembarked AF2. Wheels up now for Iowa.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 8, 2020
Pence’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pence was traveling to Iowa to meet with faith leaders to discuss reopening religious services to the public and to hold a roundtable discussion about securing the nation’s food supply.
Pence’s plane was delayed an hour from departing from Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland. Some staffers left the plane before takeoff, according to a pool report.
The reports that one of Pence’s aides tested positive for coronavirus come just one day after the White House announced that a military valet to President Donald Trump had tested positive for the disease.
At the White House, Trump told reporters on Thursday that his aides will now be tested daily instead of weekly after the valet tested positive for the disease.
Trump said Friday that the valet was in the same room with him on Tuesday, the day the Navy employee started exhibiting symptoms. But Trump said he does not recall any direct contact with the aide.
The White House has said that both Trump and Pence were tested for coronavirus and that both tests were negative.
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