Tuesday, 28 July 2020_US President 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.
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