3:04
- ABC News
- March 17, 2020
What we know about Trump and social distancing
CDC has discouraged the public from handshaking and high-fives.
3:04
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Stacey Feinberg (@staceyfeinberg) on Mar 9, 2020 at 10:41pm PDT
Sunday, Mar. 8: Trump speaks at Trump Victory fundraiser:President Trump attended a high-dollar fundraiser brunch at the Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach. Days later on Friday, Mar. 13, the Trump Victory committee announced through an email that an unidentified donor tested positive after attending the event. According to the RNC, the donor did not interact with President Trump or any members of the first family.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) on Mar 8, 2020 at 3:01pm PDT
Sunday, March 8: Fauci stresses the important of social distancing, but stops short of saying it should immediately be mandatory:Fauci on multiple Sunday shows stressed the importance of social distancing, and avoidance of large gatherings. During a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing, Fauci said federal mandates are needed to enforce \"certain types of social distancing,\" and said \"I’m a bit humble about that,\" adding that \"I would like to discuss it with a variety of other people who have more of a handle on the implications of that.\"
Monday, March 9: Trump flies on Air Force One alongside Rep. Matt Gaetz:Gaetz, R-Florida, is informed by CPAC mid-flight that he had come in contact with a conference attendee who was infected. Once he landed, he then was immediately tested, according to a top aide to Gaetz. Gaetz also rode with the president in the presidential limo to Orlando airport. Gaetz self-quarantined, and announced on Tuesday he had tested negative for the virus.
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Monday, March 9: The Pentagon begins implementing \"social distancing\" measures in the building:The Pentagon began implementing its \"social distancing\" measures in the building-- which included CDC signs encouraging proper hand washing and distancing actions that can be take immediately. To show the importance of these measures, senior Pentagon leaders began changing some daily routines. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley also made a change to a routine meeting that is typically crammed wall-to-wall with people to standing room only. \"We need to keep reinforcing that there's an individual responsibility to help with this,\" said Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, Joint Staff Surgeon.
Tuesday, Mar. 10, 1:30 p.m.: First lady Melania Trump attends PTA legislative conference:Melania Trump delivered remarks at the 2020 Parents and Teachers Association Legislative Conference and was seen shaking hands with people. One day earlier, the Trump campaign announced that it had canceled Melania's first 2020 fundraisers in Beverly Hills scheduled for March 18. Coronavirus was not mentioned as a reason for the cancellation, though-- press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the cancellation was due to a \"scheduling conflict.\" She did not provide more details.
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Tuesday, Mar. 10, 4:30 p.m.: Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Gen. Jack Keane:Trump conducted a ceremony that included touching and hand-shaking in front of a large crowd packed into the East Room in the White House. Other attendees at the event included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Attorney General William Barr and Graham.
The same day, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham announced one of Trump’s upcoming trips would be cancelled out of concerns surrounding coronavirus-- for the first time. “Out of an abundance of caution from the Coronavirus outbreak,” Grisham said in the statement, “the President has decided to cancel his upcoming events in Colorado and Nevada.”
Shortly thereafter, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh announced a Catholics for Trump event in Milwaukee was also cancelled “out of an abundance of caution because of the coronavirus outbreak.”
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Thursday, March 12: Graham begins self-quarantine after attending the event with a Brazilian aide who was later discovered to have tested positive for COVID-19.
Thursday, March 12, 10:50 a.m.: Trump participates in a meeting with the prime minister of Ireland:President Trump and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar opted to skip the handshake during their annual meeting -- instead greeting each other with a namaste gesture.
The pair joked at the joint press conference about not doing a handshake: “We looked at each other and said, ‘What are we going to do?’” Trump said. “You know, it’s sort of a weird feeling.” And Varadkar replied, “It almost feels impersonal. It feels like you’re being rude. But we just can’t afford to think like that for the next few weeks.”
However, both Mark Meadows - - who had just finished voluntary quarantine the day before-- and former acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney-- who is currently under voluntary quarantine \"out of an abundance of caution due to his proximity to the President\" after coming into contact with his niece who is awaiting test results, Grisham confirmed to ABC News on Monday-- accompanied Trump to the meeting.
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Thursday, March 12: CDC discourages handshakes, \"high-fives” and “mass gathering”:CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance to discourage handshakes and high-fives, saying they can be ways in which COVID-19 can be transmitted from person to person. The CDC also recommended postponing or cancelling “mass gathering,” including events with more than 250 attendees, and to consider the density of attendees within a confined area, adding that the virus spreads from person-to-person happens most frequently among close contacts within 6 feet.
Friday, March 13, 3 p.m.: Trump declares national emergency during news conference:One day after the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance to discourage handshakes, President Trump shook hands with several business executives from Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and other companies-- all while declaring a national emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak at a press conference from the White House Rose Garden. One executive, LHC Group’s Bruce Greenstein, declined a handshake and instead gave the president an elbow bump.
Saturday, March 14: President Trump tweets, \"SOCIAL DISTANCING!\"
Saturday, March 14: Pence leads White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting and press conference:The vice president on Saturday morning led the daily closed-door meeting with the White House Coronavirus Task Force-- and the room was packed. President Donald Trump that afternoon tweeted a photo of himself attending the meeting.
Sunday, March 15: Fauci says he is “working on” getting Trump to do social distancing:On ABC News' \"This Week\" last Sunday, Fauci said \"I'm practicing as much social distancing as I possibly can\" as a personal measure to protect himself, adding that he was also trying to get the president to adopt similar measures that could help to slow the spread of the virus. \"I'm working on getting the boss to do this,\" Fauci said of social distancing. \"I may not be successful, but we're working on it.\"
Sunday, Marc 15: CDC recommends cancelling or postponing of large events and mass gatherings:CDC recommended organizers to cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States for the next eight weeks. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.
Monday, March 16: The White House is starting to make changes to its daily operation and take measures to have staff social distance:Federal workers are urged to work from home -- with \"maximum teleworking.\" President Trump is participating in two video-teleconferences on coronavirus (one with G7 leaders and another with US governors), and VP Pence this past weekend urged White House staff to wash hands, practice social distancing, avoid physical contact, clean and disinfect, and \"Stay home if you’re sick!\" New measures have been imposed to implement social distancing during press briefings, such as reporters sitting in every other chair, and a request from the White House Correspondents Association that anyone who does not have an assigned seat should not attend briefings.
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