Trump ‘not concerned’ after official who met him tests positive for virus
President Trump said he is “not concerned” after a Brazilian official who dined with him last weekend tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
“If they say he was there, he was there,” Trump said with a smile. “I’m not concerned.”
Fabio Wajngarten, the communications chief for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive after he came down with flu-like symptoms upon returning to Brazil.
He is awaiting the results of a second test to confirm the diagnosis, according to Brazilian newspapers.
“We did nothing very unusual,” Trump said, without explaining what he meant. “We sat next to each other for a period of time and had a great conversation.”
Health officials say coronavirus can be spread easily by close contact like Trump had with Wajngarten.
The White House has not said whether Trump would be tested after Wajngarten’s positive test.
Wajngarten joined Bolsonaro on a three-day trip to the U.S. and on Saturday was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where he posted a photo of himself posing beside the president. A video from the event also showed him standing directly behind both leaders as they addressed a crowd.
The meeting also included Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Brazil’s foreign minister Ernesto Araujo, and Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo, who is a federal lawmaker, among others.
Trump joked with reporters about coming into contact with many people, a key risk factor for contracting the virus.
Bolsonaro’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bolsonaro and several senior officials who were in the delegation are being monitored for symptoms.
Bolsonaro is a far right-wing ally of Trump.
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