By Canadian Press

As U.S. reopening barrels along, ‘invisible enemy’ infiltrates White House

May 11, 2020 | 10:46 AM

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s “invisible enemy” has made its way to the West Wing, where it threatens not only the health of people working inside the White House but the president’s own post-pandemic re-election efforts.

Three top health officials, including infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, are self-isolating as a precaution after an aide to Vice-President Mike Pence and a personal valet to the Trump both tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The aide, Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller, is also married to Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s senior policy advisers.

The presence of COVID-19 in the president’s immediate orbit could prove a setback as Trump pushes states to lift restrictions and reopen the U.S. economy, arguing that Americans can go to work and defend against the virus at the same time.

Brett Bruen, a former U.S. diplomat and White House adviser under Barack Obama, says both Trump and Pence have been cavalier about the very precautions they’ve been urging Americans to take against the virus.

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Inside the West Wing, where people work in close, cramped quarters, Bruen says taking protective measures can be seen as a sign of disloyalty to the president.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2020.

The Canadian Press