Two More Trump Campaign Staffers Test Positive For Coronavirus After Tulsa Rally

TULSA, OK - JUNE 20: President Donald J. Trump speaks during a "Make America Great Again!" rally at the BOK Center on Saturday, June 20, 2020 in Tulsa, OK. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Two more Trump campaign staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus after attending the President’s first re-election campaign rally on Saturday.

Trump’s campaign confirmed to TPM in a statement on Monday that two additional members of the re-election campaign tested positive for coronavirus “after another round of testing for campaign staff in Tulsa.”

“These staff members attended the rally but were wearing masks during the entire event,” Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told TPM in a statement. “Upon the positive tests, the campaign immediately activated established quarantine and contact tracing protocols.”

News of two more Trump campaign members testing positive for the novel coronavirus brings the total number of its advance team staffers who attended the Tulsa rally to eight.

Hours before the President’s re-election rally kicked off on Saturday, the Trump campaign confirmed that six members who worked at the rally tested positive for the coronavirus.

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement ahead of the rally on Saturday that “per safety protocols, campaign staff are tested for COVID-19 before events.”

“Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented,” Murtaugh said on Saturday. “No COVID-positive staffers or anyone in immediate contact will be at today’s rally or near attendees and elected officials,” he said.

On Sunday, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and Murtaugh blamed the media for the Tulsa rally’s embarrassingly low turnout. Parscale claimed that “a week’s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protestors, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire, had a real impact on people bringing their families and children to the rally.” Murtaugh echoed Parscale soon after, tweeting that the “real factor was media-stoked fear.”

In the days leading up to the rally, Parscale touted that more than a million people had registered for the event how it was being held in an arena with 19,000 seats. Fewer than 6,200 people attended the rally, however, which reportedly infuriated the President.

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Notable Replies

  1. Not concerned about them or anyone they care about.

    Just hope they don’t infect innocent people.

  2. Amid surge in Florida COVID-19 cases, Fla. Gov. DeSantis changed guidelines for ICU reporting. He doesn't want hospitals to report the number of patients in ICU beds. He only wants hospitals to report number of patients in ICU beds who require an “intensive level of care.”

    — Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw)

    In keeping with this guidance, I will no longer use the term “Emergency Room” and will instead say “Rooms In Which There Are Some Emergencies”. https://t.co/SPLV9xLaLj

    — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 22, 2020
  3. White House staff got an email yesterday saying that temperature checks are now voluntary and would no longer be conducted at the entrances, I'm told. https://t.co/W4IAccCdhG

    — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 22, 2020
  4. “Upon the positive tests, the campaign immediately activated established quarantine and contact tracing protocols.”

    Please explain to us exactly what these “established” “contact tracing protocols” are.

  5. Avatar for grack grack says:

    Tweeting about ANTIFA?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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