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National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien tested positive for a new coronavirus on Monday, the 16th person connected to the White House or the Trump campaign to be a confirmed case.
The White House regularly tests President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as those who come into contact with the top-ranking government officials. The continuous testing is intended to identify and isolate cases before the virus can spread, a strategy the White House leaned on to defend the president's previous decision not to wear a mask in public.
Officials confirmed O'Brien's positive diagnosis, saying he has mild symptoms and was working from a secure location off-site and self-isolating. Neither Trump nor Pence are at risk, according to the White House.
In May, Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary, tested positive after testing "very good for a long period of time," Trump told reporters during a briefing. Although he hadn't been in contact with Miller, Pence had and Trump said the vice president's team was "taking all necessary precautions." As of Monday, Pence has not tested positive.
Another member of Pence's staff tested positive in March, followed by Trump's personal valet, who tested positive shortly before Miller.
In June, eight of Trump's campaign staffers tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and two were diagnosed after attending a Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally. Tomas Philipson, former acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, also tested positive in June, according to The Wall Street Journal. After experiencing a fever for one day earlier in the month, his health was back to normal by June 26, the day the article was published.
In July, at least three other people with connections to the president tested positive. One was a Marine assigned to Trump's helicopter squadron and another worked for a cafeteria vendor at eateries inside the Eisenhower Executive Office. The Eisenhower building is located next door to the White House and houses a majority of offices for administration staff.
The Marine was never in direct contact with Marine One, Trump's helicopter, and those who may have had contact with the person who tested positive were removed from the Bedminster, New Jersey, detachment.
Kimberley Guilfoyle, who is dating the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., and works as a senior advisor for the president's reelection campaign, tested positive in July. She tested positive in South Dakota ahead of Trump's event at Mount Rushmore, according to CNN.
"I accept this as a blessing from God so that I can understand what other people are going through and those who have lost loved ones," Guilfoyle said. "And so I know it's a blessing in my life, and thank you once again to each and every one of you for reaching out as well. I really appreciate it."
O'Brien is the highest-ranking government official in the United States known to have tested positive for the novel virus. He recently returned from a trip to Europe, where he met with officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more