Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on Sept. 26. Eight attendees at the event later tested positive, including the president and first lady Melania Trump, who potentially carried the virus through a week full of social events.
Photographer: Shealah Craighead/White House
From Bereaved Fathers to CEOs: Trump Encounters Spark Covid Fears
- The president was with hundreds in days before diagnosis
- Several large events were held indoors, with few wearing masks
At a White House ceremony to honor veterans, President Donald Trump told the assembled guests, “I’m not supposed to shake his hand” -- and then did just that with the father of a fallen Marine.
The exchange seemed harmless enough at the time, despite violating social-distancing guidelines. But it and the many other interactions people had with the president since have taken on a more worrisome hue in the wake of the president’s Covid-19 diagnosis four days later.