Updated Mar 14, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump says he was tested for coronavirus

Trump declares a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

President Trump told reporters on Saturday that he took a test for COVID-19 on Friday night and the test is currently pending in a lab.

Why it matters: The president was exposed to multiple people who have tested positive for the virus.

Details: The president has come in contact with at least two individuals who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a memo shared close to midnight on Friday by Sean Conley, the president's physician.

  • Conley had said that there is no need for Trump to undergo a home quarantine or COVID-19 testing at this time. But, the CDC advises older adults, who are at a higher risk of getting sick from the virus, to "keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often."
  • COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly between people who are within six feet of each other and through coughing and sneezing, per the CDC. Spread of the virus may be possible before symptoms are apparent.

Of note: "Out of an abundance of caution, temperature checks are now being performed on any individuals who are in close contact with the President and Vice President," White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement to reporters on Saturday. Those "in close contact" include reporters in the White House, per a pool report.

Catch up quick: Trump indicated at a Friday press conference that he'd "most likely" get tested for coronavirus.

  • "I don't know that I have exposure, but I don't have any of the symptoms," he said, adding that he spoke with White House doctors on the issue.
  • Three people visiting Mar-a-Lago last weekend have now tested positive for COVID-19, the Wall Street Journal reports, and Trump "is known to have interacted with two of them."
  • Trump was not in contact with the CPAC 2020 attendee who tested positive for COVID-19, the American Conservative Union said last week.

Read the memo from the president's physician:

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