Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The White House — despite its infinite access to the best resources available — continues to respond to its own coronavirus outbreak about as recklessly as possible.
Why it matters: This botched response has jeopardized the health of the president and his staff, and it has set a very poor example in a country that's already done a terrible job handling the virus.
Driving the news: President Trump left Walter Reed yesterday to return to the White House, but medical officials have not said he's past the point of being contagious.
- This was about 24 hours after Trump left his hospital bed – and isolation — to drive around in a car to wave at his supporters, putting the Secret Service agents in the car with him at risk.
- White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany became the latest official to test positive for the virus yesterday — a day after she had gaggled maskless with reporters.
- Vice President Mike Pence, who has been around numerous officials who have since tested positive for the virus, is still traveling on the campaign trail. Pence tested negative for the virus yesterday morning.
The White House is doing only minimal contact tracing, and has not sought help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per the NYT.
- It has decided not to trace the contacts of attendees at last weekend’s Rose Garden event celebrating the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. At least eight people who attended that event have since tested positive.
- It’s opting instead to only notify Trump’s contacts in the two days before his diagnosis — an extensive list.
What he’s saying: “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” Trump tweeted yesterday afternoon.
What we're watching: White House residence staffers — many of whom are people of color or elderly — are already bearing the burden of this sloppiness, and may continue to, as the Washington Post points out.
- Two members of the housekeeping department have already tested positive, per the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman.
The bottom line: Negligence within the White House led to the leader of the free world being hospitalized with a deadly virus.
- This same negligence has exposed hundreds of people to the disease, who are doubtlessly exposing hundreds more people — within the White House complex, in the day care centers and gyms of Washington, D.C., and in states including New Jersey and Minnesota, where the president traveled before he was diagnosed.
- Incompetence and recklessness have plagued America’s coronavirus response since the beginning of the pandemic. And the recklessness starts at the top.