Health officials in New Jersey have contacted 184 of the more than 200 people who were identified as being at risk for contracting COVID-19 after President Donald Trump held a fundraiser there last Thursday, hours before he tested positive for the virus.
According to Axios, the White House sent a list of at least 206 people who could have been exposed during Trump’s event. State health officials are doing contact tracing to determine if anyone got sick at the event.
Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, ripped the Trump administration for holding the private fundraiser, which occurred just hours after a key member of Trump’s staff, Hope Hicks, tested positive for the virus after falling ill Wednesday.
“This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of humanity, but this is also a matter of leadership by example,” Murphy said. “And it is clear that the president and his staff acted recklessly in coming to New Jersey in the first place, knowing that they had been exposed to someone with a confirmed positive test.”
The fundraiser for Trump’s campaign took place at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
“We have particular concern for [the staff at Bedminster], considering the potential for spread within our communities,” Murphy said. “This is where they live. This is very much a race against the clock. As with everything, the Department of Health treats this data and information with the utmost protection.”
Murphy added some of the people who attended the event live out of state.
Trump was airlifted from the White House to nearby Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening after doctors were concerned about some of his vital signs. He is slated to return to the White House on Monday evening.
© 2020 Newsmax. All rights reserved.