Trump Tests Negative for COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AP) —  President Donald Trump has tested negative for the COVID-19 virus, officials said Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the White House began checking the temperature of anyone coming into close contact with the president and other officials.

Prior to his testing, Trump said his personal physician told him he didn’t show symptoms and didn’t need to take the test. But Trump decided to do it anyway after repeated questions from reporters about why he was hesitating to undergo screening when he had been exposed to at least three people who have tested positive for the virus.

The White House released the test results just hours after Trump told reporters that he had been tested and that his temperature was “totally normal.” He was recently in contact with three people at his Florida resort who have tested positive for the virus, including two aides to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

“One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free,” Sean Conley, the president’s physician, said in a memo.

Multiple lawmakers and countless citizens across the country who have had the same degree of exposure have not only tried to get tested, but also chosen to quarantine themselves as a precaution and to avoid potentially infecting others.

The pandemic has now infected more than 2,200 people in the U.S. and caused at least 50 deaths.