Trump’s valet tests positive for coronavirus

Diagnosis raises new questions about whether anyone in the West Wing was exposed to the novel virus

A member of the US Navy who serves a personal valet to Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19, according to reports, raising questions about whether the president was recently exposed to the novel virus.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday that said in part: “We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus.”

The statement continued: “The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."

Mr Trump and Mike Pence has both received multiple coronavirus tests since the pandemic began in March, as multiple officials close to the president and vice president have since tested positive for the disease.

The service member has not been publicly identified. They serve on an elite force that protects the president during his travels, along with the US Secret Service and other agencies.

They began exhibiting symptoms on Wednesday, according to CNN, which cited anonymous sources.

White House officials, including the president, have continually received Abbott Labs rapid coronavirus tests which are capable of producing results in nearly 15 minutes.

The personal valet to the president was known to work closely with the first family and top officials in the West Wing.

The Defence Department also confirmed the president’s personal valet had tested positive for coronavirus.

“As with any other service member who tests positive, the individual will quarantine in their residence, and will receive medical care as needed”, the statement read.

As the news broke, Mr Pence was on his way to a health-care facility in Virginia where the vice president was scheduled to visit and meet workers on the front lines of the pandemic.