'That should never have happened': Secret Service agents attack Trump over hospital drive-by

Mr Trump's former campaign manager claims two Secret Service agents volunteered to drive him

Several US Secret Service agents have criticised president Donald Trump for potentially putting his protective detail in danger, during his brief drive outside the Walter Reed Medical Centre on Sunday.

But his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, later claimed the two Secret Service agents volunteered to drive Mr Trump, adding that they were separated from him by plexiglass.

Mr Trump was hospitalised on Friday evening as a precaution after he showed symptoms for coronavirus, following a positive Covid-19 test result a few hours earlier.

After nearly two days in the facility, president Trump was driven around outside the medical centre by his protective detail on Sunday evening, as he waved to his supporters who had waited for him since his admission to the hospital.

Pictured in the vehicle with Mr Trump were two members of his protective detail wearing face masks and eye protection, while the president was also seen with a face covering in the backseat of the car.

Although Mr Trump’s aides claimed the drive was cleared by staff at the medical centre, the two agents are now going to have to quarantine for 14 days after coming into close contact with the president, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Several Secret Service agents speaking under anonymity have criticised president Trump for the short trip, and one official told the Washington Post: “He’s not even pretending to care now.”

In recent months, agents have reportedly become increasingly concerned with the president’s approach to social distancing, and another official told CNN about the drive: “That should never have happened.”

The agent added: “The frustration with how we're treated when it comes to decisions on this illness goes back before this though. We're not disposable.”

In an interview with NBC's Today on Monday, Mr Lewandowski said: “The detail leader of the Secret Service and the driver both volunteered for that assignment. They have very difficult jobs but they were not required to do that, they both volunteered.”

According to The Post, Mr Trump went for the short drive because he was bored in the medical facility, and another Secret Service agent asked: “Where are the adults?

However, an agent told CNN that Mr Trump had not acted dangerously or endangered the protective detail in the SUV by taking the short trip on Sunday evening.

“I've watched some of the news today and it's ridiculous to say the president is trying to kill off his detail,” they told CNN. “He's unconventional, but we get the job done.”

The president’s brief trip was also criticised by health experts, who claimed that the precautions taken were not enough to guarantee that the agents would be safe from contracting the virus from Mr Trump.

James Phillips, doctor of emergency medicine at George Washington University and an attending physician at the medical centre, tweeted: “That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack.

“The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.”

Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University school of medicine and health services, added: “By taking a joy ride outside Walter Reed the president is placing his Secret Service detail at grave risk.

“In the hospital when we go into close contact with a Covid patient we dress in full PPE: Gown, gloves, N95, eye protection, hat. This is the height of irresponsibility.”

NBC also reported that US first lady Melania Trump would not visit the president in hospital, because “it would expose the agents who would drive her there and the medical staff who would walk her up to him.”

Speaking to reporters following Mr Trump’s drive, White House spokesman Judd Deere defended the trip, and said: “Appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the president and all those supporting it.”

He declined to elaborate on what precautions were taken, but added that the drive “was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.”

According to Johns Hopkins University some 7.4m people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the US and the death toll has reached 209,737.