A personal valet for US President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, White House said on Thursday. "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," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health." The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the president and first family. According to the White House Historical Society, few people work more closely, physically speaking, with the president and his family than the president's valet. Every president, including George Washington, has had at least one valet who helps him to dress, maintains his clothes and sees to his personal needs within the residence. Trump, however, denied having close contact with the sick valet. "I've had very little personal contact with this gentleman," Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office. "I know who he is, good person, but I've had very little contact." Nonetheless, Trump said, he and Pence will be tested for coronavirus daily, instead of weekly, as had previously been the standard practice in the West Wing. The White House instituted safety protocols nearly two months ago, including frequent temperature checks. Last month, it began administering rapid COVID-19 tests to all those in close proximity to the president, with staffers being tested about once a week. — Agencies
