By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Just hours before President Donald Trump announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus, he traveled to his Bedminster golf club on Thursday afternoon to mingle and pose for photos with supporters at a high-dollar fundraiser for his re-election campaign, possibly exposing others.
In fact, the White House confirmed the event went forward even after Trump administration officials learned that one of the president’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, tested positive for COVID-19 — a timeline that has triggered questions about why the president still made the trip.
News that the president and First Lady Melania Trump contracted the virus sent shockwaves around the globe early Friday morning, about a month before Election Day — and sparked uncertainty in New Jersey, a state already hit heavily by the pandemic.
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It’s currently unclear how many people Trump interacted with at his country club in the Somerset Hills, who was there, or how this will affect the area.
The president was in New Jersey for only a few hours, arriving at Morristown’s airport around 2 p.m. before flying via helicopter to Bedminster. After the event, he helicoptered back to Morristown and departed in Air Force One around 4:40 pm.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released a statement Friday morning saying “the contact-tracing is underway” and urged everyone at the Bedminster fundraiser to “take full precautions, including self-quarantining and getting tested.”
“Tammy and I send our best wishes to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a speedy and complete return to good health,” Murphy said. “If there is one thing we have learned in New Jersey over these months, it’s that we pull together and support everyone fighting this virus.”
