TOPLINE

Reports emerged early Monday afternoon that the White House is requiring randomized coronavirus testing for President Trump’s executive staff, following repeated false claims from Trump that more testing creates more positive cases.

KEY FACTS

Prior to Monday, testing in the White House was voluntary.

According to Politico, White House staffers received an email earlier this morning informing them of the new coronavirus testing policy, and the message added, “Failure to report to testing will be considered a refusal to test.”

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have stated numerous times that conducting a higher number of tests will lead to a higher number of positive tests.

Trump and Pence’s claims have been debunked by health experts who say that the percentage of cases that result in positives show whether or not cases are actually increasing.

Analysis by ProPublica shows that states like New York, Illinois and Indiana have increased how many tests are being conducted, while their percentage of positive cases has decreased, while in Texas, Arizona and Florida, the percentage of positive cases has increased along with the number of tests being run.

Crucial quote

“When you have been testing at the same volume for some time and despite that your case count is rising, that increase can’t be attributed to just testing,” Dr. Nasia Safdar, director of infection control and prevention at the University of Wisconsin told NBC News on July 1. 

Big number

Five. That’s how many White House officials and workers—including National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien—are known to have tested positive for coronavirus. According to CNN, multiple Secret Service agents and Trump campaign staffers also tested positive following the president’s underattended Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally. Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain died last week of coronavirus complications after he attended the Tulsa rally without wearing a mask. 

Key background

On Saturday Trump repeated his false claim about testing in defiance of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force.  “I stand by my previous statement that the increase in cases was due to a number of factors,” Fauci said during a Friday Congressional hearing. Those factors included states reopening too quickly, people going to restaurants and bars and congregating in crowds without wearing masks, Fauci said. 

Tangent

Trump claimed at his Tulsa rally that he asked health officials to slow down testing. The White House issued a statement after the rally claiming Trump meant the comment “in jest.” Trump said following the White House’s statement, however, that he doesn’t “kid.” 

Further reading

White House makes random coronavirus testing mandatory for staff (CNBC)

Trump blames increased testing for rise in COVID cases. Data points to other factors. (NBC News)

No, President Trump, Testing Is Not Causing Case Counts to Rise. The Virus Is Just Spreading Faster. (ProPublica)

Trump Claims Fauci ‘Wrong!’ — But Again Falsely Blames Coronavirus Surge On Increased Testing (Forbes)

 

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus