Mark Meadows tries to walk back his claim Trump tested positive for COVID before Biden debate

Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump's fourth chief of staff, more or less confirmed Wednesday night that Trump tested positive for COVID-19 three days before his first presidential debate against President Biden on Sept. 29, 2020 — but in an interview with Newsmax, he focused on the subsequent negative test. Two former administration officials confirmed Trump's Sept. 26 positive COVID-19 test to The Washington Post and The New York Times on Wednesday.

The news that Trump knew he could have been infected with the coronavirus at his debate with Biden and other events that week — a rally in Pennsylvania, an intimate meeting with the families of slain military service members, a fundraiser, and a ceremony to celebrate Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's swift confirmation — was revealed in an excerpt from Meadows' forthcoming book in The Guardian.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.