Trump reportedly rattled and annoyed by White House staffers testing positive for coronavirus


With one of President Trump's personal valets and Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, both testing positive for the coronavirus, several senior White House officials worry that it's too late to stop the virus from sweeping through their ranks, The New York Times reports.
At the White House, all employees are being tested at least once a week, with those who come in close contact with Trump getting tested every day, senior officials said. Miller tested positive on Friday morning, one day after testing negative. She did not regularly wear a mask while working, the Times reports, and several staff members who were most likely in meetings with her before she tested positive are still coming into work. Her husband, Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, tested negative on Friday, and is not expected to go into the White House anytime soon, people familiar with his plans said.
Trump has been ignoring Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and is not wearing a mask during meetings with people, the Times reports. One senior administration official said the fact that a valet who served him food tested positive rattled Trump, and he was "annoyed" to find out Katie Miller was positive. Over the weekend, several press aides who had been coming into the White House were told to start working remotely, and officials were urged to stay home if they believe they are getting sick.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One of Trump's top economic advisers, Kevin Hassett, admitted on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday that it is "scary to go to work." He wears a mask, but said he thinks "I'd be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing. It's a small, crowded place. It's, you know, it's a little bit risky. But you have to do it because you have to serve your country."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants