3 more people in Trump's orbit test positive for coronavirus


The number of coronavirus cases connected to the outbreak in the White House continued to grow Friday night after three more prominent figures in President Trump's orbit were confirmed to have been infected.
Former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien, and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have all tested positive for COVID-19 since the president announced his own positive test earlier this week. Conway and Tillis tweeted the news of their diagnoses late Friday evening, and both are apparently feeling well. Conway said she is experiencing a light cough, while Tillis said he has no symptoms. The Trump re-election campaign confirmed Stepien's positive test Friday night, and he reportedly has mild symptoms.
While it's still not clear exactly when and where Conway, Tillis, and Stepien contracted the virus, Conway and Tillis both attended Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination at the White House last Saturday. Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, who were all at the ceremony, also tested positive. Read more at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'