Over 130 Secret Service officers reportedly isolate or quarantine after COVID-19 cases possibly linked to Trump rallies


More than 130 Secret Service officers have been required to isolate or quarantine after either testing positive for COVID-19 or having close contact with a co-worker infected with the coronavirus, The Washington Post reports.
These Secret Service officers help protect President Trump and the White House, and the COVID-19 spread that is "believed to be partly linked to a series of campaign rallies" held by Trump in the weeks leading up to the presidential election has "sidelined roughly 10 percent of the agency's core security team," the report says.
The Post's reporting did not make clear how many of the 130 officers tested positive for COVID-19 and how many of them are isolating due to close contact with someone who contracted the coronavirus.
Subscribe to 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.
The Secret Service is also "examining whether some portion of the current infections are not travel-related" but "instead trace back to" the White House, the Post says. In recent days, numerous White House officials, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Post notes that this many Secret Service officers needing to isolate or quarantine will "force many officers to forgo days off and work longer hours to compensate for absent co-workers," and a former Secret Service supervisor told the Post, "Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic. That does not bode well for White House security." Read more at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
May 26 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's political cartoons feature Donald Trump's red tie, Hunter Biden's crypto lament, and one meaning of Memorial Day
-
3 tips for coping with financial stress
The explainer Feel more at peace in an unpredictable economy
-
Sudoku medium: May 26, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County