Stephen Miller, Senior Trump Advisor, Tests Positive for COVID-19

Another individual in President Donald Trump‘s inner circle has tested positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday, CNN reported that Stephen Miller, a top aide to the president, tested positive for the coronavirus. This news comes a few days after Trump himself announced that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had been diagnosed with the illness.

Miller released a statement about the news, which read, “Over the last 5 days I have been working remotely and self-isolating, testing negative every day through yesterday. Today, I tested positive for COVID-19 and am in quarantine.” Miller had been working from home for the past several days. When he showed up to work on Tuesday, he tested positive. NBC News‘ White House correspondent Hallie Jackson wrote on Twitter that Miller tested negative for the coronavirus every day through yesterday. But, his test came back positive on Tuesday. Miller was one of the individuals on Trump’s team who helped him prepare for the first presidential debate against the Democratic nominee for the presidency, Joe Biden. Many others who helped Trump prepare for the debate have also since tested positive.

Miller is the latest member of the president’s inner circle to test positive for COVID-19. On Thursday, Hope Hicks, another top aide to Trump, announced that she had tested positive for the illness. Several hours later, Trump announced on Twitter that he and Melania were diagnosed with COVID-19, as well. Over the past few days, numerous members of the Trump team have disclosed their positive COVID-19 diagnoses. In addition to Trump, Melania, Hicks, and Miller, former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s personal assistant Nicholas Luna, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Thom Tillis, and former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie have all tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Friday afternoon, Trump was taken to Walter Reed Military Medical Center after he was said to be experiencing “mild symptoms.” He was later discharged from the facility on Monday evening and will reportedly continue to seek treatment while in the White House. While Trump donned a face mask as he made his way back to the White House, he removed it while posing on the building’s balcony for a photo-op. Many criticized this move as the president is likely still contagious and could have been putting others at risk by not wearing a face covering.