Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump admits exposing Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to Covid-19: 'He didn't care. He's from North Carolina'

‘Could you imagine, I had to go to North Carolina to find my chief of staff?’ president says in apparent jab at key swing state

John T. Bennett
Washington Bureau Chief
Thursday 15 October 2020 15:50 EDT
Comments
Coronavirus in numbers

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump admitted to exposing his chief of staff to coronavirus by allowing Mark Meadows to fly with him to Walter Reed military hospital two weeks ago.

“He followed me. I said, you know what? ‘I just tested positive,’” the president told a rally crowd in Meadows’ home state. “He didn’t care. He’s in that helicopter. Hey, he’s from North Carolina.”

Mr Meadows did wear a mask on 5 October when he accompanied the president to the military hospital on the 15-minute flight to the nearby medical facility. He also stayed the entire weekend with the president. He was photographed outside as the medical team briefed reporters wearing a mask.

The president made the remark during a campaign rally in North Carolina, a battleground where he is in a dead heat with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden after winning the state in 2016.

But he appeared to take a shot at the Tar Heel State and its residents.

"Could you imagine, I had to go to North Carolina to find my chief of staff?" he said with a smirk.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in