President Trump Went To NJ Event After COVID-19 Exposure (UPDATE)

BEDMINSTER —President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who have tested positive for COVID-19, went to a fundraiser at his golf club in New Jersey after he was exposed to the coronavirus, the Office of the Governor has confirmed.

The president and his family were tested after White House Advisor Hope Hicks was shown to be positive for COVID-19 just hours after traveling with the president. The president and his wife are now among more than 7.26 million Americans who have tested positive for the disease. More than 207,500 Americans have died.

After White House officials learned of Hicks’s symptoms, Trump flew Thursday to New Jersey, where he attended a fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster and delivered a speech, officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement that contact-tracing is underway to determine if anybody else was infected or exposed. "We urge everyone who attended yesterday's event in Bedminster to take full precautions, including self-quarantining and getting tested," Murphy said.

Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said the trip was deemed "safe" for Trump and others because he was socially distanced and it was an outdoor event.

The Washington Post and The Asbury Park Press reported Trump was in contact with dozens of people at a roundtable event that was listed on the White House's schedule. The Times also reported that Trump has been displaying minor symptoms of the virus.

At the fundraiser, one attendee told The New York Times that Trump came in contact with about 100 people, and he seemed "lethargic." Another attendee, however, offered another point-of-view.

Trump's schedule said he arrived in Morristown Municipal Airport around 2 p.m. on Thursday and then traveled to Trump National Golf Club, where he attended the roundtable and fundraiser between 2:30 and 4 p.m. He then departed Morristown around 5 p.m.

Former Gov. Chris Christie also said he has been near Trump and Hicks, and he told The Asbury Press that he planned to get a rapid test Friday after the president announced he had tested positive. "I don't have any symptoms. I feel fine," Christie told the publication.

The president announced his diagnosis via Twitter early Friday morning, just more than a month before the 2020 election, and is now in quarantine. Read more: President Trump And First Lady Test Positive For Coronavirus

"Melania and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"

Murphy also offered Trump his best wishes:

"Tammy and I send our best wishes to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a speedy and complete return to good health. If there is one thing we have learned in New Jersey over these months, it's that we pull together and support everyone fighting this virus."

Trump has for months played down the severity of the virus and told a political dinner just Thursday night that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”

Somerset County Democrats, who represent the Bedminster area, made note of Trump's decision to attend the fundraiser despite his exposure to Hicks, saying: “While this is completely irresponsible behavior for anyone, for the president of the United States to risk the health and lives of his own supporters, their families, their neighbors and the workers and wait staff at his club is unfathomably selfish."

“The Somerset County Department of Health must immediately begin contact tracing and identify everyone who was at the Bedminster Golf Club with President Trump and order them to self-isolate," the statement said. "If the Trump Campaign will not assist Somerset County in determining the risk to our residents, we call on the local Republican leadership to do so for the health of their own members and communities."

The president has pushed publicly for reopening the country fully despite stubbornly high levels of cases. The announcement that the president tested positive are sure to raise concerns nationally about reopening businesses and schools — both key pushes from the president as the disease has spread.

The country's adversaries could also see an opening for further efforts to disrupt the campaign.

Sean Conley, Trump's physician, released a statement to reporters confirming the diagnosis.

"This evening I received confirmation that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Conley wrote.

"The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions. Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments."

Patch Staffers Paige Austin and Bea Karnes contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the Bernardsville-Bedminster Patch