Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way
President Trump commemorated the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday with eight World War II veterans, the youngest of whom was 96 and the oldest of whom was 100, CBS News reports. The president, however, did not wear a mask around the veterans despite the CDC's warning that anyone over the age of 65 is at a higher risk for severe illness if they catch COVID-19.
Trump, notably, could have been exposed to the virus by one of his personal valets, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week and potentially wasn't wearing a mask when he interacted with the president. Asked if Trump gave "any consideration to wearing a mask" with the veterans "given that his valet just tested positive," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday that Trump is "regularly tested." She added that the veterans "made the choice" to attend the ceremony "because they've chosen to put their nation first. They wanted to be with their commander-in-chief on this momentous day. And it was there choice to come here."
Antibody tests of the sort Trump is regularly taking are famously unreliable, and there is also the chance that if someone is just starting to get sick, their blood antibody levels might not yet be at a height detectable by a test.
Trump additionally addressed criticism about attending the event without a mask, CNN reports, with the president telling the press "I was very far away from [the veterans] … Plus the wind was blowing so hard in such a direction that if the plague ever reached them, I'd be very surprised."
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