Yahoo News Latest Trump photos say Mark Meadows in room - despite president not wearing mask
Donald Trump and Mark Meadows reportedly sat in the same room at Walter Reed Medical Centre despite the president’s coronavirus diagnosis and CDC guidance on how to quarantine.
The revelation came on Sunday as the White House published photos showing Mr Trump at work in Walter Reed’s presidential conference room, in what appeared to be another attempt to show the president’s relative health over the weekend.
The two new photos also appeared to be the same shot with one providing a close-up of the president, who was admitted to the hospital near Washington D.C. on Saturday.
He was pictured staring directly at the camera and was not wearing a mask, despite his illness and the presence of a photographer and Mr Meadows in the room.
The president had been participating in a call with vice president Mike Pence, secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley according to a caption that accompanied the photos.
The White House caption added that “Not shown in the room on the call is chief of staff Mark Meadows”.
Under current Centres for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, Mr Meadows should now enter self-isolation, having come into direct contact with the president.
Those “who have been in close contact with someone who has Covid-19” are required to enter a 14-day period of isolation, to prevent spreading coronavirus to others, under CDC advice.
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It was not immediately clear whether or not Mr Meadows will isolate following Sunday’s phone call with Mr Trump, who was said to have received dexamethasone, a steroid used to treat patients with more severe coronavirus symptoms.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Meadows had suggested that "We're still not on a clear path yet to a full recovery", whilst adding that the president was "not yet out of the woods".
Mr Trump has, meanwhile, released a series of videos and pictures in an effort to reassure the public and his supporters that he is recovering.
"It's a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about Covid," he said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday, before leaving the hospital in a widely criticised drive-by for supporters gathered outside.
An attending physician at Walter Reed, James Phillips, described the motorade surprise as “insanity”, pointing-out that everyone involved would need to isolate.
“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die,” he posted to Twitter.
The Independent has approached the White House for comment on the photos, and whether or not Mr Meadows will now have to self-isolate.
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