McEnany: White House not addressing plans should Trump, Pence fall ill
The White House is not addressing contingency plans should President Trump or Vice President Pence fall ill due to the coronavirus, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday, adding that reporters and the public "should be celebrating" the leaders' health.
“That's not even something that we're addressing," McEnany told reporters when asked if the White House has a procedure should the two be incapacitated. "We're keeping the president healthy. We're keeping the vice president healthy, and, you know, they're healthy at this moment and they'll continue to be."
"The president's healthy. The vice president's healthy, and I think that's something all reporters should be celebrating and the American people as well," she added.
McEnany later accused New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman of being "misleading" by tweeting that she had called for reporters to "celebrate instead of just cover."
The White House's efforts to keep Trump and Pence healthy have been a point of focus in the last week after two staffers who work at the complex tested positive for the coronavirus. The first was a military member who serves as a personal valet for Trump. Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive a day later.
McEnany said Thursday she was not aware of any additional positive coronavirus cases at the White House.
Still, the two positive tests rattled the White House given the valet and Miller have direct access to the nation's top two elected officials. Should they be incapacitated, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would be next in line to lead the country.
The White House has implemented new procedures this week to try to limit Trump's and Pence's exposure to the virus. Both men are tested daily instead of weekly for the virus, as are some officials who are in regular contact with either of them.
West Wing officials have also been instructed to wear masks when they're not at their desks or able to properly social distance.
Pence has been working from the White House this week, but he has been keeping his distance from Trump. The two have not had any in-person events together since Thursday.