BEDMINSTER, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy slammed President Donald J. Trump over his visit to New Jersey last week, calling the President’s actions completely reckless. The Governor said that Trump’s visit with approximately 206 donors is now being tracked by contact tracers and the Department of Health is working to see if the virus has spread beyond those in the administration and invited guests.
“As the Department of Health noted yesterday, we are continuing our work to receive all the information we need from the White House, the Republican National Committee and the management of Trump National in Bedminster with regard to our contact tracing efforts following last week’s fundraising event with President Trump,” Murphy said. “We have received the list of the 206 attendees at the two separate events held in Bedminster, and from the golf club we have received the list of 19 staff members who were involved in these events. New Jersey residents are our top focus, but we are also working with the CDC to contact all out-of-state attendees.”
Murphy said all attendees have been notified that they may have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus and informed them that they should self-monitor for potential symptoms for 14 days.
“We are asking that all attendees self-quarantine for 14 days, especially those who were in close contact with either the President or a member of his staff. We have also urged attendees to get tested no earlier than five to seven days after the event, which would mean a testing window from tomorrow through Thursday at the earliest,” Murphy said. “We know it can take up to a week or even longer, and Judy and Tina can pile in here and add to this in their remarks, for the virus both to incubate and for an infected person to test positive, so even a negative test taken within this window should not override the need to self-quarantine for a full 14 days.”
The Governor said that knowing he was tested positive for COVID-19, the President’s actions were completely reckless and showed poor level of leadership by example.
“As it relates to the event that took place on Thursday in New Jersey, with the knowledge that they had before they left for New Jersey, that there was exposure to a COVID-positive individual, that trip was completely unacceptable, completely reckless, and completely uncalled for,” Murphy said. “But this is also a matter of leadership by example, and it is clear that the President and his staff acted recklessly in coming to New Jersey in the first place, knowing that they had been exposed to someone with a confirmed positive test. As I mentioned in some interviews this morning, while it is hitting close to home, this is not the first time we’ve seen that absence of leadership, or the only time. This is the latest chapter in a long series of chapters over the past seven months with things like developing and engendering a political debate over masks, as an example, when there should be none associated with it. This is based on science, data and the facts. It has nothing to do with politics, and yet that has been allowed to take hold.”
