BREAKING NEWS: Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID for the second time minutes before White House briefing and two days before Biden’s trip to Europe
- White House press secretary Jen Psak has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe this week.
- She was checked on Tuesday morning, the statement said.
- President Biden tested negative for covid on Tuesday
- Biden flies out on Wednesday for a NATO meeting in Brussels
- Psaki missed his last trip to Europe in October due to a positive covid test result.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psak has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe this week, she said Tuesday.
Before the trip Psaki checked. She noted that President Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
This is the second time that 43-year-old Psaki has contracted the coronavirus. She had it in October.
She had two socially distanced meetings with Biden this week. White House staff have stopped wearing masks in accordance with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Psaki’s loud statement came minutes before she was scheduled to hold her daily press briefing at the White House. Biden leaves on Wednesday for a NATO meeting in Brussels, after which he leaves for Poland.
White House press secretary Jan Psak has tested positive for covid and will miss President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe this week; she is seen above at Monday’s press briefing
“This morning, preparing for a trip to Europe, I passed the PCR test. This test came back positive, which means that I will follow the CDC’s instructions and will no longer participate in the President’s trip to Europe, ”she wrote on Twitter.
“Yesterday I had two social distancing meetings with the President and he is not considered a close contact as defined by CDC leadership. I’m sharing the news of my positive test today due to being too transparent. The President today tested negative with a PCR test,” she added.
“Thanks to the vaccine, I only had mild symptoms. In accordance with White House COVID-19 protocols, I will be working from home and plan to return to work in person upon completion of the five-day isolation period and a negative test,” she said.
Psaki briefed the press on Monday and was working at the White House that day.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher began the briefing Tuesday by acknowledging Psaki’s diagnosis.
“Obviously we made some last-minute adjustments to the briefing, which is why I’m here today,” Meagher said.
He said that no reporter who attended Monday’s press briefing was considered close contact with Psaki and that contact tracing had begun.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan attended Tuesday’s press briefing, as scheduled, to talk about Biden’s trip. He wore a black mask while waiting his turn on the podium.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefed reporters on Tuesday about Biden’s upcoming trip to Europe to meet with NATO.
Psaki thanked Meagher for intervening.
“A complete professional and a great colleague. Thanks to @chrismeagher46 for jumping up almost without warning today. (It’s also a pity that the podium is so low),” she said.
Psaki is about 5 feet 2 feet tall, while Meagher is considerably taller.
Psaki missed President Biden’s last trip to Europe in October after testing positive for COVID.
At the time, she was a high-ranking administration official who tested positive for covid.