New Jersey officials are investigating whether the fundraiser President Donald Trump held at his Bedminster golf club last week hours before he announced he tested positive with COVID-19 violated the state’s orders to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, Murphy said Monday afternoon.
Murphy chastised Trump and his administration repeatedly Monday for traveling to the event Thursday despite the White House having learned that Hope Hicks, a close advisor to the president, had tested positive. Trump tested positive hours after he attended the re-election fundraiser, meaning he potentially exposed the more than 200 people who attended the event and staff at the club.
“To put it bluntly, the actions leading up to, and during, this event have put lives at risk,” Murphy said Monday afternoon during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.
The governor said he wishes the best to the president and others in his inner circle who have tested positive — including former Gov. Chris Christie.
“This isn’t a matter of politics, but a matter of humanity,” 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 knowing they had been exposed to someone with a confirmed positive test.”
Murphy also noted that “reports suggest the event itself may not have complied with our current rules, which may have put others at risk, and we continue to investigate these reports.”
Murphy said the event could have violated the number of people allowed indoors, though not outdoors. He also said there are reports of buffets at the event, which is prohibited under the state orders. About half of the attendees were from New Jersey and all of the staffers are state residents. Any failures to comply with the state’s emergency orders will be referred to state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Murphy said.
While part of the fundraiser was held outdoors, Murphy noted he’s heard some attendees weren’t wearing masks and there was an indoor VIP reception.
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Under New Jersey’s COVID-19 orders, indoor gatherings are limited to 25 people or 25% of a room’s capacity, and all must wear face coverings and stay six feet apart. Gatherings for political activities under the First Amendment are limited to 150 people or 25% of a room’s capacity.
Outdoor gatherings are limited to 500 people. There is no limit for outdoor gatherings for political activities protected under the First Amendment.
Murphy said the state has received a list of 206 attendees at two separate events Thursday at Trump’s Bedminster home, and local officials are working with the federal Centers for Disease Control to contact attendees from out of state.
All attendees “should self-monitor for potential symptoms” and those in close contact with the president or his staff members should be in a 14-day quarantine period, Murphy said. He called for all people at the fundraiser should get tested five to seven days after the event — which would mean Tuesday through Thursday at the earliest.
“We know it can take up to a week — even longer — 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,” Murphy said.
He added there’s particular concern over staff members of the club because they live in New Jersey and could spread the virus within New Jersey.
“This is very much a race against the clock,” Murphy said.
The governor stressed New Jersey will not share information from contact tracing “beyond those who need this information for follow-up”
Murphy on Monday morning called the fundraiser “reckless” and said Trump should have canceled his trip.
“Nobody should have come to New Jersey,” the governor said.
White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah told reporters Sunday he traveled there “because he wasn’t deemed to pose a threat.”
A number of people in Trump’s inner circle have tested positive for the virus since Trump’s own diagnosis, including Christie, former advisor Kellyanne Conway, and campaign manager Bill Stepien — all three of whom are from the Garden State.
Christie is currently hospitalized in Morristown.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected]
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