President Donald Trump spent much of his Monday morning downplaying concerns about the novel coronavirus outbreak, going so far as to approach a group of supporters and shake their hands. Ahead of an afternoon fundraiser in Florida, the president took a moment after his plane landed at an Orlando airport to greet the group of voters, prompting Fox News anchor Jon Scott to express a bit of shock.
“In an era when shaking hands is a no-no for many people, the president is not showing any concerns about that at all,” Scott noted as the network aired the footage. “He is glad-handing this entire rope line.” During a Fox News town hall last week, Trump said that if “there was ever a time that you could convince people not to shake hands this would be it,” but added that he wouldn’t shun his supporters’ greetings.
Several GOP lawmakers, pundits, and officials, meanwhile, have self-quarantined after it was revealed that an attendee at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference had tested positive for coronavirus and physically interacted with many people. The conference’s organizer has stated that while Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also attended CPAC, the infected person had no direct contact with either of them.
