White House's 'stunning level of incompetence' slammed after dozens of Secret Service agents put in quarantine
Dozens of Secret Service agents have been asked to quarantine as a safety precaution following President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. The rally was held at the BOK Center and social distancing guidelines and wearing masks were not mandatory. Attendees also had to agree not to sue the campaign if they contracted coronavirus, acknowledging the "inherent risk of exposure to Covid-19 exists in any public place where people are present". At the Tulsa rally, Trump also said that he asked staff to "slow down" the testing for coronavirus as the number of infections continued to rise in the United States. The country has seen more coronavirus related deaths than any other nation.
According to The Washington Post, Secret Service agents involved with presidential trips must be tested for coronavirus for the next couple of weeks, 24 to 48 hours before the trips. The new testing mandate will be in place until July 4. A law enforcement official said the number of quarantined agents is on the "low" side of dozens. A Secret Service official said the quarantining will not impact the agency's operations.
Several of Trump's campaign staffers who worked on the Tulsa rally had tested positive for the coronavirus. The president’s campaign confirmed that six members of its advance team tested positive for Covid-19 after traveling to Tulsa ahead of the event, with two of them being Secret Service agents. Two other staffers tested positive after the event. One source told CNN that agents from Dallas and Houston who worked the campaign rally were warned in advance that they would have to quarantine after returning home.
The campaign also held an event at a Phoenix church on June 23 as Trump spoke at a "Students of Trump" campaign rally. The crowd gathered in close proximity and most went without masks as Arizona recorded its highest count of coronavirus cases in a single day — over 3,590 people tested positive for Covid-19. Many took to social media to express their displeasure with Trump's campaign efforts as the United States recorded the single highest count of positive cases since the pandemic started. One user tweeted, "Dozens of Secret Service agents are self-quarantining because Trump has everyone around him tested for his own safety. Trump thinks testing is overrated for the rest of us." Another wrote, "Dozens of Secret Service members had to self-quarantine after the Tulsa rally. Masks can’t protect you from the KAG virus."
A user opined in a reply to Trump on Twitter, "Sad to see dozens of secret service agents get quarantine because they had to attend your fragile ego rally." Another remarked, "#trumpdoesntkid when he says he is definitely going to hold a rally and put dozens of secret service at risk because he thinks he’s finally going to get real-life attention." A user tweeted, "I quote Selina Meyer: 'The level of incompetence in this office is stunning. It is STUNNING!'"
Actress and singer Bette Midler tweeted, "Coronavirus cases in Tulsa spiked today & I assume it’s at least in part some of the people who lined up for days to get into Trump’s flop rally. Thank heaven it was 2/3rds empty. Can he go back to making us just metaphorically sick?"