Washington: White House aide Nick Luna, who serves as a personal attendant to President Donald Trump, has tested positive for coronavirus infection, according to people familiar with the matter.
Luna’s diagnosis emerged a little more than 24 hours after Trump entered the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of Covid-19 following his own infection.
Known as one of Trump’s so-called body men, Luna is the latest member of Trump’s inner circle of White House personnel to contract coronavirus. Hope Hicks, one of the president’s closest advisers, fell ill on Wednesday while traveling with Trump to Minnesota.
Luna, who runs Oval Office operations for the White House, accompanied Trump on his trip to Cleveland for the presidential debate on Tuesday and was also aboard Air Force One on the Minnesota trip when Hicks first began experiencing symptoms.
Luna was one of the aides who had planned to accompany Trump on Thursday to a fundraiser at the president’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, but stayed behind because of recent close contact with Hicks.
The White House press office had no immediate comment.
Earlier this year, Luna married Cassidy Dumbauld, an assistant to White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
In his job as a body man, Luna travels closely with the president, holding papers and helping keep Trump’s schedule.
In addition to Luna and Hicks, the president’s re-election campaign manager Bill Stepien, 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, and a number of prominent Republican lawmakers and officials have tested positive since Thursday.- Bloomberg
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