Pass The Test (Results)

The leader of the free world has contracted COVID-19, which means the disease can find almost anyone, anywhere. The fallout on Friday from the momentous announcement hours earlier fell on who else has it, and who doesn’t. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative. The Trump’s 14-year old son, Barron, had a negative test, along with Jarod Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Joe Biden. The positive test for one of the President’s closest advisors, Hope Hicks, triggered the flurry of tests in the White House late Thursday.

The other person with a spotlight shining directly on her is President Trump’s nominee to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. She had already been stricken with coronavirus over the summer and has fully recovered. She is, however, being tested daily because she has not been confirmed, and she tested negative on Friday morning, according to Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere.

The last time Barrett spent time with Trump was Sept. 26, when she was announced as the President’s choice to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her schedule has included multiple trips to Capitol Hill as she meets with senators who are preparing her for the upcoming confirmation hearings.

In an effort to keep the disease from spreading through the U.S. Capitol, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for the Senate to adopt a coronavirus testing and contact tracing program for lawmakers.

“The Senate needs a testing and contact tracing program for senators, staff and all who work in the Capitol complex,” Schumer said in a statement. “It is imperative that all results be made public in order to contain a possible outbreak and so we can determine the need for senators and staff to quarantine or self-isolate.”