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FILE PHOTO: United States Vice President Mike Pence wears a protective face mask while attending ceremonies marking the 19th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center at the 911 Memorial & Museum in the district of New York City Manhattan, New York, USA, September 11, 2020. REUTERS / Carlo Allegri / File photo
WASHINGTON – United States Vice President Mike Pence, next in line for the Oval Office, tested negative for COVID-19, hours after President Donald Trump announced he was infected and went into quarantine, said the Friday the Pence spokesman.
The result of Trump’s test put the spotlight on Pence, a former conservative Christian legislator who has been one of the few constants in the Republican president’s tumultuous administration, just over a month before the pair sought re-election for a second term. .
Pence, 61, is scheduled to debate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, on Wednesday in Utah. A source from the Presidential Debate Commission, which oversees the events, said there were no plans to dismiss the debate after Trump’s positive test.
“This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence is in good health and wishes the Trumps the best in their recovery, ”spokesman Devin O’Malley said on Twitter.
Pence does not need to self-quarantine, because close contact with anyone who has tested positive is not considered, including Trump, Pence’s doctor, Jesse Schonau, said in a statement. “Vice President Pence is in good health and able to carry out his normal activities,” he said.
Pence, who was last seen publicly with Trump Monday at a news conference in Rose Garden about coronavirus testing, will take over as interim president if Trump is incapacitated while receiving medical treatment. That has happened three times in American history.
Then-President George W. Bush temporarily transferred power to Vice President Dick Cheney twice, for a few hours each in 2002 and 2007, while he underwent colonoscopies. Vice President George HW Bush served as acting president for nearly eight hours in 1985, while President Ronald Reagan had a precancerous lesion removed.
The White House said Trump “is not disabled” and works in isolation while experiencing mild symptoms.
Pence replaced Trump on Friday in a conference call with governors about the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told 1010 WINS radio. Pence also replaced Trump in a call with state leaders to discuss support for vulnerable seniors.
President Nancy Pelosi is next in line after Pence. She was tested for COVID-19 on Friday and the results came back negative, her spokesman said.
Harris tested negative Thursday as part of his campaign’s routine virus screening.
Pence, a former Indiana governor, has largely played a behind-the-scenes role in the Trump White House, although he is known to have his own presidential ambitions.
His deference has made him love Trump, helping Pence survive in a White House with an almost constant turnover among top officials. But at times he has been ridiculed for his public servility towards his boss.
Earlier this year, Trump put Pence in charge of America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, a report that has not gone well. The nation’s death toll from the virus is more than 207,000. New COVID-19 cases increased in 27 of the 50 US states in September compared to August, an analysis by Reuters showed.
Pence has also been instrumental in some of the administration’s legislative efforts, including the tax cuts passed in 2017. Pence is staunchly opposed to the right to abortion and passionately supports business deregulation and downsizing of government.
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