Another Republican congressional candidate who was supposed to greet Trump at the airport also learned that he was positive hours before the scheduled handshake.
And the state Trump is visiting has seen an increase in cases, forcing the Republican governor to re-impose some restrictions in an attempt to contain the virus.
Trump hoped to use his visit to West Texas to highlight his record for loosening regulations, encouraging investment in energy infrastructure and promoting American energy production, along with working to secure votes in a state that won decisively in 2016, but where the polls now show close competition with former Vice President Joe Biden.
But the realities of the pandemic remain forever present, even as Trump encourages states to reopen and undermines health experts in his administration.
When he descended from Air Force One, Trump was not wearing a mask, despite previously saying that Americans should wear them when social distancing is impossible.
Most of the people he met on the blacktop wore masks, although his former doctor and now a candidate for Congress, Dr. Ronny Jackson, was seen without one.
Retired from the trip due to his positive test, Gohmert instead told a Texas interviewer that it was his mask’s fault that he captured the coronavirus.
“We are required to put a little virus in the mask that I absorbed,” he told a local television station in an interview. “It is very likely that this has happened.”
Improper use of a mask, including touching and adjusting it in public, can lead to exposure to the virus. Facial masks are most effective when users do not touch their faces or move the mask when wearing it. But Gohmert’s claim that such a scenario is “highly likely” how he was infected is questionable, as experts say the virus spreads mainly during person-to-person contact.
Another Republican who was with Trump said he also tested positive before meeting with the President.
“This morning on the way to Midland, I tested positive for COVID-19. I immediately rented a car and drive back to Houston. I remain asymptomatic and feel in perfect health,” Wesley Hunt, a Republican who ran for Congress in Texas wrote on Twitter
Hunt was on a White House list of people greeting Trump at Midland Airport, but he did not appear on the runway.
In Texas, Trump toured and delivered comments on a Double Eagle Energy oil rig and touted his administration’s energy policies. The company is one of the largest crude oil and natural gas operations in the Permian basin.
Like almost all of his official events lately, Trump’s speech turned into an attack on Democrats, both for his energy policies and for a general accusation of “they want to uproot and demolish all American values.”
“They want to destroy our country. These people are sick. And you better get used to hearing it,” Trump said.
The Midland, Texas oil rig was the first that Trump visited as president. The city is where former President George W. Bush grew up. His wife, former First Lady Laura Bush, was born in Midland.
Earlier in the day, Trump led a fundraising luncheon in Odessa, where the most expensive tickets cost $ 100,000.
Like all the events he attends, participants who get very close to Trump likely underwent tests for coronavirus. Texas has seen an increase in cases, placing it near the top of the states for the number of confirmed cases.
Trump said Wednesday that Democrats would have a hard time competing in Texas with policies that favor renewable energy over fossil fuels.
“How do you think it works in Texas? No fracture, no drilling, no oil? Okay?” Trump asked the support crowd. “I don’t think Biden is doing well in Texas. He’s already ruled it out.”
To counter his drop in the polls, Trump’s aides recently attempted to recalibrate his approach, reviving daily White House briefings and persuading Trump to promote the wearing of masks and social distancing.
But he continues to promote unproven theories and undermine some of the administration’s health experts, including promoting an antimalarial drug that has not been shown to be effective against the coronavirus.
One of the people who has supported Trump in his efforts to promote hydroxychloroquine is Jackson, his former White House doctor, who is currently running for Congress in Texas. During his campaign, he has minimized the need to wear masks.
Jackson was present Wednesday to meet Trump when he arrived in Texas.
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