McConnell Hasn't Visited White House Since August Due to COVID

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he hasn’t been to the White House since early August, citing COVID-19 policies.

“I haven’t actually been to the White House since August the 6th, because my impression was their approach to how to handle this is different from mine and what I insisted that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” the Republican senator said.

Numerous members of President Donald Trump’s administration have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, including the president and first lady along with top aides like Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller. The president was hospitalized last Friday and spent the weekend at Walter Reed Medical Center before returning to the White House.

Also Read: Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo Defends Trump's Continued Jabs Against Hillary Clinton

Prominent Republicans, including senators, have also tested positive, as have reporters and press personnel.

Safety concerns in the wake of the outbreak prompted the Commission on Presidential Debates to announce Thursday that future debates between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be held remotely. Trump immediately announced he would not participate.

“I don’t have any particular reaction to it,” McConnell said of Trump’s refusal. “It’s really up to him to decide whether it’s to his advantage or not to his advantage to participate.”

Mitch McConnell admits he's known the White House has been unsafe to enter since August: pic.twitter.com/LI4juHSX8r

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 8, 2020

12 Trump Tweets About the Coronavirus That Are Super Awkward Right Now (Photos)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, which makes looking back on some of his tweets over the past 10 months pretty... ironic.
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On Jan. 24, the president was sure "it will all work out well." He even personally thanked China's President Xi.
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On March 18, he assured us that he "always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously."
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On May 24, he said mail-in ballots would create a "rigged election... Trying to use Covid for this Scam!"
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On May 25, he claimied "great reviews" on his handling of COVID-19, "sometimes referred to as the China Virus."
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Here's a gem from May 28: "All over the World the CoronaVirus, a very bad 'gift' from China, marches on. Not good!"
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On June 15, he complained that the "Far Left Fake News Media" is trying to "Covid Shame us on our big Rallies." This topic came up again few months later, at the first presidential debate, when Trump bragged that there has been "no negative effect" from his 35,000-40,000 person, largely-maskless, mid-pandemic outdoor rallies.
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Months before the U.S. deaths surpassed 200,000, Trump tweeted on June 25, "Coronavirus deaths are way down. Mortality rate is one of the lowest in the World."
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On July 5, Trump was still blaming the rise in COVID-19 cases to "massive testing" and that death numbers are down "low and steady," whatever that means.
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On July 6, Trump lamented that the "Lamestream Fake News Media REFUSE to say that China Virus deaths are down 39%." In September, the country reached 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus.
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Eight days after wearing a mask in public for the first time, he declared that "many people say that it is very Patriotic" to wear a mask on July 20.
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This one is particularly ironic. On Sept. 3, Trump criticized "Sleepy Joe Hiden'" for sitting back "in his basement and criticizes every move we make on the China Virus. DOING GREAT JOB!"
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On Sept. 18, Trump bragged that he had done "an incredible job" with the "China virus" than Biden did with the Swine flu pandemic in 2009.
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The President and first lady tested positive for the virus Friday

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, which makes looking back on some of his tweets over the past 10 months pretty... ironic.

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12 Trump Tweets About the Coronavirus That Are Super Awkward Right Now (Photos)

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