President Donald Trump said he is "not concerned" and has not been tested for coronavirus after a Brazilian official who rubbed elbows with him last weekend tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
"If they say he was there, he was there," Trump said with a smile. "I'm not concerned."
Trump appeared to be unaware that Fabio Wajngarten, the Brazilian official, had been diagnosed with the virus, telling reporters that tests were still outstanding.
"We did nothing very unusual," Trump said, without elaborating. "We sat next to each other for a period of time and had a great conversation."
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence need to be tested for the virus even though they both posed shoulder-to-shoulder with Wajngarten at the Mar-a-Lago estate.
"Both the President and Vice President had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive," Grisham said in a statement.
Wajngarten, the communications chief for President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive after he came down with flu-like symptoms upon returning to Brazil.
Despite Grisham's assertion, health officials say coronavirus can be spread easily by close contact like Trump and Pence had with Wajngarten.
Trump joked with reporters about coming into contact with many people, a key risk factor for contracting the virus.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he is self-quarantining because he also interacted with Wajngarten.
Bolsonaro and several senior officials who were in the delegation are being monitored for symptoms.
Wajngarten posted a photo of his meeting with Trump and Pence on Instagram. Bolsonaro is a far right-wing ally of Trump, and the aide wore a "Make Brazil Great Again" cap to the dinner.
