Trump leaves White House coronavirus briefing without answering questions about health

President Trump on Monday left a White House press briefing without taking questions about his own health after being in contact with lawmakers who have gone into self-quarantine over coronavirus concerns.

Vice President Pence shortly thereafter told reporters he did not know if Trump has been tested for the coronavirus, but assured them he would try to find out. Pence added that he has not personally been tested.

Trump has been in contact in recent days with at least three people who have since gone into self-quarantine as a precaution after coming into contact with someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) who tested positive for coronavirus.

The president shook hands at the conference with American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, who also shook hands with the infected individual days earlier.

Trump shook hands with Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) on Friday when the two toured the Center for Disease Control and Prevention with other officials. Collins said Monday he was going into self-imposed quarantine.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) made a similar announcement on Monday just hours after he flew on Air Force One with Trump coming back to Washington, D.C., from Florida.

The president is an admitted germophobe, and White House officials have said he is fastidious about washing his hands. Still, his proximity to the lawmakers who are going into self-quarantine underscores the growing threat of the virus, even to those at the highest levels of government. 

The White House declined to comment on the record about the two lawmakers going into self-quarantine.