Donald Trump Shakes Hands with Supporters Despite Coronavirus Fears

President Donald Trump shakes hands with supporters upon arrival at the Orlando Sanford In
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Charlie Spiering

President Donald Trump confidently shook the hands of Florida supporters on Monday, despite heightened fears in Washington, DC, of the spread of coronavirus.

The president landed in Orlando, Florida and walked over to a fence line to shake the hands of a group of cheering supporters, before leaving the airport to attend a fundraiser.

The president spoke about shaking hands during a town hall meeting on Thursday night in Pennsylvania, noting that “you can’t be a politician and not shake hands.”

“The bottom line is, I shake anybody’s hand now. I’m proud of it,” he continued. “They’re people that I love. They’re people that I want to take care of.”

Trump continues to use hand sanitizer during his meetings with supporters, according to reports.

“While we have asked all Americans to exercise common-sense hygiene measures, we are conducting business as usual,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement on Monday. “I want to remind the media once again to be responsible with all reporting.”

Vice President Mike Pence made headlines after greeting Washington state Governor Jay Inslee and other officials with an “elbow bump” at the airport in Tacoma, Washington, on Thursday.

American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp put himself in voluntary self-quarantine at his home on Monday, after revealing that he had come into incidental contact with an attendee at CPAC who tested positive for the virus. Schlapp said he is not experiencing any symptoms of the virus.

Schlapp was also photographed shaking hands with President Trump during the conference on Saturday afternoon, although the person who tested positive for the virus did not attend the conference on Saturday, according to Schlapp.

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