President Donald Trump could not definitively say on Thursday whether he was tested for the coronavirus on the day of his first presidential debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“I don’t know, I don’t even remember,” Trump said, when asked during a NBC News town hall if a test was done on the day of the September 29 debate.
Asked again whether he took a test in adherence of rules set by the Commission on Presidential Debates, Trump said at the town hall: “I probably did, and I took a test the day before.”
Asked once more, he said: “Possibly I did, possibly I didn’t.”
The President also could not recall the last time he tested negative for coronavirus before testing positive in early October. He added that he was tested frequently but not every day.
According to the White House, the President first tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, October 1, just two days after the debate. But neither Trump nor his doctors have provided the date of his last negative test before he tested positive and was subsequently hospitalized.
During the debate, Trump and Biden adhered to social distance protocols. They were also indoors in a room that had dozens of people in the audience, some of whom were not masked. In the days after Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, Biden continued campaign travel.
But in the days between the debate and the positive test, Trump held a rally and fundraiser in Minnesota as well as a fundraiser in New Jersey and undoubtedly had meetings with staff.
Knowing whether or not the President had tested negative for the virus on the day of the debate could be crucial in understanding whether certain members of the campaigns, White House staff, debate staff, Secret Service agents, supporters and other were exposed to the virus.
Biden said during an ABC News town hall Thursday that he’s tested for the virus every day and will demand Trump take a coronavirus test, and for that test to return negative, before he will participate in a debate.
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Sarah Mucha contributed to this report.