Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff tested positive for coronavirus, the vice president’s office announced Tuesday evening, hours after he attended an outdoor event in Washington, D.C. where he interacted with AmeriCorps members.
A White House official told McClatchy that Emhoff tested for COVID-19 after he began experiencing mild symptoms. The official said he was not symptomatic when he participated in the service event.
Emhoff’s first test, a rapid antigen test, was negative, the official said, but a subsequent PCR test had a positive result.
The vice president’s office announced the second gentleman’s positive test in a statement explaining Harris’ and Emhoff’s absence from an equal pay day event at the White House they had been scheduled to attend with the president and first lady.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Vice President will not participate in tonight’s event,” Harris spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. “The Vice President tested negative for COVID-19 today and will continue to test.”
Harris delivered remarks earlier in the day at a White House Equal Pay Day Summit and joined President Joe Biden at a bill signing event with Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Emhoff, who was in Miami last Thursday for a pair of Democratic National Committee fundraisers, toured the Marvin Gaye Greening Center in Washington prior to his positive test.
Emhoff participated in the event with AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith and members of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a full-time service program for young adults.
A former entertainment attorney, Emhoff was a partner at a law firm before his wife was elected vice president. He teaches a course at Georgetown Law, in addition to representing the Biden administration at events in his role as second spouse.
At the event on Tuesday, Emhoff told reporters that he “took a step away” from his career to support his wife.
“I loved practicing law. I loved every minute of it, but this is so rewarding,” he said. “You’ve now seen me out on several different types of events, and to get to — to be a part of the administration — and to be able to travel the country and meeting folks out where they are and bringing those stories back, is really rewarding.“
Emhoff is one of nearly a dozen national political figures who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week. At least nine Democratic lawmakers have come down with the virus. And on Sunday, former President Barack Obama said in a tweet that he had tested positive for coronavirus.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a Tuesday afternoon press briefing that President Joe Biden last tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, two days after he spoke to House Democrats at a Philadelphia retreat.
Psaki said that the president had not been deemed a close contact to any of the lawmakers who tested positive.
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