“This was avoidable. This did not have to happen if they were practicing the proper procedures and not going to these rallies and having these chaotic events, where, of course, airborne exposure was going to happen despite it being in an outdoor setting,” said NBC News contributor Dr. Vin Gupta, a lung specialist at the University of Washington.

“No masking, no distancing — what did they expect was going to happen?”…

Trump and his aides repeatedly said he was protected from the virus because everyone who came in close contact with him was tested. But the events of the last 24 hours show the flaw in that strategy, because testing doesn’t detect 100 percent of infections.

Trump appeared to be disregarding the advice of his own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even throughout the course of the day Thursday. Hicks, who had been in close contact with Trump for days, tested positive Thursday morning, yet Trump still attended a fundraiser at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, that afternoon, potentially exposing staffers and supporters.