President Donald Trump suddenly cancelled his plans for a weekend trip to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Friday.
Trump’s getaway technically would have flouted New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) new travel advisory mandating that individuals who are traveling from states “with significant community spread” of COVID-19, which includes Arizona, must first self-quarantine for 14 days. The President held a campaign event at a megachurch in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday.
However, White House spokesperson Judd Deere told pool reporters that the cancellation was unrelated to Murphy’s advisory.
“It has nothing to do with that,” he said, without elaborating further.
In any event, Trump is exempt from the restrictions, according to Murphy.
“There is a carve-out for essential workers, and I think by any definition the President of the United States is an essential worker,” the governor said on Friday during an interview on CNBC, before Trump cancelled the trip.