On Tuesday, news broke that Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser to President Donald Trump, has COVID-19.
Ellis is the latest Trump affiliate to contract the deadly virus that has killed more than a quarter-million Americans since the first official death was recorded last winter. That list includes Trump himself, his wife, his youngest son, his oldest son, various members of the administration, and, recently, Rudy Giuliani, whom Ellis has been working with on various long-shot lawsuits to change the outcome of the November presidential election.
Reports of her diagnosis were met with toilet humor theories and concerns of another round of infections in the White House.
Last week, Ellis and Giuliani went viral for a clip in which the latter apparently broke wind during a Michigan hearing where they unsuccessfully argued to overturn November’s vote. In the video, Ellis can be seen abruptly looking at Giuliani immediately following what sounded suspiciously like a fart.
Michigan state Rep. Darrin Camilleri, who is also in the viral video, later tweeted that Giuliani did indeed rip one.
Now people are wondering if this is how Ellis caught COVID-19.
“Jenna Ellis will forever be remembered as the chick who caught COVID from a Rudy Giuliani fart,” tweeted @JoJoFromJerz.
Forbes reports that, while unlikely, it’s at least possible to contract coronavirus from flatulence. Gastrointestinal disruptions are one of the disease’s many symptoms.
Based on the dates of the hearing and his diagnosis, Giuliani would likely have been contagious at the time. Neither he nor Ellis wore a mask at the hearing.
Ellis’s infection, which was first reported by Axios, has also led to fears of another wave of coronavirus in the White House.
Trump’s administration previously came under fire after Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination ceremony, which was deemed a “super spreader event” after numerous attendees subsequently tested positive for the virus.
Ellis attended a holiday party alongside senior staffers and their families on Friday. She reportedly didn’t wear a mask.
White House staff told Axios that they were already angry with her for stirring Trump up with conspiracy theories related to the election. Her COVID-19 diagnosis only compounded this anger.
Some people thought that, rather than Ellis, people should blame themselves, as attending the party in the first place was assuming the risk of contracting the virus.
Washington, D.C. coronavirus guidelines currently limit indoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. It’s unknown how many people attended the holiday party.
More election 2020 coverage
