The mixed messaging is just the latest example of Trump flouting the advice of his own federal agencies with regards to how to best protect against the coronavirus. During a press briefing on March 13 , the president could be seen shaking hands, clapping speakers on the back and fumbling with the podium microphone that many others had just spoken into — mere days after it had been confirmed that he had recently been exposed to at least one person who had tested positive for the virus.