Minnesota Trump supporters say they're not concerned about getting sick after attending Trump's rally and fundraiser just days before he tested positive

• President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus just days after holding a rally and attending a private fundraiser in Minnesota, where he had close contact with a number of people.
• Some Minnesota GOP officials have already rushed to get tested, but several Trump supporters who attended various events told Business Insider they weren't overly concerned.
• Two supporters said they took COVID-19 seriously, and therefore took health precautions during the Trump events, including distancing themselves from others and wearing masks.
• But another supporter dismissed the idea of getting tested. "COVID has been blown way out of proportion," she told Business Insider.

Just two days before President Donald Trump announced he and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus, he and his staff had been traveling through Minnesota, staging a rally and attending a private fundraiser at the home of a prominent Republican donor.

In the wake of those events, many of the GOP officials who traveled with Trump or met with him personally have gotten tested for COVID-19, including state Reps. Jim Hagedorn and Tom Emmer, state Sen. Paul Gazelka, and Congressman Pete Stauber.

But supporters who attended Trump events during his visit seemed far less concerned — partly because they were not nearly as close to the president as the Minnesota GOP officials were. But some also told Business Insider they felt confident in their health because they had taken precautions like social distancing and wearing masks.

Health officials are urging anyone who attended Trump events to get tested

Minnesota's Department of Health urged residents who attended Trump's rally to get tested roughly five to seven days after attending the event — even if they aren't displaying symptoms.

"There is a potential risk that transmission occurred at the Duluth rally and other evens associated with President Trump's visit," the department said in a statement. "Community transmission of COVID-19 was high in St. Louis County prior to this week's rally, and people attending the rally may have been infectious without realizing it."

After a similar fundraiser at Trump's New Jersey golf club on Thursday, the state's health department sought a list of all staff members and fundraiser attendees, The New York Times reported. Gov. Phil Murphy also urged anyone who attended to immediately quarantine for 14 days and take a coronavirus test in five to seven days.

Several Trump supporters who attended recent events in Minnesota told Business Insider they weren't scared about catching the virus in the wake of his rally and fundraiser — but they had varying opinions on how seriously they should take Trump's diagnosis.

Maria Welter, who attended the rally in Duluth on Wednesday, told Business Insider she wasn't worried about Trump's health or her own health in the slightest.

"He looked good at the rally and sounded good too," she said. She added that she hadn't heard about Minnesota's guidance to rally attendees to get tested.

"I am not concerned at all. COVID has been blown way out of proportion," she said.

Trump was transported to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday evening, where he will undergo testing and remain for at least a few days. The White House said he is experiencing a fever, cough, and fatigue.

Other Trump supporters said they knew how serious COVID-19 can be — so they took precautions like social distancing and wearing masks

Audie Lind, another Minnesota Trump supporter, told Business Insider he stood by a roadside near Lake Minnetonka and greeted the president's motorcade as Trump arrived at a private fundraiser in Shorewood.

Lind said he was concerned for the health of the president and the first lady in the wake of their diagnosis, but not so much for his own, since he hadn't attended the fundraiser himself and hadn't come in direct contact with Trump or his staffers.

Lind added that there were only 20 to 25 Trump and Biden supporters on the roadside with him as the motorcade drove by, and that they had maintained social distance. Still, he said it was worrying to learn of Trump's diagnosis.

"It is surreal [Trump] was diagnosed with the virus within 48 hours of his Minnesota rally visit," he said. "I am concerned for anyone exposed at any rally and wish President Trump and the first lady a fast recovery."

As for himself, Lind said he felt "normal" on Friday and was even headed to the gym for a workout.

"I work 25-30 hours a week in a busy local restaurant and I feel I'm as much [at] risk to get it there or anywhere," he said.

One Trump supporter, Joshua Narramore, told Business Insider he would consider following the Minnesota Department of Health's guidance to get tested after attending the rally in Duluth, though he had "faith that everything will work out."

He said he brought his wife and three young children to the rally, but they tried to position themselves away from others, and all of them wore masks, though they occasionally removed them.

Narramore also said staff took attendees' temperatures before allowing them to enter the rally, and handed out free masks and hand sanitizer. He said he noticed many other attendees wearing their masks, though that hasn't always been the case at recent Trump rallies.

Narramore said he knew how serious COVID-19 could be — he's had friends who have grown sick, including one who became severely ill with the virus despite being relatively young and having no underlying medical conditions.

But he also said he didn't regret attending the rally. So many aspects of normal life were off-limits in recent months due to pandemic-related restrictions, he said, and Trump's rally was something to look forward to.

"The one thing I've learned in life is that no matter what happens, you can't protect yourself from all the harms of the world," he said. "The only guarantees in life are death and taxes."