Pence was more worried about COVID-19 privately than in his public appearances and was 'rattled' by his press secretary contracting the virus: book

• Pence was more worried about COVID-19 in private than he let on in public, according to a new book.
• In the book "Nightmare Scenario," Pence's close relationships with infected colleagues was detailed.
• After Pence's communications director was infected, he wouldn't allow his chief of staff into his office.

Former Vice President Mike Pence projected an upbeat demeanor when highlighting positive developments during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in private, he was much more worried about the virus, according to a new book by two Washington Post reporters.

In a section of "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History," Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta detailed Pence's how the virus deeply affected several individuals in his close personal orbit.

When Pence briefed then-President Donald Trump on the state of the virus, he "often did so with a positive spin," according to the book.

After press briefings that featured then-White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx, Pence would tout positive updates even when much of the news included troubling statistics.

"If Birx said that things were worsening in forty-six states but improving in four states, Pence would highlight the four states with encouraging news," Abutaleb and Paletta wrote.

However, behind closed doors, Pence "was much more concerned," according to the book.

In March 2020, one of his best friends, senior advisor Tom Rose, contracted COVID-19, which resulted in the entire speechwriting team being sent home to quarantine due to the possibility of exposure to the virus.

Rose's infection gave the former vice president "a firsthand glimpse at how quickly the disease could spread."

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In another incident, the father of one of Pence's aides contracted the virus and was hospitalized. He had to use a ventilator for 70 days.

Pence asked the aide about the condition of his father almost daily, according to the book.

In a higher-profile incident, Katie Miller, Pence's communications director and the wife of Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller, tested positive for the virus in early May.

On May 7, 2020, Pence was set to fly to Iowa to highlight the Midwestern state's COVID-19 response, but his flight was delayed, and Miller and a few additional aides were taken off the plane.

Due to Miller's infection, much of the senior White House staff could have been exposed to the virus.

Abutaleb and Paletta report that Miller's COVID-19 diagnosis "rattled" Pence, as she was one of his closest aides. He was concerned that he may have caught the virus and potentially coule be a virus superspreader

As a result, Pence wouldn't let his chief of staff, Marc Short, into his office.

The former vice president also expressed concern for Olivia Troye, his homeland security, counterterrorism, and coronavirus advisor, telling her, "I could have it and give it to you."

"His face when he looked at me and said that was heartbreaking," Troye told Abutaleb and Paletta. "He looked visibly shook."