California man who died of coronavius was among those who tested positive after attending party at Trump’s L.A. golf club

California man who died of coronavius was among those who tested positive after attending party at Trump’s L.A. golf club

A California man who died of the coronavirus last week was one of several people who were diagnosed with the disease after they all attended the same birthday party at President Trump’s Los Angeles area golf club in early March, the man’s family said.

Bert Argo, 75, died on Friday, his daughter Melanie Young said.

She said Argo and his wife had visited the president’s golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on the evening of March 8 for a birthday party for Susan Brooks — the town’s former mayor. The party — held in a rented upstairs room at the club — took place at a time when coronavirus seemed a more distant threat — Los Angeles County had just 14 known cases. The county did not ban large gatherings until more than a week later.

In the days after the party, at which guests danced and shared a microphone to toast Brooks, five people are known to have been diagnosed with covid-19, according to Brooks’s daughter. They included Brooks, the party’s host, as well as the current mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes. Both of them have since recovered.

Argo’s wife, Carol, fell ill as well, said Young, their daughter. She said Carol Argo has recovered. “Neither of my parents had any symptoms before or at the party,” Young said.

Argo was a North Carolina native who moved to California with his wife more than 40 years ago, settling in the hilly, seaside Palos Verdes Peninsula. He had semiretired from his job as a mortgage loan banker. Young said he flew private planes and mentored foster children. Her 2½-year-old daughter called him “Grandpa Bert.”

“Our family is in shock and deeply pained by this loss,” Young wrote in an email. “It will take a long time to recover.”

The Los Angeles County health department declined to comment, citing patient privacy. The Trump Organization also declined to comment. The Trump course in Rancho Palos Verdes is now closed because of a statewide lockdown.