President Donald Trump may be commanding headlines for his battle with the novel coronavirus, but First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for COVID-19 and is recovering at home at the White House.
The First Lady’s office issued a statement Monday confirming that Melania Trump is “resting” comfortably and that she and her family appreciate the good wishes offered as she and her husband, Donald Trump, battle the deadly virus.
“My family is grateful for all of the prayers & support! I am feeling good & will continue to rest at home. Thank you to medical staff & caretakers everywhere, & my continued prayers for those who are ill or have a family member impacted by the virus,” Melania Trump tweeted on Monday.
An official told CNN on Monday that Melania Trump will self-quarantine at the official residence.
“Melania is aware of the dangers of Covid-19,” the official said. “Potentially exposing others is not a risk she would take.”
Both the president and the first lady likely contracted the virus sometime last week after a key member of President Trump’s staff, senior advisor Hope Hicks, also tested positive for COVID-19. After two brief appearances in public late last week, however, the first lady has been quarantined in the White House residence, out of sight of the public.
By Monday afternoon, a number of Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, had announced that they also tested positive for the virus. Few details have been offered, however, as to how any of the officials are doing. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is an advisor to the president’s 2020 re-election campaign and helped the president prepare for last week’s debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, is currently the only Trump-affiliated person to be hospitalized with the virus aside from the president.
McEnany said, in a press conference given before announcing she had tested positive for the virus, that it’s likely that information will remain confidential: “There are privacy concerns,” she noted, referencing White House staff affected by the virus. “We take seriously safeguarding the information of personnel here in the White House.”
As The Daily Wire reported earlier Monday, the president announced that he is being discharged from Walter Reed Hospital Monday evening, though he will continue to receive some treatments at the White House. He is expected to remain on a low-level steroid to help ensure his breathing and oxygen levels remain consistent and will receive a fourth and fifth dose of Remdisivir, a drug that is under an emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19.
White House Cheif of Staff, Mark Meadows, was optimistic in conversation with reporters Monday morning, telling Fox News that he “spoke to the president this morning,” and that Trump “continued to improve overnight and is ready to get back to a normal working schedule.”