White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany became the latest administration official to test positive for COVID-19, according to a statement she posted to Twitter Monday morning.
“After testing negative consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms,” McEnany said.
The White House spokeswoman added that there have not been any members of the press listed as having been in close contact by the White House Medical Unit, meaning there are no press pool reporters or other personnel at risk of the catching virus at this time.
McEnany also said that she is symptom-free and will continue working remotely as she quarantines.
“With my positive test, I will begin the quarantine process and will continue working on behalf of the American people remotely,” she said in her statement, in which she added that she didn’t know of presidential adviser Hope Hicks’ “diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing” last week.
Oval Office operations Nick Luna has tested positive for the virus along with Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, Fox News reported, adding:
Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway has also tested positive and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who participated in debate prep with the president recently, did too and was admitted to the hospital over the weekend.
In her statement, McEnany defended her decision to hold a press briefing last week the same day Hicks tested positive. The White House Correspondents Association has said several journalists have also tested positive.
“I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks’ diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday,” McEnany said, noting further that “as an essential worker, I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time.
McEnany’s positive test comes as White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says President Trump may be discharged from Walter Reed Military Medical Center as early as Monday, where he has been getting treatment for the virus (and working) since Friday.
“Spoke to the president this morning,” Meadows said. “He continued to improve overnight and is ready to get back to a normal working schedule.”
He noted further that the president “will meet with his doctors and nurses this morning to make further assessments of his progress,” adding that at “the earliest” it would be Monday afternoon before the president would be discharged.
Both he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive last week. Once he returns, it is expected that the president will continue to self-quarantine for the next few weeks.
McEnany said last week that the White House would not be releasing the names of staffers there who had contracted the virus due to privacy concerns.
