White House Press Secretary McEnany Tests Positive for COVID-19

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a press briefing at he White House on Sept. 22, 2020. Saul Poeb/AFP via Getty Images

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she tested positive for COVID-19, although she isn’t exhibiting any symptoms.

In an Oct. 5 announcement on Twitter, McEnany wrote that “no reporters, producers, or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit.”

McEnany last took questions from reporters outside the White House on Oct. 4.

“Moreover, I definitely had no knowledge of [White House adviser] Hope Hicks’ diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday [Oct. 1],“ she said, adding that ”as an essential worker, I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time.”

“With my recent positive test,” she added, “I will begin my quarantine process and will continue working on behalf of the American people remotely.”

Her diagnosis came after President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and three Republican senators confirmed positive COVID-19 tests in recent days. Trump, 74, was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Montgomery County, Maryland, over the weekend, while the first lady wrote on Oct. 5 that she is “feeling good” and will continue to rest at home.

Late on Oct. 4, Trump made a surprise trip outside Walter Reed, greeting supporters while inside an SUV and wearing a face mask.

“I really appreciate all of the fans and supporters outside of the hospital. The fact is, they really love our Country and are seeing how we are MAKING IT GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!” he wrote on Twitter. In a video before the event, the president said that “I learned a lot about COVID … and I get it, and I understand it.”

“This the real school … this isn’t the ‘let’s read the book’ school,” he said, adding: “In the meantime, we love the U.S.A., and we love what’s happening.”

Meanwhile, the president sounded particularly optimistic on Oct. 5 in a Twitter post announcing his impending release.

“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M.,” he wrote. “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”