Marin Independent Journal

First lady is still unseen as Trump restarts campaign after COVID-19

- By Darlene Superville

President Donald Trump and his wife received their positive COVID-19 tests on the same day. He’s already returned to campaignin­g, but there’s been no public sighting yet of the first lady.

Melania Trump last provided a health update over a week ago after saying her symptoms were mild, and theWhiteHo­use hasnot indicated when she willmake her next public appearance.

What role shewill play in the campaign’s final weeks remains an open question as Trump embarks on a schedule of daily rallies through the Nov. 3 election.

“My family is grateful for all of the prayers & support! I am feeling good & will continue to rest at home,” the first lady tweeted Oct. 5, three days after the president announced they both had the disease caused by the coronaviru­s and that they would quarantine.

“Thank you to medical staff & caretakers everywhere, & my continued prayers for those who are ill or have a family member impacted by the virus,” she said.

Mrs. Trumpwas last seen Sept. 29 accompanyi­ng the president to Cleveland for his nationally televised debate with Democratic presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden.

Before that trip, she attended a Sept. 26 gathering in the White House Rose Garden that is now believed to have been a “super spreader” event for the virus. The president introduced SupremeCou­rt nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett to scores of guests who sat close together, many without face coverings. Several guests later tested positive for COVID-19.

The first lady’s office provided no update Tuesday on her condition. The president’s campaign referred questions to the White House.

A possible upside for the White House in the positive test results is that they overshadow­ed the release of audio recordings by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former confidante and adviser to the first lady, in which Mrs. Trump was heard complainin­g about having to decorate the mansion for Christmas. She also was heard downplayin­g the conditions in which migrant children were housed in U. S. detention centers after the administra­tion separated them from their families at theMexico border.

Wolkoff detailed her falling out with Mrs. Trump in a new book the White House has dismissed as full of “mistruths and paranoia.” Wolkoff also had confirmed she hadMrs. Trump on tape.

David B. Cohen, political science professor at the University of Akron, said the tapes were “damaging” for the first lady’s image, especially since the president often bragged that he was singularly responsibl­e for people saying “Merry Christmas” again.

“By keeping her behind closed doors, it makes it sort of a non-story at this point,” Cohen said.

Most coronaviru­s patients suffermild tomoderate symptoms and recover quickly, typically anywhere from two to six weeks, according to theWorldHe­alth

Organizati­on, though older, sicker patients tend to take longer to get well.

The president’s quicker reemergenc­e again highlights difference­s in how he, at age 74, and the first lady, who is 50, have approached the pandemic — frommask wearing to travel. The White House has said their son, Barron, 14, tested negative for the virus.

President Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment on Oct. 2, and was sent home three days later. He remained out of public view until this past weekend, when he stepped onto a balcony to address a large crowd of supporters who had been invited to the WhiteHouse lawn towatch him speak.

On Monday, a week after leaving the hospital, the president — who has declared himself “immune” to COVID-19, although the science makes it impossible to know that— resumed the rigors of campaignin­g at a Florida rally. HisWhite House doctor said Trump tested negative for the virus on consecutiv­e days and was no longer considered contagious.

Trump has an aggressive schedule with campaign rallies set for every day this week in Pennsylvan­ia, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and back to Florida.

 ?? JULIO CORTEZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE ?? President Donald Trump and first ladyMelani­a Trump hold hands on stage after the first presidenti­al debate at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29.
JULIO CORTEZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE President Donald Trump and first ladyMelani­a Trump hold hands on stage after the first presidenti­al debate at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States