The first lady Melania Trump revealed on Wednesday that her son Barron Trump tested positive for the coronavirus after she and President Donald Trump did earlier this month. She added that her 14-year-old son has since tested negative.
On Oct. 2, Trump announced that he and his wife Melania had tested positive, while the White House said their son Barron had tested negative. Mrs. Trump released a statement on Wednesday contradicting the White House report, saying her fear came true when Barron was tested again, and his test came back positive.
She described Barron as a strong teenager who showed no symptoms. Speaking briefly to reporters before leaving the White House for a rally in Des Moines, the president said his son was doing fine and evaded questions about his son’s case later in Iowa, telling supporters that he thinks Barron didn't even know he had contracted the virus because they are young. Their strong immune systems fight the virus off.
While Mrs. Trump refrained from revealing when Barron tested positive, White House officials remained mum about why they decided to hide it at the time. However, Trump and the first lady have always tried to keep Barron away from news media coverage.
A White House official said Barron had not been in contact with anyone aside from his family members and the residence staff since testing positive for the coronavirus. He has been attending his Maryland-based school St. Andrew’s Episcopal, virtually. Several studies have shown that children under 10 are half as likely as adults to contract the virus. Still, teenagers may be as likely as adults in terms of getting infected and transmitting the virus to others.
Public health experts have slammed how the White House is handling the spread of coronavirus by taking only a few precautions. As a result, several staff members have also tested positive. The president has refrained from wearing a mask and even mocks his Democratic opponent Joe Biden when he does, and many staff members, including the chief of staff Mark Meadows, have followed suit.
Last week, Trump returned from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after spending four days and three nights there to receive treatment for the virus. As soon as he entered the White House, the president made a show of taking his mask off.
Trump had hosted a large gathering in the Rose Garden to announce his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, where about eight people, including the president, may have contracted the coronavirus. Surprisingly, the White House decided not to trace the contacts of staff members and guests from that event.