Republicans are reeling as multiple politicians in the GOP have reported positive coronavirus tests since Thursday. Among those testing positive include Donald Trump, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and White House advisor Hope Hicks.
In a recent tweet, Trump called the disease a “plague.” Several senators from across the country, as well as prominent GOP officials, have announced that they contracted the disease.
Here is a list of prominent Republicans to come down with the disease in recent days.
Trump & Several Senators Have Tested Positive for COVID-19
Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump
At nearly 1 a.m. Eastern time on October 2, the president tweeted that he and the first lady had tested positive for coronavirus.
Before contracting the disease, The Washington Post reported that Trump said coronavirus would disappear more than 30 times, including when he said the summer heat would make it go away. He also said that the disease was “like the flu,” as Forbes reported. That statement was revealed to be a lie after recordings showed that Trump had intentionally downplayed the virus and privately told The Post’s Bob Woodward that it was “deadly stuff,” worse than a “strenuous flu” and airborne.
According to a White House memo reported by the Associated Press, Trump received a dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail “without incident.” The memo also said that he was taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin. According to another White House memo sent on October 2, “The President and First Lady are both well at this time.”
Utah Senator Mike Lee
Politico reported that Lee tested positive for the disease on October 1 after recently attending the White House event where Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee. Lee, according to Newsweek, had routinely failed to wear a mask and was spotted walking in the Capitol with senators later found to be positive with the disease.
According to Politico, he said that he had gotten a test due to allergy-like symptoms. In a statement, Lee said, “I have spoken with Leader McConnell and Chairman Graham, and assured them I will be back to work in time to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues in advancing the Supreme Court nomination.”
The Associated Press reported that South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Lee was “in good spirits and on the mend.”
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis
In an October 2 statement, Tillis announced that he had contracted coronavirus. “I will be following the recommendations of my doctor and will be self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with. Thankfully, I have no symptoms and I feel well,” he said. “As we all know, COVID-19 is a very contagious and deadly virus, especially because many carriers are asymptomatic.”
Tillis was one of the few Republicans to encourage wearing masks, even as he was caught in a photo without one at the Republican National Convention, Politico reported.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
In a tweet, Christie announced on October 3 that he had contracted coronavirus. Christie was also at the Rose Garden event where Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee, North Jersey reported, and he was seen hugging multiple people.
I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.
Christie had also told reporters on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that no had worn a mask while preparing Trump for the September 29 debate, according to CNN. “No one was wearing a mask in the room when we were prepping the president during that period of time,” Christie had said. “The group was about five or six people in total.”
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Johnson had tested positive for coronavirus on October 3. The Journal Sentinel reported that Johnson said during a conference call he felt “completely normal.”
Early on in the pandemic, Johnson told the Journal Sentinel, “… 97 to 99% will get through this and develop immunities and will be able to move beyond this. But we don’t shut down our economy because tens of thousands of people die on the highways. It’s a risk we accept so we can move about. We don’t shut down our economies because tens of thousands of people die from the common flu.”
Coronavirus Rates Have Spiked Among White House Staffers & Republican Officials
Kellyanne Conway, Republican Sens. Tillis and Lee, and Univ. of Notre Dame President Jenkins are among those who have tested positive for coronavirus after attending a large, predominately mask-less White House event for the new US Supreme Court nominee. t.co/VH14a6eOTi
Hope Hicks
Hope Hicks, the former communications director and a current adviser to Trump, tested positive for coronavirus on October 1, according to Bloomberg News. Bloomberg News reported that Hicks had experienced “symptoms” of the disease, and The New York Times reported that she was quarantined on the flight home.
Ronna Romney McDaniels
McDaniels, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, tested positive for coronavirus on October 2, according to The Detroit News. She had previously tested negative for the disease after experiencing flu-like symptoms in March, Politico reported.
McDaniels had defended Trump’s remarks downplaying the coronavirus to the public on MSNBC and blamed Joe Biden for not responding to the pandemic better, even though he is a private citizen. “Joe Biden can’t run from his disastrous record responding to the coronavirus. The truth hurts, Joe!” she said.
McDaniels has not disclosed how she has been feeling under the disease, but did appear during a live interview on October 1 and did not mention her health, The Detroit News reported.
Kellyanne Conway
Kellyanne Conway, the former advisor to Trump, announced that she had tested positive for coronavirus on October 2, according to a tweet she sent. In her tweet, Conway said that her symptoms were mild other than a “light cough.”
Conway, like Christie and Lee, had also attended the White House ceremony where Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee, NPR reported. Prior to her diagnosis, when she was still working at the White House, Conway told reporters that the virus had been contained due to Trump’s actions.
READ NEXT: Trump ‘No Longer Taking Hydroxychloroquine,’ May 24 Interview Reveals