WASHINGTON — Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son, contracted the coronavirus but has since recovered, Melania Trump revealed on Wednesday.
In an essay published on the White House website, the first lady spoke about her experience with the disease and said the couple’s 14-year-old son also tested positive but experienced no symptoms.
“Naturally my mind went immediately to our son,” she wrote, recounting her and the commander-in-chief’s diagnosis with the respiratory bug earlier this month.
“To our great relief he tested negative, but again, as so many parents have thought over the past several months, I couldn’t help but think ‘what about tomorrow or the next day?’ My fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive,” she went on.
“Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together. He has since tested negative.”
The commander-in-chief revealed he and the first lady had been infected with COVID-19 in a tweet sent out in the early hours of Oct. 2.
While Melania, 50, experienced only mild symptoms, her husband, who is 24 years her senior, was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with vital signs that were said to be “very concerning.”
He was discharged four days later and has since returned to the campaign trail.
In her essay, the first lady described her experience with the virus which has so far killed 216,000 Americans as “a roller coaster of symptoms” which hit her “all at once.”
“I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time. I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food,” she wrote.
“We had wonderful caretakers around us and we will be forever grateful for the medical care and professional discretion we received from Dr. Conley and his team,” she went on.
At at a campaign rally on Tuesday night in Pennsylvania, Trump, 74, said he felt like “Superman” after his own experimental treatment with antiviral drugs from Regeneron.
The immensely-private first lady also went on to offer a rare insight into her emotional state during the challenging time and admitted she had been “caught up” in the negative energy of the election.
“Recovering from an illness gives you a lot of time to reflect. When my husband was taken to Walter Reed as a precaution, I spent much of my time reflecting on my family,” she wrote.
“I also thought about the hundreds of thousands of people across our country who have been impacted by this illness that infects people with no discrimination,” she continued.
“We are in unprecedented times—and with the election fast approaching, it has been easy to get caught up in so much negative energy. ”
The former model ended her essay with an appeal to Americans to live healthy lives and said she has since tested negative and hopes to resume her duties as soon as possible.
“Along with this good news, I want people to know that I understand just how fortunate my family is to have received the kind of care that we did. If you are sick, or if you have a loved one who is sick—I am thinking of you and will be thinking of you every day,” she wrote.
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