U.S. President Donald Trump has been hospitalised with Covid-19
Kellyanne Conway, until recently a senior adviser to Donald Trump, has become the latest person in the US President's orbit to test positive for the coronavirus.
Conway revealed her diagnosis on Twitter today.
"I tested positive for Covid-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I'm feeling fine. I havebegun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians," she said.
"As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic."
Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians.
As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic. ❤️
Conway is now the seventh person with the virus who attended an event in the White House's Rose Garden a week ago, where Trump announced he had chosen Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court's vacant seat.
The others are Trump himself, his wife Melania, Utah Senator Mike Lee, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, the University of Notre Dame's president, Reverend John Jenkins, and a White House reporter who has not been identified.
There is also footage of Conway standing in the crowd, alongside Attorney-General Bill Barr, though thankfully she was not hugging anyone.
Sen. Mike Lee announced today he had tested positive for coronavirus and will quarantine for 10 days.
Lee said he began experiencing symptoms similar to allergies on Thursday, but sought medical advice and was tested for the virus. https://t.co/lcBw8x8P00
Here's Kellyanne Conway (covid-19+) with Attorney General Bill Barr at the tail end of the White House "super spreader" event (attended by several others who've also tested positive, including 2 U.S. senators) pic.twitter.com/cnrmbzZoLg
Conway's husband George is a conservative lawyer, and a vehement critic of the President. He helped found The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans that is seeking to stop his re-election.
George Conway registered his disapproval of the Rose Garden event on Twitter after his wife's announcement.
First, he replied to a tweet about the frustration among some Secret Service agents, who feel the President's actions have "repeatedly put them at risk".
"I can relate," George Conway quipped.
And he angrily shared a photo from the Rose Garden, which showed how tightly packed the guests were while Trump and Judge Barrett spoke.
"Our four children are teens and tweens starting a new academic year, in middle school and high school, remotely from home for at least a few months. As millions of parents nationwide know, kids doing school from home requires a level of attention and vigilance that is as unusual as these times."
George Conway merely said he would "devote more time to family matters".
The catalyst for this joint decision was their 15-year-old daughter, Claudia, who had slammed both of her parents online and announced plans to "emancipate" herself from them.
Claudia is something of a celebrity on TikTok, where she has 880,000 followers.
"Update, my mum has Covid," she told those followers today.
"I'm furious. Wear your masks. Don't listen to our idiot f***ing President piece of s***. Protect yourselves and those around you."
As you could probably tell from that quote, Claudia is no fan of the President. She has long been furious with her mother for supporting Trump, and especially for agreeing to work for him.
"My mother's job ruined my life," she posted on August 23, after learning Kellyanne Conway planned to speak at the Republican National Convention.
Claudia Conway's message on TikTok. Photo / TikTok
"Heartbreaking that she continues to go down that path after years of watching her children suffer. Selfish. It's all about money and fame, ladies and gentlemen.
"As for my dad, politically, we agree on absolutely nothing. We just both happen to have common sense when it comes to our current President. Stop 'stanning' him."
Kellyanne Conway did end up speaking at the convention, where she praised the President for taking "unprecedented action" to combat America's drug crisis.
"He told me, 'This is so important Kellyanne. So many lives have been ruined by addiction, and we'll never even know it, because people are ashamed to reach out for help, and they're not even sure who to turn to in their toughest hour,' " Conway said, recounting a particularly poignant conversation with her boss.
