Former Gov. Chris Christie Tests Positive for COVID-19

Former Gov. Chris Christie Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question from the media in Trenton, N.J., on Aug. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Tom Ozimek
10/3/2020
Updated:
10/3/2020

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced on Saturday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the latest official in President Donald Trump’s orbit to catch the virus.

“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,” Christie wrote on Twitter. “I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.”

Christie attended a Sept. 26 White House event, during which President Donald Trump officially announced his Supreme Court nominee, making the former governor now the eighth known person who was at the Rose Garden ceremony to test positive. Trump, at the event that was attended by around 150 people, nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.

To date, of those who attended the Rose Garden event, Trump and the first lady, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), former White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, and a White House journalist—in addition to Christie—are confirmed to be infected with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
President Donald Trump arrives to introduce Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden at the White House, in Washington on Sept. 26, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump arrives to introduce Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden at the White House, in Washington on Sept. 26, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On Saturday, President Donald Trump’s doctor said the president “is doing very well.”

“The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” Dr. Sean Conley, the president’s physician, said at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Saturday.

Trump had a mild cough, nasal congestion, and fatigue, but all the symptoms are “resolving and improving,” Conley told reporters at a press conference.

Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, talks to the media about President Donald Trump's health after the president was hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 3, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)
Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, talks to the media about President Donald Trump's health after the president was hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 3, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Trump has been given a dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail, at least one dose of Remdesivir, and zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin.

The president “remains fatigued but in good spirits,” Conley said, adding that the rest of Trump’s family had tested negative for COVID-19.

Trump said in a video recorded in the White House, “I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out.” He thanked supporters for thinking of him.

President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Oct. 2, 2020. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for coronavirus. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Oct. 2, 2020. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for coronavirus. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A number of top Republicans have also tested positive since Trump’s diagnosis, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien.

The first lady remains at the White House, where she is resting. The White House said her symptoms are mild.

Symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP virus, include fever, aches, and chills.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.