Barron Trump, the 14-year-old son of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, has tested negative for the coronavirus after his parents’ positive diagnosis.
“Barron has tested negative, and all precautions are being taken to ensure he’s kept safe and healthy,” Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s chief of staff and spokeswoman, told USA TODAY.
President Trump was presumably exposed by his aide, Hope Hicks. It was announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and was symptomatic on Thursday. She appears to have been diagnosed on Wednesday evening when she flew with the president to Minnesota.
The teenager’s private school was set to begin “a phased transition to hybrid learning” this month.
Asked back in July about sending his son and grandchildren back to school, Trump said he would be “comfortable” with it. At the time, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said that it would be a “personal decision” by the president and first lady.
Barron’s school, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, plans to launch its hybrid learning model on Oct. 13, according to the school’s website. The plan for grades 7-12 consists of half the students learning from home and half in-person rotating each week.
USA TODAY reached out to St. Andrew’s Episcopal for comment.
As with Melania Trump, who is a more elusive figure than ever amid the pandemic, sightings of Barron have been rare. The first lady’s public appearances trailed off to mostly inside-the-White House photo ops or pictures of her, Trump and their son.
Some public figures took to social media to send their well-wishes to the family.
Tulsi Gabbard, who was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, tweeted: ”My husband Abraham and I offer our best wishes and aloha to President @realDonaldTrump and the First Lady @FLOTUS and praying for their speedy recovery. We also send our best wishes to Ivanka, Tiffany, Donald Trump Jr., Eric, and Barron during this difficult time.”
