Chris Christie Tests Positive for COVID-19

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday morning. Christie told his Twitter followers that he is receiving medical attention, but gave no details on his condition. The diagnosis comes after Christie met with President Donald Trump early this week to prepare for the first debate of the 2020 presidential election.

"I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19," Christie tweeted on Saturday morning. "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."

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.

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) October 3, 2020

Christie came under fire earlier this week for traveling with the president and helping him prep for the debate on Tuesday night. Many critics saw this as a conflict of interest since Christie was also an ABC News correspondent covering the event. According to a report by The New York Times, the president spent less than two hours in total preparing for the debate and spent much of that time with Christie and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Christie has been one of the most controversial pundits throughout the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. Back in May, he gave an interview on CNN's The Daily DC Podcast with Dana Bash, bluntly saying that Americans were "going to have to" accept a heightened number of coronavirus deaths to avoid an economic catastrophe.

"Of course, everybody wants to save every life they can — but the question is, towards what end, ultimately?" Christie said at the time. "Are there ways that we can... thread the middle here to allow that there are going to be deaths, and there are going to be deaths no matter what?"

Christie is the lastest coronavirus case closely linked to the president in the last week. White House senior adviser Hope Hicks was the first to test positive, followed by the president and First Lady Melania Trump. Since then, Republican lawmakers and officials, as well as staff members from the White House and the debate venue in Cleveland, Ohio, have also contracted the virus.

Critics have pointed out the Trump administration's general disdain for coronavirus safety measures amid these new cases. In particular, many noted that the Trump family refused to wear masks throughout the debate on Tuesday, despite the venue's requirements. Trump remains hospitalized at Walter Reed Military Medical Center at the time of this writing.