As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump‘s son Barron rang in his 14th birthday in quarantine at the White House. Although the president, who largely refrains from public celebrations such as birthdays, refrained from posting a message to his youngest, Melania momentarily broke her string of COVID-19 related posts Friday morning to wish “BWT,” or Barron William Trump, a happy birthday.
Happy Birthday BWT ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/S0VlfMXFmd
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 20, 2020
Barron is Trump’s fifth and youngest child. The president shares three children — Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric — with his first wife, Ivana Trump, and one daughter, Tiffany, with his second wife, Marla Maples. He and Melania welcomed Barron on March 20, 2006, a little over a year after they got married. Although Barron was raised in Manhattan, he made the move to the White House following his father’s inauguration in 2017, though he has largely been kept from the public eye.
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Barron, along with the other members of his family, has been practicing social distancing as concerns over the coronavirus continue to grow. Speaking during his Monday, March 16 daily coronavirus briefing, Trump, in a relatable moment, shared the conversation he had with his youngest about the pandemic.
“I’ve spoken actually with my son,” Trump said. “He says, ‘How bad is this?’ It’s bad. It’s bad. But we’re going to be hopefully a best-case, not a worst-case, and that’s what we’re working for.”
President Trump: “I’ve spoken actually with my son. He says, ‘How bad is this?’ It’s bad. It’s bad … We’re going to be hopefully a best-case, not a worst-case.” pic.twitter.com/LB7Auw3S0l
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 16, 2020
Confirmed cases of coronavirus continue to grow daily across both the United States and the world. As of Monday morning, a Johns Hopkins University and Medicine database reported more than 350,000 confirmed cases globally, with deaths surpassing 15,000. More than 100,000 people have recovered. Of those cases, more than 35,000 are in the United States, where New York is considered the epicenter. There have been more than 470 deaths.
In response to the outbreak, Trump and his White House Coronavirus Task Force have laid out a 15-day plan to help “flatten the curve” and slow the spread. The guidelines include avoiding crowds and social gatherings of more than 10 people, washing your hands, avoiding non-essential travel or social visits, working from home, disinfecting surfaces in your home, and self-isolating if you feel sick.