President Donald Trump's campaign is optimistic he'll be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, and his race for the White House is "full speed ahead with Operation MAGA," according to senior campaign aide Mercedes Schlapp.
"The president is such an inspiration to us all," Schlapp said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" of Trump's fight against COVID-19. "He is the ultimate fighter. He obviously has stayed in contact not only with the campaign but [he is] obviously talking directly to the American people in saying we are going to get through this and defeat this virus and not surrender to it like Joe Biden would surrender to the virus."
She added that the campaign is still out there fighting for Trump, including deploying the first family and doing virtual events and in-person appearances.
"This is going to go on full steam ahead to ensure that we get the president reelected in November," said Schlapp.
She also insisted that there are "no gaps" in the campaign, even though campaign manager Bill Stepien, senior aide Hope Hicks, former counselor Kellyanne Conway, and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel have all tested positive for COVID-19.
"We have a very strong campaign management team," she said. "Our leadership, including Jason Miller, obviously Justin Clark, Nick Trainer, all these men and women are very much ready to go, and Bill Stepien is still at the helm. He is staying in very close contact with us [and] directing the ship here at the campaign."
Vice President Mike Pence is also key to the campaign and will be visiting Arizona and other swing states this week, said Schlapp.
And now that Trump has contracted COVID-19, he'll be able to relate to people who have gotten sick or who have lost a family member to the disease, she added.
"There is always a side of the president that a lot of Americans don't get to see, and it's the side of compassion," said Schlapp. "For the president, it's been his priority since day one to ensure that the state and local governments have the resources they need to combat the virus."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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