Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie remains hospitalized for the sixth day after testing positive for the coronavirus, but he is feeling fine, considering the circumstances, and has been spending his days working the phones.
Christie hasn’t commented publicly on his conditions, but three friends and associates of Christie told Gothamist/WNYC that they’ve spoken to him on the phone as recently as Thursday. They did not want to detail his condition but sought to debunk Twitter users claiming he was on a ventilator.
Christie tested positive last Saturday after spending several days at the White House—without a mask, he said—preparing President Donald Trump for his first debate against Joe Biden. Christie was also at the September 26th White House event in the Rose Garden where several attendees, including the president, ended up with COVID-19. Christie is considered at high risk, because he is overweight and has a history of asthma.
“In consultation with my doctors, I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center this afternoon,” Christie tweeted Saturday. “While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure.”
It is unclear how Christie could have checked himself into a hospital, since patients can only be admitted into hospitals by physicians. Christie has a contract to lobby for federal Covid relief funding for the Atlantic Health System, which operates Morristown Medical Center. That raised questions about whether he was given special treatment—one woman told WNYC she had terrible Covid symptoms but was turned away from admission at the same hospital in March. A spokesman for the hospital said all patients get proper care.
On Monday, Christie called Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran to settle an old score. In that call, he humble-bragged about the king of Jordan calling him to wish him well.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who often clashes with Christie, said Thursday that the former governor was in his prayers. “He’s the quintessential Jersey fighter,” Murphy said. “We’re all with him in thoughts, prayers, and we’re here to do whatever we can for him.”
Matt Katz reports on air at WNYC about immigration, refugees, hate, and national security. He covered Chris Christie for a decade, and wrote a biography, “American Governor: Chris Christie’s Bridge to Redemption.” You can follow him on Twitter at @mattkatz00.
