White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany vouched for President Trump as a supportive boss who backed her as a working mom and lifted her spirits after a preventive mastectomy.
Many women in her family had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the 2018 surgery was a scary experience.
“As I came out of anesthesia, one of the first calls I received was from Ivanka Trump,” she said on the third night of the Republican National Convention. “Days later, as I recovered, my phone rang. It was President Trump, calling to check on me. I was blown away.”
Later, she had her first child while working for the Trump campaign. The president would see her at rallies and routinely check in on how the baby was doing.
“Though I didn’t personally know the president at the time, I know him well now and I can tell you that this president loves the American people, stands by Americans with preexisting conditions, and supports working moms,” she said.
Mr. Trump pledged to sign an executive order that requires insurers to cover people with preexisting conditions, though he hasn’t done it yet.
It’s unclear whether it would differ from protections built into Obamacare, which is existing law, though the president may be trying to cushion the blow from a lawsuit that could gut the law. Mr. Trump is cheering on the state-led legal challenge before the Supreme Court.
Ms. McEnany transferred from the Trump campaign to the White House in April to replace then-press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who never conducted a formal briefing during her tenure.
Ms. McEnany assumes the podium on a regular basis and is known for mixing it up a bit with reporters, gaining her a bit of a cult following among Trump supporters.
Trump fans screamed when they spotted her on the tarmac ahead of the president’s helicopter arrival in North Carolina on Monday.
“We love you, Kayleigh!” members of the crowd shouted.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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