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Who is Kayleigh McEnany’s husband Sean Gilmartin? Press secretary's spouse attends WH briefing without mask

Sean Gilmartin declined to cover his face despite being asked to do so by a journalist. His wife, Kayleigh McEnany, tested positive for the virus in October

President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, has grabbed headlines, and this time it's for her husband. McEnany’s husband, Sean Gilmartin, showed up in the White House briefing room without a mask on Wednesday, December 2, and declined to cover his face despite being asked to do so by a journalist.

Photographer Doug Mills of The New York Times initiated an exchange with Gilmartin during the 24-minute briefing where he “politely pointed out” to Gilmartin, a professional baseball pitcher, the rules that are being followed in the Oval Office’s press area amid the deadly pandemic. White House pool reporter Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade reportedly told, “a White House staffer who was with Gilmartin said incredulously, ‘Kayleigh’s husband?’”

The staffer and Gilmartin then exited the briefing room together as Mills “restated the mask rules and said it doesn’t matter who [Gilmartin] is”, Johnson recounted. Mills told Johnson that Gilmartin was maskless during the entire briefing and that he did not know he was the press secretary’s husband when he informed him about the ask rules.

As per the policies mandated by the White House Correspondents’ Association to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the requirements include that masks be worn in all shared White House press areas. WHCA President Zeke Miller told Politico that the organization (WHCA) “has repeatedly encouraged everyone in the press areas to wear masks at all [times], including with signage and frequent reminders that failing to do so puts themselves and others around them at greater risk”.

Previously, McEnany has refused to wear a mask while briefing reporters amid the pandemic citing reasons that the distance between her and the press corps when she takes questions from the podium is safe. She tested positive for the virus in October.

During the briefing, McEnany played video clips of Democratic politicians violating local coronavirus restrictions. She showed how the rival leaders were contradicting their own public health guidance and described the footage as “images of Democrat hypocrisy playing on loop”. “These images behind me make clear Democrats’ mindsets: Rules for thee but not for me. We all know how to protect ourselves from Covid-19. Wash your hands, socially distance, wear a mask,” McEnany said. It's unclear why Gilmartin was present in the briefing.

Now as McEnany’s husband is caught without a mask and declined to wear it in her wife's press briefing, it is worth shedding light on him.

Who is Sean Gilmartin?

Many might be eager to know Sean Gilmartin beyond the fact that he is the White House press secretary's husband. Gilmartin is a professional baseball player who has played for notable teams in his career.

He got his first offer to play baseball out of high school in 2008 but at that time he opted to attend college at Florida State University instead. After college, Gilmartin spent four years playing in the minor leagues and became a free agent by November 2, 2020. In the entirety of his career, Gilmartin has played as a pitcher in the Major Baseball League since 2015 and even played for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa Bay happens to be McEnany’s hometown. She told the Tampa Bay Times as cited by The Sun, "I am so proud to tell my colleagues in politics and media about Sean's career and his move to the Tampa Bay Rays. Having Sean in Tampa means a lot more trips back to our permanent residence and the city I've always known and loved. I watch his games from the campaign headquarters, from airplanes, and all across the campaign trail."

Coming to his personal life, Gilmartin and McEnany’s love story began in 2015 when they started dating. They wed two years later in a lavish ceremony in November 2017. McEnany announced that she married Gilmartin on Twitter, and even shared some beautiful pictures of them in the wedding dress. A November 2017 wedding photo that she tweeted with the caption read, “Fun wedding photo from our photoshoot with @rodrigorvphoto!” In November 2019, McEnany announced that the pair welcomed their first child together, a baby girl that they named Blake Avery Gilmartin. As per Gilmartin, the couple is agreeable on political matters but does not share such discussions on the field.

Gilmartin told the Tampa Bay Times, "We both have our opinions. We align fairly evenly on stuff like that, but that's probably as far as I'm going to go right now with that."

McEnany also said that they both do not discuss the chatter on social media in their personal life as they have their own goals to stress on. “Neither of us has time to focus on social media feedback,’’ she said. “We both have a singular focus and a united purpose: For me, it’s re-electing President Trump. For Sean, it’s getting outs and helping the team win. Together, it’s raising our beautiful daughter and raising a family that walks in the footsteps of Christ.”

Gilmartin's cousin Chad Gilmartin works for his wife at the position of a deputy press secretary who reports to McEnany.