Trump has COVID-19. What happens now?
Summary
In a Tweet early Friday morning, President Donald Trump revealed that he and his wife Melania both tested positive for COVID-19. He writes that they “will begin [their] quarantine and recovery process immediately.”
- The announcement came shortly after news that Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus. Hope Hicks is a one of President Trump’s top advisors.
- About 12 hours after Trump’s announcement, opposing candidate Joe Biden shared that he and his wife had both tested negative for the virus.
- Since then, several other White House staffers and two GOP senators have tested positive for the virus.
- Trump is reportedly experiencing mild Yesterday, he was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he began a course of Remdesivir, an experimental antibody cocktail, for his symptoms. A statement from Trump’s physician said that he was “fatigued but in good spirits.” Although Trump’s case appears mild, he is in a high-risk age and weight category for complications of the virus.
- The President allegedly continued to travel for official business after presumed exposure to the virus, but began a strict quarantine after his test came back positive.
- The stock market dropped significantly after Trump announced his diagnosis, revealing the uncertainty of investors as the U.S. appears unstable.
- Points out that Trump’s “cavalier” approach to the virus made this outbreak possible. Trump publicly downplayed the threat of the virus and ignored guidance from public health advisors. In the debate on Tuesday, he made fun of Joe Biden for wearing a mask.
- Highlights conspiracy theories from right-wing Trump supporters who allege that he did not catch the disease organically, calling them outrageous.
- Speculates that Trump and his team were infected by a super spreader at Amy Coney Barrett’s SCOTUS nomination announcement in the White House rose garden.
- Accuses Trump of disinformation, calling him a “liar” for his denial of COVID-19’s seriousness. 200,000 Americans have contracted coronavirus under Trump’s guidance. Reporting from the left generally implies that Trump contracting the virus is like chickens coming home to roost.
- Argues that if even Donald Trump can catch the virus, no one in America is safe.
- Generally downplays the severity of the President’s diagnosis, writing that Trump is “doing very well.” Right-wing media also footstomps the narrative that Trump was transferred to Walter Reed out of an abundance of caution, not because his condition is critical or worsening, and implies that the Left is over-dramatizing the diagnosis.
- Alleges that the source of the outbreak which infected President Trump was the Presidential Debate, not Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. Since the debate was a bipartisan event while the nomination was largely only attended by members of the GOP, this shifts the blame away from Republicans.
- Highlights and condemns the unsavory comments from liberals who hope that Trump does not recover from the virus. Twitter said that it will remove posts which “wish, hope, or express a desire for death” from its site.
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© Evelyn Torsher, 2020
