Trump Has COVID megathread (update 10/24: 2 Pence staffers test positive)

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1313473300312584194

Who is even going to cover it?

I doubt that anyone working for the press would even want to be in the same room as Trump.

[Horus]

Yeah...Covid-downplaying when he was transported to a hospital several days ago is not a good strategy. This will hurt him.

It's not the downplaying that'll help him it's suggesting we open up. A lot of people, especially undecided younger people really want that.

Younger voters do not trust a word Trump says. I really don't know where this idea that 18-35-year-old voters are magically going to break hard towards Trump because OH YEAH BEER PONG AND 69ING, BRO is coming from, but it's not going to happen. Trump has been pushing hard for reopening for six months now and it hasn't moved the needle with young voters, or anyone else for that matter; why in the world would that change now?

The fact that it's been seven months and a lot of people are getting stir crazy. Of course that idea wasn't as popular when this was all new.

Trump's messaging will start appealing to undecided voters and make them suddenly break hard towards him any day now...any day now...any day now...

I swear, it's like you want him to win again so you can be confirmed in your low opinion of the American public.

The American public reelected an obvious war criminal with over 50% of the vote in 2004, and then gave us Donald Trump. Forgive me for having a low opinion of our electorate.

Also, this is is almost certainly a majority introvert forum (myself included) so we aren't gonna grasp it but a lot of people still feel very limited and "Let's just get on with things, we can't do this forever" becomes a talking point that really resonates.

I agree with you that it could resonate, hell I am tired of working from home and want to go back to the office. However, the 65+ age group will hate this message as it is essentially sacrificing them for the economy. If a candidate were to trade younger voters for older voters, that's a winning trade almost all the time.

Older voters have almost completely made their minds up. Most undecideds are middle aged-younger at least in the polls I've seen. Also, younger voters who have decided for now are more open to changing their vote, consistently. 95% of Biden's over 65 support is unshakeable, but something like 20% of Biden's under-35 support could still flip. I'm not saying this strategy is enough for Trump to win, but I get really tired of the "Trump is a blithering idiot with no gameplan" takes. He's always able to bounce back from things that would sink any other president and while I see how the events of the past few days could be different from previous scandals, the pattern is clear.

Remember, before Floyd and Aubrey the age gap was not very large.

[Donald Trump’s Toupée]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

[It’s so Joever]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Correct.
However, this is just another great thing to attack Trump politically on, and he kind of deserves it considering his failure with Covid.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

That's fine and all. I would not expect his doctors to tell us he's dying or can barely breathe. My issue is that he's out there telling people not to be scared of a virus that has killed 210,000 Americans in 7 months. It sounds even dumber when he still has not recovered from it and could very well need to go back to the hospital.

[McGarnagle]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

FDR hiding his polio didn't place other people in jeopardy.

Trump exacerbated a crisis due to his neglect, and got sick due to not taking proper precautions. His irresponsibility did place people, including himself, in jeopardy.

[Donald Trump’s Toupée]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

The problem with thinking ‘scientifically’ (medically), is that it’s not always practical. This is why Fauci is a terrible person to listen to.

[McGarnagle]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

The problem with thinking ‘scientifically’ (medically), is that it’s not always practical. This is why Fauci is a terrible person to listen to.

Wearing a mask is practical. Social distancing is practical. Not spreading COVID because you took the proper precautions is practical. Ignoring science and jeopardizing yourself and others isn't practical. It's dangerous and irresponsible.

[Horus]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

The problem with thinking ‘scientifically’ (medically), is that it’s not always practical. This is why Fauci is a terrible person to listen to.

Wearing a mask is practical. Social distancing is practical. Not spreading COVID because you took the proper precautions is practical. Ignoring science and jeopardizing yourself and others isn't practical. It's dangerous and irresponsible.

Look at all of the people who still go to clubs and stuff packed into a dancefloor with lots of others. Of course we see that, but a lot of people, especially in America, have no regards for their neighbors. And not all of them are Trump supporters. But rhetoric like this appeals to those people, they want "positive vibes only" and don't want to be reminded of the virus.

[Inmate Trump]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

The problem with thinking ‘scientifically’ (medically), is that it’s not always practical. This is why Fauci is a terrible person to listen to.

Being cautious is very practical.

I wear a mask every day for 12 hours. It only comes off when I’m eating.  It’s practical and simple.

[GeneralMacArthur]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Nope.  Not when he's actively putting his own health and the health of others at risk.

The problem with thinking ‘scientifically’ (medically), is that it’s not always practical. This is why Fauci is a terrible person to listen to.

Trump got back to the White House, immediately tore his mask off and breathed COVID particles all over his attending staff and photographer, then walked into the White House (an enclosed space) where he stood within 1-2 foot proximity of numerous White House staff, without a mask, breathing COVID particles all over them.

Then he decided the photos weren't good enough so he went outside and did it A SECOND TIME.

This after he forced the Secret Service to drive him around, sitting within 1-2 feet of him, for an extended period of time in a hermetically-sealed space.

All of those people are going to get COVID-19.  ALL FOR THE SAKE OF PHOTO OPS.

This is completely indefensible.  And to their credit, our usual Trump brigade in this thread has fallen deafeningly silent, as even they can't defend this.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

This "TRUMP BOUNCES BACK FROM EVERYTHING!!! [fill in the blank: / ]" thing is getting old. Trump has sustained lasting political damage from all sorts of things. He's pushed through one significant piece of legislation his entire term despite having a trifecta for his first two years (maybe two if you count USMCA), his approvals have been underwater for his entire presidency (which has literally never happened before), he's not trusted on COVID, he's not trusted on race relations, he's no longer trusted on the economy, he can't get a Supreme Court with a right-wing majority to validate his policies around immigration and citizenship or to shield him from state civil proceedings, a double-digit number of his aides and surrogates have been convicted of state and/or federal crimes...he's not some sort of infallible political Houdini who comes out stronger from everything, he literally just won one long-shot election and has lockstep support within his party. If he's been 7-9 points underwater in head-to-head polling for the past five months and there's less than one month to go, the parsimonious conclusion is that he's on track to lose the popular vote by 7-9 points rather than that Any Day Now something will miraculously go his way and there'll be some Flannery O'Connor-esque ironic reversal that'll see him suddenly and unpredictably vindicated. He's not f**king Frank Underwood.

[SteveRogers]

There are legitimate reasons why presidents conceal their illnesses with both domestic and foreign implications. There is also historic precedent where presidents are not being transparent with the health.

FDR, for example, hid both his polio and the fact that he was literally dying as he sought his fourth term.

People really need to stop their blind rage at Trump. It’s tiring.

Did FDR give polio to his whole staff?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

And yeah, what makes this a scandal isn't that Trump is being mendacious about his health problem, it's that the health problem in question is a communicable disease. Nobody was in danger of "catching" Dwight Eisenhower's heart attack or Grover Cleveland's cancer.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I don't think all of his video addresses and photo ops that put others at risk are "practical" at all. It just reaffirms that Trump acts recklessly and with no regard for the health and safety of others.

[They not like us]

So, um, let's just say that he does actually...succumb to this.

How long before we actually know?

[Inmate Trump]

Is it really too much to say that we need a president who takes this virus seriously?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Is it really too much to say that we need a president who takes this virus seriously?

"Serious is not always practical!"

[Calthrina950]

Is it really too much to say that we need a president who takes this virus seriously?

The latest justification I've read of Trump's behavior by his supporters is that the media has exaggerated the severity of the situation in the White House, and that it's only a "few dozen" people who are infected out of hundreds. What's going to be the next justification? That it's "not that bad" because only a few people in his inner circle died from this?

[GeorgiaModerate]

However you may feel about Trump, the fact that he's taking drugs with known mood-altering side effects is scary.  For the good of the country, he should be considered incapacitated and temporarily transfer power to Pence.  But I'm sure that he won't.

[Xing]

Is it really too much to say that we need a president who takes this virus seriously?

"Serious is not always practical!"

Serious isn't good for the economy. Think about the poor DOW Jones!

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1312958555599843328

[emailking]

Yeah...Covid-downplaying when he was transported to a hospital several days ago is not a good strategy. This will hurt him.

It's not the downplaying that'll help him it's suggesting we open up. A lot of people, especially undecided younger people really want that.

Younger voters do not trust a word Trump says. I really don't know where this idea that 18-35-year-old voters are magically going to break hard towards Trump because OH YEAH BEER PONG AND 69ING, BRO is coming from, but it's not going to happen. Trump has been pushing hard for reopening for six months now and it hasn't moved the needle with young voters, or anyone else for that matter; why in the world would that change now?

The fact that it's been seven months and a lot of people are getting stir crazy. Of course that idea wasn't as popular when this was all new.

Trump's also trying to ban TikTok. A court injunction is the only reason you can still download it.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/IsaacDovere/status/1313508048707760133