AndyO Blog

After three days at Walter Reed hospital, and infusions of experimental drug therapies, Trump returned to the White House. After landing in Marine One, and ascending the stairs to the balcony, he triumphantly removed his mask. It was as if to say, “I told you so! COVID isn’t so bad.”

The triumphant return of Trump

He even said as much, tweeting that people shouldn’t be afraid of the virus.

It’s odd to see someone with such high risk factors declaring victory so soon. All it shows is Trump has learned nothing. It’s better to appear tough, instead of smart. It’s better to produce political theater than actually govern.

What happens next is anyone’s guess.

As is always the case with Team Trump, confusion was the order of the day regarding the president’s condition.

Doctors at Walter Reed couldn’t give straight answers about whether Trump’s been on supplemental oxygen since he was diagnosed. They gave a timeline for the virus that didn’t match what we knew (72 hours vs. 48 hours). Trump’s chief of staff gave a more truthful briefing, confirming the president’s vitals were a concern on Saturday and were the reason he was transferred to Walter Reed. 

All the President's Doctors

And Trump keeps posting videos of himself working—to prove that he’s okay. 

Meanwhile, more of the Republican leadership and Trump’s circle have tested positive for COVID-19. This is a group who has mostly ignored the medical recommendations for months, and now they’re facing a harsh reality. Trump has always lived in a manufactured reality, where truth is what he says it is, and he can do what he wants. For example: He had the biggest inauguration crowd; he’s done more than any administration in the history of the United States; coronavirus isn’t much worse than the flu.

It’s not just that Trump is sick. It’s also that the uncertainty creates a national security risk, especially given that (from what I've read) he hasn't kept many of the processes in place to prepare for a contingency like this. If he and Mike Pence are both incapacitated, Nancy Pelosi would need to have the right info to make quick decisions. Or would others step in and say they're in charge? Remember that the president is the one who gives the order to launch nuclear weapons—so there’s not a lot of room for error.

If there’s one thing I do know, Trump will never admit to needing to give responsibility to anyone else. In his world, the illusion of invincibility must be maintained at all costs (which I do understand to some degree). Remember a year ago, he made an emergency visit to Walter Reed—though this is still being sold as a routine visit. What happens if he needs to go on a ventilator? Will we hear about it? Is that when China, Russia, North Korea, or some other country will take advantage of the chaos?

With only one month before the presidential election, and a few days after the first awful presidential debate, Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. Most of the world learned the news Thursday night, and by late Friday the president was transported to Walter Reed hospital. He walked to Marine One, everyone around him wearing masks. It was reported he was fatigued but his spirits were high.

I sincerely hope that Trump, the First Lady, and all the others infected get better soon. But I have to say, I had always expected this to happen at some point. Not wearing a mask increases the risk of spreading the virus. Trump made this a central issue in his culture war with COVID-19, rarely wearing a mask. He mocked others for doing so, including Joe Biden at the debate.

One gets the sense that everyone in Trump World felt a certain invincibility with this virus. The rules of the universe didn’t apply. 

Except they do.

I can’t think of a worse situation for a presidential candidate than to get sick like this right before an election—especially one who proclaiming the pandemic was over. I think what’s really sad is how Trump has changed the way we’d look at events like this. I’ve caught myself wondering if this isn’t some plan to garner sympathy—like the candidate in the film Bob Roberts. Or if the president’s condition is much worse than they’ve saying—because it will make him look weak. These are things we shouldn’t have to wonder about.

I only hope that those who didn’t take the virus seriously are doing so now.