Presidential COVID watch
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.
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| 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?
