# Trump and Melania test positive for COVID-19 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 2, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010 "2020-10-02T05:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/263 "2020-10-02T16:37:12Z")
Reminds me of when Trump first started taking COVID tests, and didn’t understand that being negative was a good thing. > **[Positive News! Trump Says He Tested Positively, Which Means Negative, For The...](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/coronavirus-trump-test-positive-negative-answer-video)** > > "But that's a way of saying it: positively toward the negative." ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/264 "2020-10-02T16:38:50Z")
The ultimate message, the ultimate contrast, for the Biden campaign is this: in the end, science wins, truth wins. You can deny it, and you might get others to fall for tricks for a while - a few years even. But in the end, the truth keeps crawling back out of its hole and it confronts us. Even before this, there was a national poll indicating that Biden had amassed a 14-point advantage. While I tend to think of that as perhaps a bit optimistic, Biden has been getting closer and closer to a double-digit polling average lead. This latest news could potentially put Trump against the ropes or even on the canvas. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/265 "2020-10-02T16:40:56Z")
Sure, but hundreds of thousands of people have already voted. Who gets those votes? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/266 "2020-10-02T16:45:15Z")
In Chicago, whoever the Mayor wants! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/267 "2020-10-02T16:46:25Z")
The White House is a superspreader location: > ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/268 "2020-10-02T16:49:52Z")
I wonder if there is some way to bring up the presidency of William Henry Harrison and somehow attaching that to Trump and his illness. More as a warning of “this is what could happen when you vote for a sick president” as opposed to wishing that fate upon Trump. Would that be too far out of bounds? > **[William Henry Harrison](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest presidency in United States history. He was also the first United States president to die in office, and a brief constitutional crisis resulted as presidential succession was not then fully defined in the U... ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/269 "2020-10-02T16:50:44Z")
If I’m Biden, I’m saying “no” to future in-person debates – for reasons that are now obvious. If the president can’t be trusted to take appropriate precautions, there’s no reason to subject himself or members of the public to the dangers of COVID. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/270 "2020-10-02T16:51:32Z")
I came here to make the same announcement. Meanwhile in the loony bin department: This is from Dinesh D’Souza "There is a silver lining. When Trump is out of this, he’ll be immune from Covid-19 and stronger than ever. My suggested motto for him going forward: “No more Mister Nice Guy” ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/271 "2020-10-02T16:52:11Z")
Well said, **Exapno\_Mapcase**. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/272 "2020-10-02T16:53:33Z")
So, is it fair to say that COVID-19 has grabbed Trump by the pussy? Not that my opinion matters, but I am as certain as anyone can be that this is NOT some sort of gambit by Trump, He’s got the virus, and it was entirely due to his casual attitude to risk mitigation. With that said, I am equally certain that vast amounts of bullshit will emanate from the White House and its surrogates over the next few days, pushing notions ranging from “this is nothing, he’s fine” to “this was clearly an assassination attempt by the radical socialist Democrats”. I would likewise be unsurprised if some attempt was made to delay the election, you know, until the President iS feeling better. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/273 "2020-10-02T16:54:30Z")
In most of America, people catch COVID; _in White House, COVID catch MAGA._ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/274 "2020-10-02T16:56:55Z")
Another WH casualty, UT Rep Mike Lee: > ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/275 "2020-10-02T16:59:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The conspiracy theory is 100% absurd. Trump doesn’t play the long game, and by “the long game,” I mean “strategizing the end of the sentence he’s speaking before he’s halfway through the sentence.” He also doesn’t ever admit to weakness in any way, shape, or form. And the White House leaks like a fucking sieve. > > To suggest that Trump is pretending weakness in order to play a long game, and that the White House is working like an Apple engineering team in terms of keeping its secrets, is to blatantly ignore everything we know about Trump and about his administration. I completely agree with this. Occam’s Razor; and the principle that we should not attribute to complex Machiavellian strategy that which is adequately explained by the stupidity of his risky behavior. Sure - there are less-then-disastrous outcomes one could envision for Trump. He could be asymptomatic and recover. But inferring an implausible hoax from this mere possibility? No, this is a disaster for Trump, and extremely good news for America. Any attempt by his campaign to deflect attention from COVID to other issues like law and order is now hopeless. And this likely makes a mockery of the narrative that Trump is the strong man, than Biden is the one whose health is questionable, that Biden wearing a mask is a sign of weakness rather than common sense. I couldn’t give a toss about Trump’s well being, and I now hope for the sake of the country that he gets seriously ill and remains incapacitated until January. That’s the best possible outcome here. He now has an excuse for his impending failure that may make him less inclined to cause petulant harm as a lame duck, and hopefully he will remain sick enough to be unable to do so. The icing on the cake would be for half a dozen sitting Republican senators to get seriously ill, but I’ll settle for the decisive loss in the election that seems significantly more likely than it was yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/276 "2020-10-02T17:03:39Z")
Trump missed the call that was on his schedule today. Pence handled it instead. For whatever that is worth. He’s not been on Twitter for awhile either. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/277 "2020-10-02T17:03:41Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > > [@JohnT](#): > > > > Joe and Jill have tested negative: > > OMG! For a second I misread that > > [Lupus? Is it lupus?!? #costanzagrams | By Costanzagrams | Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/costanzagrams/videos/527524857872349) I’ll see your Seinfeld clip and raise you one. My first thought when I heard Trump tested positive: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rMi7zrrvqEw/hqdefault.jpg "What took you so long?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMi7zrrvqEw) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/278 "2020-10-02T17:08:10Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > > [@Dinesh](#): > > > > “No more Mister Nice Guy” He hasn’t been that since Daddy Fred took him under his wing. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/279 "2020-10-02T17:08:46Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Hopefully Trump gets the best medical care that his $750 can buy. Comment of the day! > [@JohnT](#): > > Another WH casualty, UT Rep Mike Lee: Senator Mike Lee. And right now, Repubs need every Senator they can get if they want to confirm Amy Coney Barrett by the election. Maybe a couple more Senators will be out of commission long enough that Repubs lose the election, lose the Senate, and they can’t even pretend that confirming her reflects the will of the people. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/280 "2020-10-02T17:12:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > All this talk of Trump faking the diagnosis makes me wish for an emoji showing my eyes rolling so hard they leave my face, bounce on the pool table, twist around the eight-ball, and enter the side-pockets simultaneously. He’s not faking it, but with someone like Trump you always start with the assumption that he’s lying and then try to determine if the facts are actually to his benefit. Not that it would make a difference to him, he’s the type who lies out of habit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/281 "2020-10-02T17:14:55Z")
I think Biden should be super solicitous about the whole thing. “Many people are saying that President Trump should take part in the next debate over a remote feed, but I disagree. The health of the President is too important and the symptoms of COVID-19 too potentially dangerous to risk taxing President Trump - who is in several high-risk categories - over the course of a 90-minute debate. In his honor, Jill and I have made a sizeable donation to [some charity that provides face masks to people who can’t otherwise afford them]. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and we urge everyone he’s been in contact with recently to protect their own health - and that of their families - by testing and self-quarantining as soon as possible.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/282 "2020-10-02T17:16:13Z")
“In this, the final days of his Presidency, Mr Trump needs all the bedrest he can get.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=15)