# 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:** 21
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/403 "2020-10-02T23:32:12Z")
> **[White House Knew of Trump's Exposure Before He Traveled to New Jersey](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-starts-contact-tracing-for-people-who-attended-trump-fundraiser-thursday/2648271/)** > > The White House learned of Hope Hicks’ positive coronavirus test — and exposure to the virus by President Donald Trump and others — before Trump arrived in New Jersey for an indoor fundraiser on Thursday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said,... I bet a lot of people in Bedminster, NJ are pissed right now. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/404 "2020-10-02T23:32:49Z")
Probably. But I’m guessing he argued about doing it. “It’s going to disappear. One day—it’s like a miracle—it will disappear.” — Donald Trump (February 28, 2020) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/405 "2020-10-02T23:33:10Z")
From the **I hate to be _that_ guy** department: how sure are we that the video of him walking off the helicopter at Walter Reed is footage from today? He has gone there plenty of time before… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/406 "2020-10-02T23:33:45Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > So this has a very different context. I’m talking about the context of **Exapno\_Mapcase** ’s post, not the political context. **Exapno\_Mapcase** tried to defend Trump against claims that going to the hospital makes him look weak. It doesn’t, of course, and no one seriously thought otherwise. The point to bringing it up is to contrast with his stupid image of invulnerability. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/407 "2020-10-02T23:33:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > If he dies, they should write: > > **“Accidental Suicide: Covid-19 related”** > > On his death certificate. All that power and…he couldn’t save himself. He could be the first president to assassinate himself. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/408 "2020-10-02T23:34:20Z")
I wouldn’t have taken hydroxychloroquine either. But I’ve never been a fan. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/409 "2020-10-02T23:36:39Z")
Ah. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/410 "2020-10-02T23:36:58Z")
It was live on CNN with a bunch of reporters present. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/411 "2020-10-02T23:38:43Z")
Okay. I was asking for a friend. 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/412 "2020-10-02T23:44:00Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I bet a lot of people in Bedminster, NJ are pissed right now. I’ve looked but haven’t seen for sure yet, was Trump wearing a mask in Bedminster? I did hear somebody on the news say that he looked like he had some cold symptoms and was a little lethargic so it seems he was already starting to show some symptoms. If it was anybody else just showing up like that would be criminal, but if he showed up sick and not wearing a mask then he knowingly put a lot of people at mortal risk. If anybody in that room dies could he be charged with manslaughter? ---
**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, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/413 "2020-10-02T23:48:35Z")
Trump was not masked in NJ, though his people say he maintained an eight-foot distance from attendees throughout the event. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/414 "2020-10-02T23:49:00Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > He could be the first president to assassinate himself. In the end…despite everything…he did one good thing. One. Good. Thing. ---
**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, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/415 "2020-10-02T23:49:24Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Presidents are not the owners of their bodies. The Secret Service can and will move them like baggage if they feel the situation requires. That is the explanation about taking him to the bunker. He was not being a coward; the Secret Service was doing their jobs and overriding anything he said. > > Same with medical issues. The doctors are in charge now. I don’t know much about this kind of thing - do you have any cites for the President completely losing his autonomy in these situations? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/416 "2020-10-02T23:50:56Z")
2020 took a great step toward redeeming itself today. But I’m not getting my hopes up until they send out for a casket. You don’t go from finding out that you’ve got it to being hospitalized for nothing- they aren’t telling us the whole story. He’s a sick puppy, I’m betting. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/417 "2020-10-02T23:53:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He’s a sick puppy, I’m betting. He did walk out to the helicopter. I’m not saying that proves much, but if they secreted him into it, the news would lose it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/418 "2020-10-02T23:55:20Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Ah. Got it Glad we’re on the same page. As a mild aside, you wouldn’t believe how my Trump-supporting parents go on and on about how Trump is so healthy and energetic. It’s super important to them, far beyond a basic desire to have a president that can function in office, but I can’t fathom why (well, I can, but that would be a rant that belongs in the Pit). I am rather curious what they’ll say now, though I have zero doubt they’ll come up with some justification or distraction. They’ve spent decades refining the technique. Still, I plan on employing some snark with them for my own benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/419 "2020-10-02T23:56:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > In the end…despite everything…he did one good thing. One. Good. Thing. On the other hand, he’ll also be the guy that killed the guy that killed Trump. So not quite a full redemption in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore-Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Theodore-Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore-Striker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/420 "2020-10-03T00:05:46Z")
I’ve been thinking about this most of the day since waking up with the news alert on my phone. I don’t see it as a hoax, too big of a blow to the Covid isn’t that dangerous narrative, even if he is asymptomatic. I do see it as a good excuse for him to avoid the town hall debate at the very least, if not the entire debate season. I also think that this could be a semi-graceful way for him to abdicate the throne before it is seized. He can blame whoever he wants on the way out, but he goes out on top still, never being beaten. I would not be surprised if this strategy is seriously considered by the GOP if his condition worsens at all. I think that they know the polls are looking bleak for them, so the ability to maintain some degree of power through a lame duck Pence puppet until January so they can push through Coney. I would not be surprised if an Article 25 is brought up by the GOP. As much as I dislike the man and his family, there are a very few select individuals that truly deserve suffering and death, and those are people I know personally, not public figures. I hope he does make a full recovery in due time. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/421 "2020-10-03T00:10:49Z")
Maybe Melania just kicked him out of the house. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/422 "2020-10-03T00:14:51Z")
The Presidential Couch at Walter Reed, distinct from medical services, was last used during the Johnson administration. FACT! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=22)