# 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:** 28
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/543 "2020-10-03T14:14:59Z")
It is amusing if we just think about the GOP being harmed. > **[Journalists who work at the White House are testing positive for Covid-19 |...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/02/media/journalists-white-house-covid-19/index.html)** > > A widening coronavirus outbreak at the White House has left members of the media scrambling to find out if they, too, are infected. I’m guessing the catering staff at the nomination event on Saturday are pretty dang worried, along with the White House general staff and the Secret Service. These folks don’t have access to experimental drugs. Trump better hope that none of these folks (or their loved ones) die. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/544 "2020-10-03T14:19:23Z")
> **[Trump campaign manager tests positive for Covid-19](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/02/trump-campaign-manager-tests-positive-for-covid-19-425722)** > > Bill Stepien's diagnosis is the latest blow to a reeling reelection effort. He plans to maintain control of the campaign while in quarantine. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/545 "2020-10-03T14:20:52Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > God’s punishment for the GOP’s evil policies. It is about time. It’s starting to seem likely that the superspreader event was Barrett’s nomination party at the White House. I find it VERY ironic that the Republicans approach to RBGs death has now potentially brought many of them to have to deal with their own mortality. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/546 "2020-10-03T14:26:25Z")
You don’t think it’s really ironic that the celebration for the nomination of her replacement turned out to be a super-spreader event that seems to be disproportionately taking down Republican senators, and may take enough of them out to slice or stop the nomination? I’m not a religious person, but if I was one, I’d be starting to think that God might have a dog in this fight. And after watching a few years of a political campaign where theTrump and the Republicans are cheating like the villain in a Warner Brothers cartoon and getting away with it - -then to watch them get taken down hard by a force of nature — it’s almost enough to make me believe in a righteous world again, and it feels good. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/547 "2020-10-03T14:29:01Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > OK, I’m going to ask the question and I don’t care if it sounds crass, is it better for the Democrats in the election if Trump survives or doesn’t survive over the next few weeks? My guess is it’s better if Trump survives. With Pence at the top of the ticket the never Trump movement is gone. Then there’s a rally around the flag effect to consider. If Trump dies my guess is Biden goes from an 80/20 favorite to a 45/55 underdog. Ironic, isn’t it. The only thing that’s likely to save the Republican Party at this time is the death of their leader. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/548 "2020-10-03T14:36:07Z")
[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/elections/the-white-house-relied-on-a-rapid-test-but-used-it-in-a-way-it-was-not-intended.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/elections/the-white-house-relied-on-a-rapid-test-but-used-it-in-a-way-it-was-not-intended.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur) > For months, the White House’s strategy for keeping President Trump and his inner circle safe has been to screen all White House visitors with a rapid test. > > But one product they use, Abbott’s ID Now, was never intended for that purpose and is known to deliver incorrect results. In issuing an emergency use authorization, the Food and Drug Administration said the test was only to be used by a health care provider “within the first seven days of symptoms.” > > The ID Now has several qualities in its favor: It’s portable, doesn’t need skilled technicians to operate and delivers results in 15 minutes. Used to evaluate someone with symptoms, the test can quickly and easily diagnose Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. > > But in people who are infected but not yet showing symptoms, the test is much less accurate, missing as many as one in three cases. > > Used in someone with symptoms, the test can quickly and easily diagnose Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and has a sensitivity of 95 percent, according to John Koval, a spokesman for Abbott. > > In May, after many [reports of problems](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/health/coronavirus-testing-white-house.html) with the test, the F.D.A. warned that those who test negative using the test should confirm that result with a lab-based test. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/549 "2020-10-03T14:36:07Z")
Not that he get COVID. Her dying wish was that her seat not be filled until until the elected president took office. Therefore, the joke is that she’s successfully argued her case to God that the nomination be delayed. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/550 "2020-10-03T14:41:59Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > My guess is it’s better if Trump survives. With Pence at the top of the ticket the never Trump movement is gone. Agree. There really are a lot of people who are voting against Trump rather than for Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/551 "2020-10-03T14:44:47Z")
Even though Trump is a pathological liar, it doesn’t make sense to me that he would lie about being sick. All of his lies are in service of making himself look good. This does just the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/552 "2020-10-03T14:45:20Z")
I dunno. A lot of liberals complain that Biden is boring and doesn’t whip up the left to vote for him. Isn’t pence even more boring? All those people excited to vote for Trump now get the chance to vote for Pence while risking COVID-19 (after Trump’s death). ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/553 "2020-10-03T14:45:57Z")
This is the progression of the disease; it was bound to get worse before it got better. Getting him into Walter Reed ahead of these conditions was the right move, and might end up being the difference between life and death. It probably was for Boris Johnson. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/554 "2020-10-03T14:48:38Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I dunno. A lot of liberals complain that Biden is boring and doesn’t whip up the left to vote for him. What the _fuck_ happened to voting for competence? ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/555 "2020-10-03T14:51:04Z")
I’m totally with you; I’m just laying out some of the arguments against Biden used on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/556 "2020-10-03T14:52:26Z")
He’s even more boring than Biden, he still bears the burden of unpopular conservative policies and his colleagues hung the nickname of “Mike Dense” on him decades ago. Republicans will vote for him because they have nowhere else to go but this guy ain’t bringing anything to an election in an increasingly moderate left country. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/557 "2020-10-03T14:52:45Z")
That would probably help in states like Iowa and Missouri where people tend to be mild mannered and polite conservatives; I’m not sure it really helps the GOP in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Pence might woo back the never Trumpers, but he would lose the cult of personality voters, and any thought that Pence might be nicer, more polite, and traditional GOP wouldn’t help in ‘blue wall’ states. OTOH, it might make the outcome less contentious, which is good for everyone. I think Pence would probably accept losing if the loss were decisive. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/558 "2020-10-03T14:56:50Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Republicans will vote for him because they have nowhere else to go but this guy ain’t bringing anything to an election in an increasingly moderate left country. What he brings is that his name isn’t Trump. And that might very well be enough. ---
**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 3, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/559 "2020-10-03T14:59:08Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > You don’t think it’s really ironic that the celebration for the nomination of her replacement turned out to be a super-spreader event that seems to be disproportionately taking down Republican senators, and may take enough of them out to slice or stop the nomination? I think it’s incredibly ironic. It’s the very definition of schadenfreude. But why do we think Ginsberg would be so petty and vindictive to argue a case before God that Trump gets COVID? ---
**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, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/560 "2020-10-03T15:05:38Z")
Her dying wish. She argued it before she left. ---
**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 3, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/561 "2020-10-03T15:05:42Z")
Quite true. It’s been a referendum on Trump. That doesn’t mean Pence would bring in the votes, but it’s a completely different circumstance. Biden’s greatest asset was not being Trump, if he’s running against Pence that’s not so much of an advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/562 "2020-10-03T15:06:36Z")
I don’t think Pences nomination will stop the never-Trumpers. They’ve gone after Trump’s enablers pretty hard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=29)