# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/61 "2020-10-02T06:52:22Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [The Navy has launched E6-B Mercuries on both coasts](https://twitter.com/TimInHonolulu/status/1311883569086623744/photo/1), so apparently they don’t think he’s lying. Can anyone explain, please? What does the Navy think they can do against the virus? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/62 "2020-10-02T06:53:36Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Can anyone explain, please? What does the Navy think they can do against the virus? The E6-B is an airborne command center that can coordinate nuclear retaliation in the event of an enemy first strike. Launching them is a warning sign to any enemies that might take advantage of Loser Donald’s infirmity. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/63 "2020-10-02T06:59:51Z")
Thank goodness I’m not the only one who thought he might be faking it to get out of any further debates and turn headlines away from the debates and his taxes. I also worry that if he gets a mild case, he will feel justified in continuing to play down the seriousness of the virus. Right now, he’s blaming it on Hope Hicks being too nice and hugging police officers and servicemen. If it is true, though and given that according to Woodward he knows how dangerous it is and according to many people he is a germaphobe who fears getting ill, even if he isn’t feeling sick he may be suffering. I can’t wish too much sickness on anybody but it would be amusing for Trump and Pence to get just sick enough that Pelosi has to take over for awhile.I wonder if she would be able to rescind a Supreme Court nomination? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/64 "2020-10-02T07:06:31Z")
I sincerely hope he recovers. He shouldn’t be able to escape justice that easily. I also sincerely hope he infected every Senator he spoke to, because every day that passes is one that his nominee can’t sit for hearings or be voted on. Just four Republican Senators, on a rolling basis, until January 3. THAT would be justice. ---
**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, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/65 "2020-10-02T07:07:58Z")
Seriously people, this is not a hoax. Of course he’ll put whatever positive spin on this he can, as well as finding some kind of leftist boogeyman he can blame for exposing Hicks/himself to the virus. But the last thing Trump wants in this world is to be deprived of his precious rallies in the home stretch of a race he is losing. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/66 "2020-10-02T07:24:57Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > > > Of course, this would mean a break with his earlier policy—but he can just take the tried and true route of flat out failing to acknowledge that. ‘I’ve always thought this is a very serious illness’… > > I’ve been watching Fox News coverage. It’s very interesting that they keep rotating through the very few pictures there are of Trump in a mask. Subtly starting the spin? For sure. Now the message is going to be, see? Masks don’t work. Trump wore them and still got sick." ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/67 "2020-10-02T07:25:29Z")
Doesn’t the rapid test they use have a lot of false positives? Didn’t Mike DeWine test posiive, then negative? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/68 "2020-10-02T07:27:46Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [The Navy has launched E6-B Mercuries on both coasts](https://twitter.com/TimInHonolulu/status/1311883569086623744/photo/1), so apparently they don’t think he’s lying. Is there a cite for this other than Twitter? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/69 "2020-10-02T07:34:52Z")
What’s interesting about the timeline on this is that a number of hours went by after the announcement of Hope Hicks testing positive, and no word at all from the White House during that time about the Trumps, even though you can damn well bet that they were both tested immediately, and they use a rapid test that returns results in about 15 minutes. This was already leading to the widespread belief that Don had tested positive, too. So the speculation here shouldn’t be about Trump just “making it up”, which is silly, but about the deliberations that went on during that time about how to spin it. My guess is that he would have much preferred to hide the facts about testing positive, but was soon convinced by those with more than two brain cells that this would be impossible – that he would have to quarantine, and that the news would leak out very quickly. The real question here is how it will affect his election prospects and how it will affect the two remaining debates. You can damn well bet that his strategists are working on ways to use this to turn around his failing campaign and disastrous debate performance. I don’t see how, but when you’re crashing and burning, any major change is potentially an improvement. I just see it as a pure liability that highlights how stupid, careless, and uninformed his entire handling of this pandemic has been, on both a personal and national policy level. > [@gnarator](#): > > Doesn’t the rapid test they use have a lot of false positives? It may, but Hicks is symptomatic now, and was in close proximity to Trump for long periods of time in recent days, in close quarters, during which time (to quote a medical expert) she would likely have been “teeming with the virus”. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/70 "2020-10-02T07:37:51Z")
Does he actually spend much time with any senators? I’m not sure. I had the impression he mostly sends Mnuchin or some other toady to negotiate so-called deals. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/71 "2020-10-02T07:46:28Z")
Forgive my snickering… [https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/01/politics/hope-hicks-positive-coronavirus/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/01/politics/hope-hicks-positive-coronavirus/index.html) > [@from article](#): > > The diagnosis amounts to the most serious known health threat to a sitting American president in decades. At 74 years old **and obese** , Trump falls into the highest risk category for serious complications from the disease… My bigly, beautiful bolding. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/72 "2020-10-02T07:47:43Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > From the CNN article: > > > [@](#): > > > > “The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told CNN in a statement when asked about the level of contact between Hicks and Trump. Yeah, he takes his health seriously. The last year shows how much he cares about yours. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/73 "2020-10-02T07:49:53Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I am a Trump supporter Why do you support him? ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/74 "2020-10-02T07:51:17Z")
Of course it’s real. Trump is a compulsive liar, but he’s consistent in always lying in a way that will make him look good (in his eyes). There’s no way his ego is being stroked by the idea of him being infected, even if there was some long game (increased sympathy; a redemption arc) that it might lead to. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/75 "2020-10-02T07:52:54Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Yeah, he takes his health seriously. Should say “Yeah, he takes his health seriously.” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/76 "2020-10-02T08:05:05Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > What is “a realistic chance” to you? Anything more than 0%? To me, a realistic chance is at least 2% or so. And yeah, i do think the scenario is realistic, but highly unlikely. ---
**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, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/77 "2020-10-02T08:24:47Z")
Regarding how Biden should approach this, I think going positive (for his campaign, not for COVID-19) is the way to go. Wish Trump and Melania well and focus on the positive aspects of his campaign until Trump recovers. ---
**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, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/78 "2020-10-02T08:33:50Z")
Trump is a coward. If he has symptoms he’ll have an anxiety attack and curl up in a ball. The country will be in somewhat less danger than it has been recently if that happens. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/79 "2020-10-02T08:36:06Z")
Fox News must be treating as real. My Fox-bubble elderly neighbor (only person I’ve heard spell out “A-O-C” every time he has to blather about whatever that socialist is doing to ruin America) quietly came out around 10:30 tonight (about 1:30 East Coast time - after Trump’s tweet) and took down his hand made lawn sign that read “The only thing that would be worse than Covid-19 is Biden-20” ---
**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, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/80 "2020-10-02T08:40:25Z")
In 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt was shot during his presidential campaign both his opponents Woodrow Wilson and William Howard suspended their campaigns for two weeks while he recuperated. Biden must not do something like this because the Trump campaign will not stop it’s lies and assaults, and would never do the same if the situation was reversed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=5)