# 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:** 51
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1005 "2020-10-05T07:17:20Z")
Well, any hope anyone may have had that getting COVID would motivate Trump to take the pandemic more seriously was misplaced. [According to a campaign advisor](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/04/politics/jason-miller-trump-coronavirus-cnntv/index.html), Jason Miller, there will be no additional safety precautions at Trump campaign rallies. Miller says they’ll continue to take temps, and provide masks and hand sanitizer. > “You know what, that’s been a very safe and responsible thing to do,” Miller said. “That’s what we’ve done from the beginning of this.” And Miller criticized Biden for wearing masks: > Earlier Sunday, Miller even claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden uses face masks as a “prop.” > > “I would say that with regard to Joe Biden, I think too often he’s used the mask as a prop,” Miller told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “(Wearing a) mask is very important, but even if he’s – he could be 20, 30 feet away from the nearest person and still have the mask on.” ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1006 "2020-10-05T07:37:05Z")
> **[Opinion | Only the Trump team could spin this into even riskier messaging...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/only-the-trump-team-could-spin-this-into-even-riskier-messaging-about-the-virus/2020/10/04/30415bf4-0655-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html)** > > Trump’s illness has become a teachable moment in exactly the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1007 "2020-10-05T07:38:12Z")
[![](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/PortalPictures/Oct2020/0410-MATT-GALLERY-WEB-P1.png?imwidth=320) ](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/PortalPictures/Oct2020/0410-MATT-GALLERY-WEB-P1.png?imwidth=320) ---
**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 5, 2020, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1009 "2020-10-05T08:40:21Z")
Somebody should really check the details of his license. ---
**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 5, 2020, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1010 "2020-10-05T08:44:25Z")
It’s one article. The intensivist decision should take into account his estimate of the case getting worse and over what time frame. In something like suspected meningitis, some would give steroids early too. I’m not in a position to judge his actions. I don’t know what he did. Or why. Or what doses. But it does not sound that unusual or surprising to me. ---
**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 5, 2020, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1011 "2020-10-05T10:07:04Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > This has been one of the aspects that has pissed me off mightily. Close contacts = 14 d quarantine from last exposure and a negative test does NOT change that. Being a public figure is not a license to put others at needless risk or to model reckless behaviors. Senators Thom Tillis and Mike Lee both announced Friday they had tested positive for COVID-19. They said they’ll quarantine for 10 days, instead of the recommended 14 days. Neither gave a reason why they had chosen 10 days. Oh wait… here’s a clue: Tillis and Lee are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plans to start hearings on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on October 12, which is 10 days away. (facts from [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-republican-senators-test-positive-for-covid-19-mike-lee-thom-tillis-ron-johnson/)) You motherfuckers. Why even bother to say you’re quarantining? You’re so full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1012 "2020-10-05T10:32:34Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Seriously, they blocked off traffic and had a motorcade just so he could wave at his fans and make himself feel better? Plus put the other occupants of the car in jeopardy? Yes, yes they did. > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > The quote doesn’t say it’s _ **harmful** _ for those with less-serious cases, just that it is not proven to be beneficial. Steroids tend to suppress the immune system. When you’re fighting a serious infection “suppress the immune system” is not usually the first thing, or even the second, you want to try. > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Asthmatics are given steroids fairly frequently, when flaring, even when the flare is caused by something bacterial. I’ve quite often headed home from a consult with prednisone and an antibiotic. Prednisone _and an antibiotic_, not just prednisone alone. You might get it for a viral infection if your lungs are so inflamed you are having trouble breathing, but not just because you have a cold because if your lungs aren’t inflamed you’re better off with a strong immune response. Steroids have a role in covid, but not as an automatic first-line treatment. Trump may qualify for steroid use for this illness. I wouldn’t know, I’m not a doctor and I’m not privy to the details of his condition. I do know, however, dexamethasone is not routinely handed out unless there are indications that it will help rather than harm or do nothing. IMHO - which is that of a layperson without all the facts, so it could change with new information - if he’s sick enough to warrant taking dex he is too sick to be gallivanting up and down the block in an SUV putting others at risk. > [@monstro](#): > > Has anyone here been on dexamethasone? Corticorsteroids are known for mood changes. I had a high dose of them after each of my two encounters with anaphylaxis. Yeah, I felt like Wonder Woman, I felt bullet proof, I felt STRONG!!! Well, at least until I flipped without warning into sobbing or a rage and started smashing things. My normally excruciatingly polite and proper mother was put on steroids for an illness at one time and started drunk-dialing people she knew in the middle of the night for whacked-out high-speed monologues swinging from paranoid to terrified to crying to begging to know what was happening to her. “Mom, it’s the prednisone. Could you put dad on the phone? Thanks. Dad, can you keep the phone away from mom until she tapers off? Thanks. We’re all going back to bed.” Mom was still riding the mood-swing roller coaster for a week, but knowing it was the drug and not herself going crazy made it bearable (do keep in mind that my mother once spent a stint in a psychiatric hospital so “going crazy” was not just an expression she used as hyperbole, it was a real fear of hers.) A lot depends on the dose - obviously, the higher the greater risk of significant side effects - and the person - some are more susceptible than others. But yes, it is entirely possible the dex is affecting his mood and ability to think rationally and make good choices. Something that some of us think has been shaky from day one. > [@nelliebly](#): > > I forgot to mention this before, but prednisone is not dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is six times as powerful and has a half-life twice as long as prednisone. Not all steroids are the same. Yep. In a sense, dexamethasone is a steroid… on steroids. (sorry) > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Side effects depend on length of use. Side effects also depend on the person. Some are more susceptible than others and you can’t always know ahead of time. “Is this affecting his ability to do his job” is not an unreasonable question with any medical treatment. I know from experience that steroid treatment can make me feel better than well. It sure whacked out my mom (who had a history of mental illness so perhaps was more vulnerable). Yes, I’ve known other people who have taken it without seeming to have any such problem, like the poster **susan**. Good for them. But I think mental effects are more common with steroids than most doctors give credit for. While for an ordinary citizen a week or three of feeling a bit bullet-proof might not be a big deal any more than the common side effects of feeling ravenous and retaining fluids are for that period (because you’ll stop being so damn hungry and drop the water weight when you stop taking it) for someone in a critical role 24/7 like the president that might be more of an issue. JFK seemed to do alright on long-term steroids, but maybe not at certain points. I guess what I’m saying is that while I don’t feel being on a steroid is disqualifying for being PotUS, I do have to wonder about what is requiring the PotUS to take such a medication, and asking about side effects is reasonable. > [@flurb](#): > > I would be astounded if GWU/GWUH (where he appears to be a Section Chief and Fellowship Director, as well as an Assistant Professor) fired him for no more than exercising his first amendment rights. The faculty and students would set the campus on fire. I wouldn’t be surprised at all. And if the students did do that Trump would demand the National Guard be called out to tear-gas them for a photo-op. > [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Maybe Trump is circling the drain but he’s in denial? I fully believe Trump thinks he’s immortal. Bad things never happen to him, only other people, and death is a bad thing. Therefore, death can’t happen to him. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve been wondering the same thing. I would think that even if you don’t care about anyone but yourself, enlightened self-interest would drive you to act decently towards the folks who are supposed to take a bullet for you. Naw - Trump has no understanding of self-sacrifice or service to another. People willing to take a bullet for someone else aren’t heros in his world, they’re suckers and losers. Why would he care about them? He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. > [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Senators Thom Tillis and Mike Lee both announced Friday they had tested positive for COVID-19. They said they’ll quarantine for 10 days, instead of the recommended 14 days. Neither gave a reason why they had chosen 10 days. > > Oh wait… here’s a clue: > > Tillis and Lee are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plans to start hearings on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on October 12, which is 10 days away. > > (facts from [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-republican-senators-test-positive-for-covid-19-mike-lee-thom-tillis-ron-johnson/)) > > You motherfuckers. Why even bother to say you’re quarantining? > > You’re so full of shit. Some people aren’t going to get it until people around them start dropping. Some won’t get it until they themselves are taking dirt-naps. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1013 "2020-10-05T11:48:05Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Earlier Sunday, Miller even claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden uses face masks as a “prop.” Luckily, the virus and the mask don’t care why you’re wearing it. You can wear it as a prop, you can wear it in protest (“This mask doesn’t do anything”, “Trump 2020”, “MAGA” etc), you can wear it because you’re supposed to but don’t understand the science, you can wear it fully understanding the reasoning. The mask and the virus don’t care about your opinion, they only care about whether or not you’re wearing it. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1014 "2020-10-05T11:53:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It’s one article Not sure why you feel this hill is worth defending so hard. That article was the RECOVERY study, _the_ study. In context of other studies [here](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187140212030223X). It is the basis of current practice regarding dexamethasone use in COVID-19. Barring some exceptional circumstance (not a doc’s best guess as to getting worse or not) using dexamethasone in a COVID-19 patient who is less than 7 days into illness and without an ongoing oxygen requirement is more likely to cause harm than good, and would be poor medicine. VIPs sometimes get bad medicine because they are VIPs. Mind you the harms are likely small, but a regular patient would likely not be getting subjected to them. Unless his actual status is other than as communicated. ---
**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 5, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1015 "2020-10-05T12:53:19Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > It seems that the people with Trump in the car were fully kitted up with PPE to protect them, No. Their masks aren’t to protect them but to protect others. ---
**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 5, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1016 "2020-10-05T13:25:14Z")
From the pictures, it looked like the Secret Service were wearing N95 masks and Trump was wearing a regular mask. Trump’s mask was intended to protect other people from him. The N95 masks are PPE designed to protect the wearer. They actually have a valve when you exhale that opens, meaning that wearers aren’t protecting the people around them very much if at all. > **[Does Your Face Mask Protect You or Other People?](https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/07/14/does-your-face-mask-protect-you-or-other-people/)** > > The distinction between face coverings designed to protect the wearer, and those that may protect other people, has been central to the recent debate about face masks. That said, even the N95 masks are less than perfect protection for the wearer and there was no need to endanger them by packing them in a tight space for a photo opp. The headlines will be terrible if one of those agents catches coronavirus in the next week or so. I hope they are all okay. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1017 "2020-10-05T13:35:58Z")
To beat the dead horse, WHO guidelines have been shared but here’s the [NIH](https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/immune-based-therapy/immunomodulators/corticosteroids/) ones. > [@](#): > > - The Panel **recommends against** using **dexamethasone** for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients who do not require supplemental oxygen **(AI)**. But VIP care … better sometimes to not be such a VIP. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1018 "2020-10-05T13:51:40Z")
I read some very confident person state that no other person on the planet has been prescribed the combination of drugs the president has received just a few days after the onset of symptoms. Does this sound right to any of the doctors here? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1019 "2020-10-05T13:55:53Z")
> **[Trump told Sean Hannity he was still waiting on his COVID-19 test, when in...](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-mention-positive-covid-test-fox-hannity-interview-2020-10?utm_source=reddit.com)** > > President Donald Trump told Hannity he was waiting on the results of a test. Reports later suggested he by then knew an initial test was positive. ---
**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 5, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1020 "2020-10-05T13:59:47Z")
M-W reports that lookups of ‘schadenfreude’ spiked by %30,000 on October 2. > **[📈 Trend Watch: 'Schadenfreude' - 10/2/2020 | Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/news-trend-watch/schadenfreude-20201002)** > > Dictionary lookups of 'schadenfreude' are trending on Merriam-Webster.com. ---
**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 5, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1021 "2020-10-05T14:03:12Z")
Well, we know one thing… [Mental Patient 1’s meds have kicked in](https://twitter.com/usambovu/status/1313115824765501445/photo/1). ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1022 "2020-10-05T14:06:29Z")
Several of the MD talking heads on the news said the same thing. ---
**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 5, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1023 "2020-10-05T14:08:39Z")
I still don’t have enough information to comment on its use. But I’ll agree that some doctors would agree there is a disconnect. > **[‘Fundamental disconnect’: Trump treated for severe COVID-19 but doctors say...](https://nationalpost.com/news/doctors-hope-to-send-trump-home-monday-as-canadian-experts-question-his-covid-19-treatment)** > > Trump's doctors offered an upbeat assessment of his health Sunday, saying he may head home from hospital on Monday ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1024 "2020-10-05T14:09:51Z")
Oh that’s funny! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1025 "2020-10-05T14:13:11Z")
The Secret Service is finally pushing back. A little. > **['That should never have happened': Inside Trump's Walter Reed parade | CNN...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/05/politics/trump-secret-service-trip/index.html)** > > Pacing the well-appointed presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center between intravenous doses of remdesivir and near-hourly checks of his vitals, President Donald Trump has told more than one well-wisher he's desperate to fly... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=52)