# 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:** 54
**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, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1067 "2020-10-05T17:49:25Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Can you imagine being the doctor in charge of Trump’s care if he should die? The amount of hate mail and death threats you’re going to get? The number of insane conspiracy theories you’re going to be at the center of? The way everyone in the world is suddenly going to know your name, as Fox News and OAN spend night after night dissecting everything you’ve ever done looking for “Deep State” connections? The toll that’s going to take on your family? > > I shudder to think of the pressure those doctors are feeling right now. From that POV, especially in a situation like this (death is actually on the line and the president supporters (and haters) are both very extreme in their views, perhaps the doctors should be a bit more shielded from the public eye. Let the doctors do their work and have spokespeople from/for the hospital do the press conferences. ---
**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 5, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1068 "2020-10-05T17:53:13Z")
A couple of things: 1. Where’s Ivanka? Haven’t heard from her at all. Even Eric has made it through the noise. 2. It’s almost 2pm and no update? Anyone still think he is being released today? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1069 "2020-10-05T17:53:15Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Has anyone seen any discussion/mention of the fact that [Trump said he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/18/858335915/despite-fdas-caution-trump-says-he-is-taking-hydroxychloroquine-preventatively) in May? Why didn’t that protect him? (sarcasm) - Well obviously he became immune to hydroxychloroquine. No, wait. The virus became immune to hydroxychloroquine. It was inevitable. ---
**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 5, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1070 "2020-10-05T17:58:42Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Ah - I’ll have to reread the article; I only saw the “helps more severe, not proven in milder” part. The UK study didn’t prove (to statistical significance) that it was damaging in mild cases. But obviously there’s a strong mechanistic reason to think that it could be; and there was no demonstrated benefit for anyone with mild enough symptoms that they do not at least require oxygen. So it’s certainly not something you might prescribe “just in case” in marginal cases, you’d always be weighing potential benefit vs risk of harm. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1071 "2020-10-05T18:00:03Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Can you imagine being the doctor in charge of Trump’s care if he should die? > > [. . .] > > I shudder to think of the pressure those doctors are feeling right now. Stalin’s doctors had it easier. ---
**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 5, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1072 "2020-10-05T18:13:43Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 1. It’s almost 2pm and no update? Anyone still think he is being released today? I’m predicting a heavy dose of dex, then another jaunt up and down the street for some adulation from the vast crowds of well-wishers, this time tied to a horse with a broomstick up his back to keep him upright. [https://www.amazon.com/H10133-Shirtless-Riding-Cardboard-Standup/dp/B073PC2QMB](https://www.amazon.com/H10133-Shirtless-Riding-Cardboard-Standup/dp/B073PC2QMB) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1073 "2020-10-05T18:21:51Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It’s almost 2pm and no update? Anyone still think he is being released today? We have hardly had half a dozen completely bonkers news stories today, so whatever happens with his release is going to be absolutely bugshit. Nothing so simple as a release will happen. ---
**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, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1074 "2020-10-05T18:22:02Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I’m predicting a heavy dose of dex, then another jaunt up and down the street for some adulation from the vast crowds of well-wishers, this time tied to a horse with a broomstick up his back to keep him upright. They’re warming up the Sikorsky for the 5pm “I’m feeling better!” lap around the beltway. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1075 "2020-10-05T18:31:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah, the two likely options are: > > 1. He’s a lot sicker than they are letting on > 2. He’s getting substandard care (too much treatment) due to being a VIP, and perhaps, due to demanding it. Or: 1. He’s demanding that his doctors give him every possible therapy, whether indicated/proven or not, so that he can skip the quarantine and get back on the ~~campaign trail~~ rally circuit. Disclaimer: I’m somewhat cynical about medications — a legacy of my GP father, on whom be peace. Whenever I hear “Ask your doctor about {OurMiracleCure}” in an ad, my mind automatically translates it to “Demand that your doctor prescribe {OurMiracleCure}!!!” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1076 "2020-10-05T18:35:37Z")
(More on Joe not doing negative ads, for now) Agree (unless and until Trump makes a more or less full recovery). Could be a blessing in disguise — I think a lot of voters want to hear more about what Joe will do as president, and what kind of guy he is, rather than another recounting of the thousand ways Trump is demonstrably awful. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1077 "2020-10-05T18:47:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [nit-pet-peeve] > I think most people understand that the correct plural of virus is viruses but “viri” is commonly used, often in a sort of facetious way. But if you want to do that, it has to be “viri”, whereas “virii” is just plain wrong. In order to have that double-ii plural, the first “i” has to already be there (as in “radius” → “radii”). > [/nit-pet-peeve] 👍🏼 > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Could be a blessing in disguise — I think a lot of voters want to hear more about what Joe will do as president, and what kind of guy he is, rather than another recounting of the thousand ways Trump is demonstrably awful. This. Forget trump. Talk about next year and the country’s direction. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1078 "2020-10-05T18:54:15Z")
[Trump’s getting out, y’all–and he feels GRRRREAT!](https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/10/05/trump-biden-live-updates/#link-C67CMEW5L5HIREGD563PDZWEN4) > [@](#): > > “I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M.,” the president [said in a tweet](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1313186529058136070). “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” In other words, steroids are a hell of a drug. ---
**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, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1079 "2020-10-05T18:59:43Z")
I will laugh myself silly if he walks out the door of the hospital and face-plants onto the sidewalk. Yep, they’re going to load him up with dex or something, he’ll be out of the hospital (and the staff will, no doubt, breathe a sigh of relief), then it will be tweet-tweet-tweet until the drugs wear off. Og knows what happens next. ---
**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 5, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1080 "2020-10-05T19:17:36Z")
He times everything for the news cycle, he just happens to get out at 6:30. It’s all about him not being in the hospital during the VP debate. He knows Biden would hammer Pence about him being in the hospital. So drug me up and get me out. Jezz this guy. ---
**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 5, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1081 "2020-10-05T19:19:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > It’s all about him not being in the hospital during the VP debate. He knows Biden would hammer Pence about him being in the hospital. That would be a VP debate, but I don’t think it’s the one they’re planning. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1082 "2020-10-05T19:28:57Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > He knows Biden would hammer Pence about him being in the hospital. I think Biden is too classy to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1083 "2020-10-05T19:35:18Z")
Also, he won’t be there. Harris is debating Pence. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1084 "2020-10-05T19:37:53Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Also, he won’t be there. Harris is debating Pence What if he decides to show up. Can/would they prevent him from entering? ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1085 "2020-10-05T19:39:11Z")
Someone in the Democratic party needs to do a calculation of just how much Trump’s treatment, if they could have even got it, would have cost, even with insurance with copayments ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1086 "2020-10-05T19:39:54Z")
I guess he could sit in the audience, but I’d worry about the Rona if I were him. No idea what the rules are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=55)