# 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:** 58
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1147 "2020-10-06T13:20:28Z")
Yes, I was on dexamethasone back in the '90s for an autoimmune disorder. I don’t remember much about it because I wasn’t on it very long–being female the benefits didn’t last long with me. I do remember it made me gain weight and lose my temper but it wasn’t near as bad as prednisone in terms of aggression. tl;dr: Keep Trump away from the launch codes while he’s on it. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1148 "2020-10-06T13:25:20Z")
The humbling Herman Cain timeline: 6/24: Attends Trump rally, maskless 7/2: Tests positive for Covid-19 7/10: Says he’s improving 7/15: Says his doctors seem happy 7/27: Says he’s really getting better 7/30: Dies As Trump’s doctor said, he’s not out of the woods yet. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1149 "2020-10-06T13:27:20Z")
Pumping him full of steroids that make him feel as if he is better might have been what gets him killed. ---
**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 6, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1150 "2020-10-06T13:28:34Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Pumping him full of steroids that make him feel as if he is better might have been what gets him killed. - I can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1151 "2020-10-06T13:35:34Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Pumping him full of steroids that make him feel as if he is better might have been what gets him killed.- I’m **kayaker** and I approve of this message. ---
**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 6, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1152 "2020-10-06T13:45:48Z")
I expect they have a lot of hospital equipment set up in the White House. But I suppose they can’t do full intensive care there. ---
**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 6, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1153 "2020-10-06T13:52:42Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Will he crash? I assumed there was a way to bring them down easy if the moment required it. I didn’t mean “crash” as in “steroid withdrawal”, I meant “crash” as in “disease takes a sudden turn for the worse”, which is fairly common with covid. ---
**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 6, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1154 "2020-10-06T13:58:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I expect they have a lot of hospital equipment set up in the White House. But I suppose they can’t do full intensive care there. It’s also going to be a lot more difficult to keep him in bed when all he’s just steps away from his office and his staff and his adoring public. ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1155 "2020-10-06T14:00:40Z")
Here’s the thing. Trump has skated through the past 4 years with nary a consequence. I have a very low level of confidence that COVID will have any more impact on him than any of his countless failures as a living, breathing, sorry excuse for a human being. If this ends up being the literal final nail in his coffin then amen to that. But I’m tired of holding out hope for anything resembling karmic justice. ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1156 "2020-10-06T14:07:47Z")
My hunch is that he was somewhat ill and so closely monitored that every little hiccup is seen as potentially empire threatening. So, they hospitalized him. Whether it’s the steroids or just some level of recovery, he’s feeling better. No one wants to stay in the hospital longer than they have to. For him, staying in the hospital means it’s evident he’s too sick to be president. Of course he’d want to get out of there as quickly as possible. It’s possible all the aggressive treatment wasn’t medically indicated but rather was effectively demanded by a patient who once dictated his own nonsensical health report card to his doctor. And that was an independent physician. He is the commander in chief for the doctors at Walter Reed. If they disobey his orders, they can be court martialed. That’s a good reason to give the patient steroids or remdesivir or what have you. My guess is that he goes to the White House, lays low for a little while, and recuperates. He won’t be at the next debate. But by then, he’ll feel well enough to tweet and call into Fox and Friends, and he’ll go back to roughly as normal as he ever was. Sure, I could be wrong but most people, even most old people and unhealthy, recover from Covid-19. That Herman Caine timeline is interesting though. Where did it come from? ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1157 "2020-10-06T14:15:01Z")
It’s been all over Twitter, courtesy of Tim O’Brien: > ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1158 "2020-10-06T14:18:25Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Here’s the thing. Trump has skated through the past 4 years with nary a consequence. I have a very low level of confidence that COVID will have any more impact on him than any of his countless failures as a living, breathing, sorry excuse for a human being. If this ends up being the literal final nail in his coffin then amen to that. But I’m tired of holding out hope for anything resembling karmic justice. It’s not magic that has kept him safe from consequences, first it was a system designed specifically so the rich never face consequences and after that a party who had their fate tied to him. Corona plays no favorites. And while he might have access to the best care in the world he is too stupid to listen to doctors. ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1159 "2020-10-06T14:19:21Z")
Yeah, me too. He always gets what he wants (even if sometimes he has to wait a bit), and this time probably won’t be any different. He will probably make it and then be able to say “COVID is a big nothing burger” even if secretly it knocked him on his ass. His devoted will believe him. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1160 "2020-10-06T14:32:48Z")
I’m with those who say he’s going to recover, with the hard parts of recovery kept quiet, and make a big deal out of how corona is nothing. I mean, he’s already said it. I don’t think this is going to weaken his chances at all. Everyone who’s out there bleating for “HErd ImmUnITy!” will feel vindicated. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1161 "2020-10-06T14:34:12Z")
So there are 3 possible explanations for what we’re seeing: 1. Trump’s not out of the woods and will get worse 2. He faked the whole thing, so he can pump the “Trump Strong! Trump Beat Covid!” story 3. He had a very mild case and his doctors over-treated him. My money’s on #3. ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1162 "2020-10-06T14:41:01Z")
It looks like he had some chances to show coronavirus is a serious crisis, has affected most people in some way, show empathy and stress wearing masks or other hygienic tactics are independent of politics and imply nothing about masculinity or bravery. How’d he do? ---
**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 6, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1163 "2020-10-06T14:52:01Z")
There’s enough evidence that it’s not a very mild case that I don’t vote 3, but that doesn’t mean he will necessarily get worse. He may have a moderate case, with extremely aggressive treatment. In which case he’s not out of the woods, but he may very well recover. At any rate, if he can hide the degree to which he is impaired he will. For instance, just being on dexamethasone (and “feeling great”) ought to be enough that he should temporarily step down, but he won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1164 "2020-10-06T14:56:03Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > And I hope he comes away with some new understanding of the steps that need to be taken to keep himself and his country safe. Welp, so much for my best-case scenario. Now we move to second-best. He so alienates the voters with his “look COVID is nothing” bullshit that he loses overwhelmingly in a few weeks. Third-best is he takes a bad turn, is re-hospitalized, and has to make his concession speech from the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1165 "2020-10-06T15:03:17Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I think you’re giving him credit for too much honest self-awareness. I don’t believe he has _any_ . He has never once in his life “known he has fucked up.” It’s true that narcissists have little to no self-awareness, but they have an entire section of their brain devoted to tracking which lies are needed to avoid exposure and humiliation. In fact this seems to crowd out most other crucial brain functions. ---
**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 6, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1166 "2020-10-06T15:20:40Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It looks like he had some chances to show coronavirus is a serious crisis, has affected most people in some way, show empathy and stress wearing masks or other hygienic tactics are independent of politics and imply nothing about masculinity or bravery. How’d he do? “The best! No one has ever shown more toughness and empathy for those not as strong as your favorite president! Space force! Vote!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=57) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=59)