A
A
A
October 2, 2020 — Early this morning, the world let out a collective gasp as President Donald Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19. This news raises concerns about their collective health, and also puts the future of next month’s presidential election into question.
While Trump plans to still carry out presidential duties, he must do so from home for two weeks, which means cancelling previously scheduled campaign events, and letting doctors check up on him in the White House.
Read More »
The Big News
Mark Meadows, the While House chief of staff, told interviewers earlier that Trump has mild symptoms. Melania took to Twitter to say that she also has symptoms on the mild scale. At 74, Trump is at an age that is more susceptible to having a serious outcome from COVID-19. Meadows said that both Trumps are being attended to by medical professionals, and that updates on their condition were forthcoming. White House officials and doctors have relayed that Trump has been feeling okay and in good spirits overall, asking for updates on his to-do list. Scheduled campaign rallies in Florida and Wisconsin, both of which have seen a spike in positive cases of coronavirus, will not go forward as planned. In the past, rallies and campaign events have not made wearing masks mandatory, and have had many maskless attendees congregating inside close together.
White House staffers said that they are currently planning how things will be run over the next two weeks. Many of them have stressed that things will be fine, speaking to Trump’s positive attitude and the success of events up to this point. Both Donald and Melania Trump tested positive after Hope Hicks, the White House advisor, tested positive. Meadows predicts that other White House staffers will test positive in the coming days as a result of being in close contact with Hicks and both Trumps.
Throughout his time in office and on the campaign trail, Trump has chosen to go sans-mask, speaking of the effectiveness of frequent virus tests. He has also contradicted public health officials since the onset of the pandmeic, and many in attendance have chosen not to wear masks.
A Nation of Contrasts Reacts
In contrast, Jill and Joe Biden tested negative for the virus, and have continued to wear masks. Biden wished Trump a speedy recovery. Following the big news, Americans had mixed reactions. While some believed Trump’s virus claim to be a hoax or not a big deal, others expressed concern about how this could impact the remainder of the campaign trail, with the election getting closer and closer. For others, this hit home with how close COVID-19 is, and how it does not appear to be going away anytime soon. Thus far, since the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 has taken over 1 million lives globally.
Stay tuned for any updates as they arise, and stay safe and healthy out there.
