Trump will have to take it seriously now.

[JacobReesMogadishu]

So Donald Trump has caught coronavirus. No surprise really with his limited mask Wearing.

I hope Joe Biden doesn’t catch it. I guess this will curtail Trump’s campaigning.

I’m not sure this is as politically good for Trump as some are suggesting:

1. If he has a mild version and crows about how it’s nothing, that will reinforce the notion he’s an insensitive jerk as c.1,000 die continue to die from it in the US every day. The only people that will please are the Covid-deniers and they are already in his camp anyway.

2). He has a mild/serious version and seems to take it seriously. Again, this would simply reinforce his self-centred nature. He doesn’t care unless it directly affects him. That also may cause some of his wacko conspiracy theorists to waver in their support, but I think they’re so deep in, he could do literally anything and they’d still vote for him.

3. He has a serious case that persists to the election. I don’t think that will make a difference to those who are firmly against Trump, even if some are inclined to some sympathy. Will ‘undecideds’ really vote for a gravely ill president out of sympathy? Some may, but I think many more will be a lot more hard headed about it, and will incline many to be more likely to vote Biden or not vote at all. This is a presidential election after all.... and some who may have been erring towards Trump will likely see the prospect of an enfeebled and frail president on the world stage with dismay.

The worst thing Biden or his team could do now is crow about this. He needs to show compassion to Trump’s situation. Firstly because that the humane thing to do, and secondly, because it shows his humanity in sharp relief to Trump’s. If he stoops to Trump’s level, he loses all advantage.

If he has it, he will probably haven no symptoms and be insufferable

I think if he has a mild version he'll be able to play the "I'm so strong, powerful and healthy" "I was protected by Jesus" sort of lines that will appeal to his supporters

If you think this isnt good for Trump you aren't paying attention to how trump works.

His philosophy is that if the media are talking about you they aren't talking about your opponent. That gives less room for your opponent to get a message across.

Its all about controlling the narrative.

We know that we've had the tax stuff this week and the feeling about the debate was Biden didnt live up to the sleepy jo moniker so he won what was otherwise a complete shitshow. Even Trump loyalists didn't really think Trump struck a blow either.

So hes very much been on the back foot and not controlling thw narrative.

This gives him the opportunity to do that no matter what.

Remember that in terms of the election its not Trump hardliners that Trump has to win. Its more moderate conservatives particularly religious ones who typically vote Republican but are wavering. The covid hoaxers will vote for Trump no matter what. He doesnt have to play to this audience. The audience that matters is the suburban white christian woman who might very well be worried about covid and getting it. (possibly from people they see as dregs and drains on society, who are lazy, immoral, criminal etc etc. Also a few dog whistles may be heard in this)

Trump has to give them a reason to vote for him rather than Biden.

What you will see happening is a lot of (very stupid and naive) democrat supporters (and dare i say black Democrats here too because they are the ones most at risk of covid so its particularly pertinent to them) wishing ill to Trump. It will be all over social media.

The religious right position will be not to wish harm to others and this is crucial.

It can be spun in a way as to suggest that the democrats are bad evil people who wish death on Trump. And that may sway many.

To British ears this sounds bloody ridiculous to most of us, but Christian America is very alien to us and this is the type of narrative that is important during us elections.

Well Trump it is then and the collapse of western civilisation. Maybe time to crank up the prepping threads again this time on dexamethsaone steroids for the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse.

I'd be incredibly surprised if this isn't completely fabricated. I bet he's already had it as the timing of this 'positive test' is incredibly convenient.

Remember : it doesn't matter what the truth is (whether its fabricated or not), what matters is what people believe.

And for the most part people who believe Trump are more likely to vote for him if hes accused of lying and people who think he is lying were never going to vote for him in the first place.

So you may as well take it on face value and say that its pointless to debate if hes lying or not because ultimately there no way of proving to those who believe what he says that he is lying anyway.

Best outcome is for him to survive with crippling after effects, barely able to function and living in absolute misery. He may learn nothing from it but his life as a living testament to the suffering he ignored would be fitting. Plus less likely to trigger his nutjob base.

@vera99

Best outcome is for him to survive with crippling after effects, barely able to function and living in absolute misery. He may learn nothing from it but his life as a living testament to the suffering he ignored would be fitting. Plus less likely to trigger his nutjob base.

Well that would be "God's way" i guess...

But seriously if Trump with all the best medical interventions at the optimal times succumbs then that is not good news for the world in respect of the current world-beating state of the art treatments which he will undoubtedly be getting. That said each body is different though and no relatively healthy famous septuagenarians seem to have succumbed badly as far as I know.

I expect his child (his 14 year old son) doesn't want him to die.

I'm quite sure I'll be jumped on but I'm finding the death wishes very disturbing. He's not the antichrist. Wish someone out of political office - yes, wish them a prison term - fine....but wishing death on them is just wrong.

Tens of thousands have died and millions needlessly suffered because of this man's malign influence. There is a continuum of wishing suffering most would recognise that Hitler was a good death.

If you are able to rise above it then I salute such goodness unfortunately at the current time I lack that noble intent. God's will be done.

@RedToothBrush

If you think this isnt good for Trump you aren't paying attention to how trump works.

It’s good for Trump in so far as it adds significant turbulence to the campaign, which may end up tilting things in his favour - a static position does him no good at all - but i remain to be convinced that this Covid positive test will necessarily tilt things that way.

It does provide a moment of danger for the Democrats that otherwise didn’t exist previously. If Biden can’t elevate himself above a partisan response and is construed to be lacking humanity in his reaction, that will likely play badly with those voters who can still be swayed. His close team need to do the same, and distance themselves from the predictable bile coming from some. Biden is by nature compassionate (for a politician) and do I would hope he navigates this ok.

On the flip side, it gives Biden the chance to be presidential, to be the American President rather than the Democrat President he has said he will be. If he can pull this off, respond with humanity and elevate himself above the political fray, I think he will boost his chances further with swing voters, especially with Trump out of action.

Things could go badly for Trump too. It doesn’t really matter what his base thinks, they were voting for him anyway and the dial won’t be changed on their account. However, it’s easy to see how Trump will fall into traps here that would overwhelm any tendency for sympathy (which I still think is unlikely to lead to many extra votes unless Biden responds poorly). If he minimises Covid after a quick recovery he risks being seen as confirming his insensitivity to swing voters. If he miraculously starts to take Covid seriously, he risks being seen as having made a terrible blunder having not done so much earlier. If he becomes gravely ill, there’s the likelihood people will be concerned he won’t be up to the job and is actually a weak man by those who value his perceived strength and macho status.

Yes, should he recover, he’ll doubtless be seen as a hero by many, but only those who actually see him as a hero already. There are no votes to be won there.

In all of this, it’s the swing voters that count. Those who have made up their minds won’t be likely to be affected by this.

the American President rather than the Democrat President he has said he will be

This should have been: “the American President he has said he will be rather than the Democrat President”

@vera99

Tens of thousands have died and millions needlessly suffered because of this man's malign influence. There is a continuum of wishing suffering most would recognise that Hitler was a good death.

If you are able to rise above it then I salute such goodness unfortunately at the current time I lack that noble intent. God's will be done.

I'm not a Trump supporter, but don't have to be to know how completely offensive your comparison is. However much anyone might disagree with his policies he has not in any way committed mass genocide. And the very fact that people are free in America to protest against him shows that be is not a dictator. Under the Nazis, any hint of dissent and you'd have been at best imprisoned, and more likely killed.

And who are all these tens of thousands he has supposedly killed?
Wild claims like that make a mockery of any genuine criticism of his policies.
It's also offensive to people who are living under genuine dictatorships.

My inelegant and in hindsight probably offensive point was that wishing death on somebody is beyond the pale , but in extreme circumstances such as a Hitler many decent people would want such a person dead. In fact Trump and indeed Obama before him have despatched summarily by drones and without due process thousands of lives.

Trump is not a dictator yet as much as he sucks up them like Kim, Putin and others but a further term and his assault on the Constitution will get him ever closer to a fascist state. He has proudly politcised medical advice and encouraged millions of his supporters at act recklessly and endanger lives and millions have suffered as a direct result of his perverse leadership.

But you're right vote him out by a massive landslide and then try the lot of this criminal family (Steve Bannon's words) and lock them up.

Also to add, it didn't make Boris take it more seriously.

???!??!?

Where on earth do you get that from?

I just asked on another thread. The situation has prompted me to wonder...
What would happen re the election if Biden also tested positive - and both men ended up too ill to continue running?

Kamal Harris and a Mike Pence run-off I would hazard at a wild guess but we are living in unprecedented times. They can select a VP after the election....

Michael Moore
@MMFlint
11m
Knowing Hope Hicks had tested positive, Trump then flew to a fundraiser with fat cats in NJ. Fleeced ‘em for $5M while putting their lives at risk. Puts a whole new spin on “Kill the Rich”. Nice to know the low regard Trump has for the wealthy. Probably wishes he was one of them.

"trump has to take it seriously now"

Don't count on it!

He'll probably be asymptomatic or have a very mild case and be mouthing off even more about how it's not a big deal, people shouldn't worry about it, or about how healthy and robust he is that it couldn't hurt him.

This. Without a doubt.

He hasn't tweeted for 11 hours now. His daily average in the last 6 months has been 33.2 per day.

He’s probably not being awake long, it’s only mid morning isn’t it?

He’s meant to be doing a virtual address/press conference in a bit.