Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

“But what about the lurkers?”

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Consistently wrong since 2002

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

You are here: Home / Politics / America / Breaking!!! The President Is En Route To Walter Reed Medical Center!!!!

Breaking!!! The President Is En Route To Walter Reed Medical Center!!!!

by | 353 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , ,

I figured something was up when he missed the teleconference this AM.

So we don’t know exactly what is up yet, but given the medical equipment and capabilities at the White House, the President is only taken to Walter Reed if he cannot be adequately treated on site. So this is going to be an evolving situation and I expect that actual information, partially accurate information, and RUMINT is going to start flooding the information space. We don’t know what this actually is about, but we can conclude that it is not routine. That said, take everything with a huge grain of salt.

One reminder for anyone who might ask about it in comments: unless the 25th Amendment is invoked by the Vice President and/or another Cabinet member and the process that sets in place is successfully implemented, then the President will remain President even should he become incapacitated. The only other way for the power of the presidency to be transferred is if the President signs an authorization doing so and transferring them to the Vice President.

We are off the looking glass and through the map!!!!

Update at 5:41 PM EDT

Here’s a live feed from ABC News of Marine One waiting for the President at the White House.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

353Comments

  1. 1.

    Ken

    I expect that both actual information, partially accurate information, and RUMINT is going to start flooding the information space.

    We’ve got the White House and Twitter for the second and third, but what’s the best source for actual information?

  4. 4.

    TaMara (HFG)

    Wow. I wasn’t too worried about the phone call – because by the second day when I had it, phone calls were the worst. Breathing was difficult and talking on the phone changes your breathing rhythm – something I wasn’t all that aware of until then. I’d have to lie down after every well-wisher called me.

    But when they said they gave him plasma…I was not surprised this was coming.

  6. 6.

    jl

    We just have to face the fact that outcomes for individual cases for diseases like this are inherently extremely unpredictable. Just radical uncertainty for up to three weeks for Trump, two weeks for Biden. That’s just the way it is.

    I know teams of analysts for health providers who work on predicting individual outcomes, if they get a track record of predicting 10 percent of the variation in outcomes of things like infectious disease cases, heart attacks, pregnancy complications, they are considered geniuses.

    We only have control over our own ability to reduce stress in ourselves and others around us.

    Edit: lots of reports and research say takes 10 days to two weeks to know whether even very mild cases in people of any age may suddenly go very bad. We just can’t know until events play out over time. Whether Trump were really in hospital for precautions or resting at WH feeling more or less OK, we just won’t know for a while.

    Edit2: very mild cases that suddenly go bad more frequent in people over 70. Often no signs of trouble to patient until sudden crash. Need to monitor oxygen with one of those finger things. I’m not a doctor and don’t play one on TV, but check the scientific press, say Statnews and there are lots of items on this aspect of the disease.

  7. 7.

    BruceFromOhio

    We’ve been doing peaceful, orderly transitions of power for centuries. If these cats fall down, plenty of folks around to help them through the process.

    Until I hear it from Dr. Maddow, it ain’t worth paying attention to. Back to the grind.

  11. 11.

    different-church-lady

    Wait… wasn’t this supposed to go behind tomorrow’s Advent calendar door?

  12. 12.

    RaflW

    CNN reporting a Press Sec McNinny note that the president ‘will stay there a few days and work out of offices there a few days.’ YMMV on that second part!

  16. 16.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    The shame of it, Dump won’t be able to accept the Nobel Peace Prize when it’s announced next Friday

  18. 18.

    MazeDancer

    Dr. Hotez told Nicolle Wallace, at 5:04, that he would feel better if they took Trump to Walter Reed “under controlled circumstances” and kept him for a few days.

    Presto, the doc gets his wish.

  19. 19.

    Ken

    @hells littlest angel: Please save the exclamation points for when he’s en route to the morgue.

    We have emojis for that now.

    (I hate myself for the depth of my schadenfreude, but I hate Trump more for having turned me into that kind of person. I hope it takes less than four years to pull out of it.)

  21. 21.

    Adam L Silverman

    I’ve put the live feed from ABC news up of Marine One on the White House lawn waiting for the President for his transfer to Walter Reed.

  23. 23.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    I wish they would stop saying “he’s in good spirits”.  It’s like saying The Fuhrer was in good spirits in The Bunker.

  26. 26.

    beef

    Just hypothetically, if you had a high-value COVID patient with a recent history of strokes/TIAs, wouldn’t you want them at the hospital?

  35. 35.

    Aleta

    It’s not surprising to take him to the hospital to be monitored, especially since the dose of experimental treatment he got (some kind of monoclonal antibodies) might have side effects on several systems in the body.

  36. 36.

    Mary G

    Watching the live shot of the White House. In my entire life I’ve never seen a video of Marine One parked with the blades off blocking the view of the South Portico. Take that for what it’s worth but I’ll bet my left foot he isn’t walking out to hop on the helicopter.— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) October 2, 2020

  39. 39.

    scottinnj

    If they are already saying ‘he will be there a few days’ he may be doing less well than they are letting on. It would be one thing if they said something like ‘he is being taken there for observations just as an abundance of caution’ i..e he is POTUS so being extra careful would make sense.

  40. 40.

    LuciaMia

    they we’re complaining about what Biden will do.

    So theyre assuming everyone will act like an opportunistic ghoul like Trump?

  41. 41.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @different-church-lady: This was why it was suggested we need two doors per day. There were at least two bombshells yesterday too.

    And toward the end of October we may need three.

    I’m sure the right-wingers are all saying “the libs hope he’ll die” because (projection) that’s what they were doing every time RBG had a health scare. But we do not want him to die. Overwhelmingly the comments I’m seeing are that we hope he has a long life.

    We just may have different reasons for hoping that than his supporters, and different thoughts on the quality of that life.

  43. 43.

    Adam L Silverman

    @jl: People think all of this type of stuff is science. It is in the sense that there are actual, valid behavioral, social, and/or medical/bio scientific methodology being used. But for all of that it is really artisanry.

  44. 44.

    Kent

    @Baud:I clicked on the ABC link and they we’re complaining about what Biden will do.

    Biden should be educating the American public about Covid.   And how we recover from the pandemic.  Something Trump neglected to do.

  47. 47.

    Adam L Silverman

    @BruceFromOhio: Doc Maddow?

    Really, you’re going to take information from someone with a doctorate in environmental policy with no actual experience in nat-sec over someone like me whit a doctorate in polisci and crim and almost twenty years experience in nat-sec including over a decade in senior positions working for or with the Army and DOD?

    I see how things are…

  49. 49.

    trnc

    Well, I guess the odds on faking it to get out of the debate have have changed significantly in the last hour.

  50. 50.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    What was the 12:15 phone call about? Isn’t it unusual for this White House to talk to Democratic governors as well as Republican ones?

  52. 52.

    Marcopolo

    Whatever happens to Trump—and the only emotion I’ll go with regarding him atm is schadenfreude—I prefer to focus on the positive. 1) there will be fewer deaths in WI over the next 6-8 weeks since Trump’s superspreader events in Green Bay & Janesville are cancelled. 2) ditto for all other events scheduled at the WH & w/ the Trump campaign for a week or so. That’s not nothing. 3) now that it is Trump that is sick perhaps it will finally penetrate the thick skulls of Trump supporters that Covid-19 is not the flu, is still an ongoing threat—even for the most privileged—and is very contagious. I think there’s some value to reality whacking folks upside the head.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    @Kent: Biden could also do a quick rundown of 25th Amendment options, though that might better be assigned to a former professor of constitutional law if the campaign has access to such a person.

  61. 61.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    The last time Trump went to Walter Reed for the “first half of his physical”* he took the car.  He is seriously ill if he’s being airlifted on Marine One.

    *The kid, whose a RN, tells me this is not a thing.

  62. 62.

    mali muso

    @Baud: Yeah, I have been waiting on it to start (almost 45 minutes late) and kind of thought they might end up cancelling due to what’s going on.  Glad they’re moving forward anyways.  Being more gracious than I would be in their remarks.

  68. 68.

    The Moar You Know

    Isn’t this the longest he’s gone between tweets? It’s been 16 hours.

    @Mary G: record set in 2017 at approximately 46 hours. That being said, the tweet last night was not from Trump.

  69. 69.

    Mark C

    “reminder for anyone who might ask about it in comments: unless the 25th Amendment is invoked by the Vice President and/or another Cabinet member and the process that sets in place is successfully implemented, then the President will remain President even should he become incapacitated:”  This is only partially true. Under section 3 of the 25th, a President can declare themselves “unable to discharge the powers and duties of their office” POTUS must say this in a written letter to both the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

  71. 71.

    Jinchi

    @Ken: Not sure what the rules are, but can Pence break a tie in the Senate if he is made Acting President under Article 25? Republicans might want him right where he is under any circumstances.

  72. 72.

    gene108

    If he drops dead before November 3, then what?

    That’s my major concern.

    It could dull our turnout.

    It could get anti-Trump Republicans back into the Republican fold, because Pence is not as openly boorish.

    That’s my biggest concern right now. Winning the election.

    * Also wonder if Amy Barrett would get it from the super spreader event, in her honor, at the White House? That’d would force hearings to be delayed a day or two, until the Federalist Society gives McConnell a new nominee.

  73. 73.

    bluehill

    Maybe he’s going by car and the helicopter is just a diversion. Yes, I watched The American President Dave.

  74. 74.

    jl

    I see two bits of misinformation spreading from the Rush and covid-19 denial and BS social engineering machine: that standard precautions are useless. Wrong on two counts.

    The baseline risk for any individual of getting the disease given a certain exposure, or course of the disease if they get it is just an unknown. But you do know that whatever those unknown baseline risks for you individually are, standard bare bones precautions greatly reduce them. Given the, IMHO, only moderate cost and inconvenience, that is a great bet anyone should take.

    Second, the main social purpose of the bare bones precautions are for outbreak control: keep outbreaks infrequent and small. The rules play the averages. Controlling any individuals, radically uncertain risk is secondary. Goal is to prevent outbreaks from turning into big epidemic waves that crash the health care system, everything grinds to halt, etc.

    So if you know anyone falling for the BS, some talking points.

  75. 75.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Jonathan Martin @jmartNYT·10m
    NEWS: @JoeBiden is taking down his negative ads, going all-positive, per source familiar. Decision was made *before* WH put out word Trump was going to Walter Reed

    @Kent: I like that idea. A straight-to-camera, sincere reminder that the things we can do while we wait for a vaccine are pretty simple, etc

  79. 79.

    LuciaMia

    I’m sure the right-wingers are all saying “the libs hope he’ll die”

    Yeah, I read stuff like,  “The Libs must be dancing in the streets!” No, we’re shaking our heads and saying “What the hell did you think was gonna happen?”

  80. 80.

    kindness

    Can you imagine being a physician and trying to treat Trump as a patient? A raging man-baby who refuses to listen to anyone or obey any doctors orders/advice? Forget about it.

    Give up and retire. Then go vote for Uncle Joe.

  81. 81.

    jl

    @Adam L Silverman: Yes, on an individual bases, experience, artisinal expertise in addition to science in the face of radical uncertainty. For playing the odds on a population level to prevent frequent and repeated total social FUBARs and SNAFUs, its far more reliable. I know from personal observation, that this is just drilled into the heads of health professional students.

  82. 82.

    TS (the original)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    They have that on msnbc as well.

    I have so many doubts about the truth of this White House, I’m wondering if this is a ruse and trump will exit the White House somewhere else.

  83. 83.

    Baud

    @LuciaMia: 

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see dancing if he dies. Not me, but I think people would. Trump is such a horrible person who caused so much suffering.

  85. 85.

    Kent

    As a former Washingtonian (well, DC-ite as I’m still a Washingtonian) it always throws me when they talk about Walter Reed Medical Center.   Back in the 1990s when I lived in Dupont Circle and would bike commute up 15th street to Silver Spring MD I would ride right through the Walter Reed Army Hospital campus.  It was old and decrepit looking back then.  And looked like something of the WW1 era.   I keep thinking that is what they are talking about.

    I had to do some research and that old Walter Reed closed back in 2011 and is now some sort of historical park.  The new Walter Reed, since 2011 is actually the Bethesda Naval Hospital which was consolidated and renamed Walter Reed apparently in 2011.

  86. 86.

    gene108

    @Baud:

    I clicked on the ABC link and they we’re complaining about what Biden will do.

    Odds are, at worst, VP Biden will give a boiler plate statement wishing his opponent to get well. After the last debate, I am not sure if VP Biden could give any heart felt well wishes.

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @gene108: * Also wonder if Amy Barrett would get it from the super spreader event, in her honor, at the White House? That’d would force hearings to be delayed a day or two, until the Federalist Society gives McConnell a new nominee.

    word is she had it this summer and recovered

  88. 88.

    Jinchi

    @Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA): Nothing wrong with wishing a demon his place in hell.

    I don’t wish him dead, but if anyone is feeling guilty that they do, just remember that he was giddily contemplating the death of RBG a few weeks back and plenty of rightwingers were right there with him.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    @Jinchi: You creepily remind me of John Scalzi’s “Christmas in July.”  Spoiler in ROT13.

    Rirelbar jnxrf hc va Whyl gb svaq Puevfgznf gerrf naq cerfragf. Bar bs Fnagn’f ercerfragngvirf rkcynvaf gurl jrer gbyq gb oevat vg n yvggyr rneyl guvf lrne, orpnhfr gurer vfa’g tbvat gb or bar va Qrprzore.

    I hope the October Surprise Advent Calendar isn’t being rushed for similar reasons.

  92. 92.

    Mary G

    Haven’t heard talking heads waffle on waiting for something to happen in a long time. It’s worse than I remembered.

  95. 95.

    HumboldtBlue

    I know Biden has to say this shit but no, Joe, it’s not time we have to come together it’s time we have to remove these fucking traitors and earnest piety and kind wishes are fucking useless.

    Gauran-fucking-tee you all we’re gonna hear if Biden wins is how we have to come together and move forward. Gauran-fucking-tee it.

    Three members of the White House pres corps have tested positive.

  97. 97.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    I don’t want Trump to die before he becomes a convicted felon.  He’s the most corrupt President we’ve ever had and he needs to face the consequences for the numerous crimes he’s committed.

  99. 99.

    feebog

    Wondering if the helicopter is a decoy and he is already in a motorcade headed for Walter Reed.  It’s not that far from the WH, even in Friday afternoon traffic.

  102. 102.

    Sam

    If normal quarantine rules are followed, many critical staff and congress people will be quarantined.  If they don’t quarantine, they are liable just to inject more people in the government.  ACB nomination event was a super-spreader event.  The gov is screwed and the Trump campaign is screwed.  Karma

  103. 103.

    Kent

    @Jinchi:I don’t wish him dead, but if anyone is feeling guilty that they do, just remember that he was giddily contemplating the death of RBG a few weeks back and plenty of rightwingers were right there with him.

    I don’t want him dead.  I want him to wake up and discover that he lost the election, there’s a new president, and it is too late to give himself or any of his demon-spawn a pardon for their multitude of crimes.  And that his entire “business empire” has been foreclosed on.

  104. 104.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Adam L Silverman: well, your recipes are definitely proven. That totally counts. So does the 8-Ball.

    No, I meant for the news cycle. This is lighting up every wire everywhere, and the din will be (is) overwhelming. I let Rachel boil and serve the good bits, and ignore the rest. She did a solid monologue Wednesday night, while everyone else on the teevee was still yapping about the debate, she went all-in COVID reporting with references of 8 different front pages from newspapers all over the country to open the segment. It was really well done, and in hindsight, eerily prescient.

  106. 106.

    Ken

    @JPL: Guarantee that the negative ads that I’m seeing against Joe won’t be taken down.

    From what I’ve seen, that would leave them with no ads at all.

  107. 107.

    PJ

    @Kent: There were articles about how much Walter Reed was in disrepair, and the state of the rooms and equipment where wounded soldiers were staying, during the Iraq War.

  108. 108.

    Morzer

    Apparently Ronny Jackson remains loyal to his hypocritic oaf:

    1/2: Our President and First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19, however, rest assured they are both fine and completely asymptotic. The President is in very good health and has NO comorbities.

  111. 111.

    Delk

    So, if trump dies, does that ‘meet the judge’ garden party become the new grassy knoll?

  114. 114.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Adam L Silverman and @Cheryl:

    Does Walter Reed have the facilities for Trump as Commander in Chief, i.e. Situation Room secure environment?

  117. 117.

    different-church-lady

    @Kent:

    I want him to wake up and discover that he lost the election…

    Oh no no no, I want him wide awake to see it happen.

  118. 118.

    JPL

    @Ken: Sometimes nice guys finish last.   I would simple air an ad of trump mocking Hillary when she was sick.   Let the Fox news folks who showed that over and over faint.

  119. 119.

    mad citizen

    @Searcher: Pence may be 46 yet.

    Hoping the Stones will approve “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for the service–hell, perform it live via Zoom

    Flipped on my teevee: Wondering if it will be walking, wheelchair or stretcher?

  120. 120.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    as I said below, you know he put up a helluva fight against going to Walter Reed (assuming he’s in shape to argue) and if they hide him from the cameras getting on the copter…

    MSNBC saying they won’t show him getting on, but they’ll release a tape of it?

  121. 121.

    Ken

    @Morzer: Did you copy that correctly?  Because “asymptotic” is not the right word, unless they’re approaching a limit but won’t ever reach it.

    Probably spell-check, since presumably a doctor of Ronny’s caliber would know the word “asymptomatic”.

  123. 123.

    burnspbesq

    @Ken: 

    I imagine that if the Biden campaign were to contact, say, Neal Katyal or Erwin Chemirinsky and ask them to do a quick video explainer on the 25th, they would be more than happy to oblige.

  125. 125.

    different-church-lady

    @Mary G: Yeah. You know, the way they extend hockey games by three or four days to allow injured players to get better.

  126. 126.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Morzer:

    Our President and First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19, however, rest assured they are both fine and completely asymptomatic. The President is in very good health and has NO co-morbities.

    God, that didn’t age well did it? What did Obama see in this clown? Is Jackson just a suck up to whoever his boss happens to be at the time?

  127. 127.

    PJ

    @Mary G: They’ve already been pushing for Biden to suspend his campaign.  Fuck ’em.  The Constitution sets the date for the election, not Republicans.

  130. 130.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Any chance that No POTUS means new SCOTUS Justice can’t be sworn in?  (I’m guessing that would be too good to be true).

  131. 131.

    Ken

    @Mary G: Did anyone reply “He’s had four years, I think we all know what to expect now”?

    (There are times I think I should get a twitter account. Then I read twitter and the feeling goes away.)

  135. 135.

    Mary G

    >@SpeakerPelosi and her staff did not have a heads up that the president was being helicoptered to Walter Reed. They’ve had no contact from the White House.— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 2, 2020

    I wonder if they’re stalling until it gets dark so it can’t clearly be seen how much help he needs?

  136. 136.

    mad citizen

    @PJ: Second that fuck’em.  Have ABC on–talking again about Biden and campaign–now saying this is good for trump because their campaign wasn’t working anyway.

  138. 138.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kent:

    I’m right there with you. I don’t want him to die because I don’t want people to be fooled by Pence and decide to vote for him

  141. 141.

    gene108

    @LuciaMia:

    Yeah, I read stuff like, “The Libs must be dancing in the streets!” No, we’re shaking our heads and saying “What the hell did you think was gonna happen?”

    I want him alive, so he can lose in November and suffer what is left of his life in impotent rage, as the house of cards his image was built on comes tumbling down.

  145. 145.

    Matt McIrvin

    @PJ: From “Biden is a coward hiding in his basement and COVID-19 is the sniffles” to “it would be disrespectful to defeat this ill man in an election” in 16 hours.

  146. 146.

    trnc

    @Falling Diphthong: He hasn’t tweeted all day. Not since the announcement that he was positive.

    I’m not even sure he tweeted that, what with the correct spelling and punctuation.

  147. 147.

    Ken

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: MSNBC saying they won’t show him getting on, but they’ll release a tape of it?

    “Some have questioned the tape, since it shows Trump walking to Marine One in the rain with the Eiffel Tower in the background….”

  149. 149.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Baud: Knowing these clowns, I could see them screwing up everything. For instance, handing the nuclear football to some random tourist or foreign agent (in DC there’s a lot of overlap between those two categories) and saying “hold this for a second would ya?” and then being surprised when it disappears.

  150. 150.

    Morzer

    @Ken: 

    After further review, the copying and pasting on the field stands. FIRST DOWN!

    Yes, Doctor-Rear-Admiral Kissassian did misspell the word.

  152. 152.

    Kay

    Dave Wasserman
    @Redistrict
    ·1h
    Speaking of Grand Rapids, an often-overlooked message one sharp Dem data analyst told me this morning is testing off the charts w/ low-propensity voters in swing states on social media: replacing Betsy DeVos.

  153. 153.

    Wyatt Salamanca

     

    OT

     

    Just hours after President Donald Trump confirmed he had tested positive for the virus caused by the novel coronavirus, Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature filed court documents on Friday seeking to undo Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.

     

    The legislature filed a non-party brief supporting the plaintiffs in a case seeking to have the court declare Evers’s order unconstitutional and void despite a disturbing surge in pandemic numbers. Wisconsin has consistently shattered daily records for new cases of the virus and over the last two weeks, ranking third in the U.S. in new cases per capita.

     

    The initial lawsuit against the mask mandate was filed by conservative legal advocacy group the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) on behalf of three individual citizens. In the complaint, filed on Aug. 25 in Polk County Circuit Court, WILL argued that Gov. Evers exceeded the authority of his office by extending his emergency declaration beyond 60 days.

     

     

    h/t https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/hours-after-trump-tests-positive-for-covid-19-wisconsin-gop-files-brief-to-reverse-state-mask-mandate/

     

     

     

     

  156. 156.

    Brachiator

    From CNN. You get the virus and you get the virus and you get the virus!

    Three journalists who work at the White House tested positive on Friday, according to a series of memos from the White House Correspondents Association.

    A White House staffer who sits in the “lower press” area of the West Wing also received a confirmed positive result on Friday morning.

  161. 161.

    Morzer

    @Adam L Silverman: A huge, manly policy expert came up to me with tears in his eyes and he said, “Sir, sir…. Rachel has tremendous bone structure and a winning demeanor.”

    That’s just the way the cuck-ie crumbles around here.

  162. 162.

    The Moar You Know

    As some people noted below, use of an experimental drug is not a good sign.

    @bluehill: a drug that doesn’t seem to make a difference, statistically, but hey, worth a shot. What stood out to me was the dosage; 8 grams (several million bucks worth of the drug). That’s higher than the highest dosage they tested it at, which tells me this is more of a Hail Mary move than anything.

    What that says about Trump’s condition I will leave as an exercise for the reader.

  163. 163.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    What Baud said. If both Pence and Trump died, Pelosi would become president. If that happened and ACB was not yet confirmed by the Senate, then Pelosi could withdraw the nom (I think). Then again, I wonder if Acting President Pence could simply nominate another VP, have the Senate confirm them, and when Pence dies that VP could simply take over.

    This is bizarrely like that one scene from Will Forte’s Last Man on Earth where several Trump admin and Congressional Republicans died from the virus in a row after ascending to the presidency

  165. 165.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom ·1m
    That helicopter has been sitting there for almost an hour. They could’ve had him at Walter Reed by now.

    the cynic in me thinks they’re creating all this suspense so trump can walk out waving, but I also remember a doctor describing a patient who walked into the ER and spiraled down so quickly he was dead in a matter of hours

  166. 166.

    Matt McIrvin

    @burnspbesq: “asymptotic” for “asymptomatic” or the other way around is classic autocorrect/autocomplete shenanigans–I see it all the time.

  168. 168.

    VOR

    The imaging equipment at Walter Reed is probably much better than the White House. I could see his doctors wanting to get a better look at the state of his lungs. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s seriously ill, just that his doctors are concerned.

    But this White House has squandered any trust. Nobody can believe anything they say.

  171. 171.

    Brachiator

    Some conservative talk radio hosts are actually talking to a real expert about Trump’s chances.

    The guy blasted Trump for not having people wear masks in the White House and around Trump himself.

  172. 172.

    Miss Bianca

    I cannot fucking keep up.

    If this is how October Surprise Advent Calendar *starts*, Jesus Christ, where are we going to be by Halloween?!

  173. 173.

    trollhattan

    “Warren Harding” by Al Stewart

    I’m leaving my home in Europe behind
    Heading out for a new state of mind
    New York town is calling to me
    Dollar an hour from the company
    Warren Gameliel Harding
    Alone in the White House, watching the sun
    Come up on the morning of 1921
    I just want someone to talk to
    To talk to
    To talk to
    I’ve got no shoes upon my feet
    I’ve been all day with nothing to eat
    It sure gets hard down here in the street
    But I know where I’m going to be
    Warren Gameliel Harding
    Playing cards in a smoke-filled room
    Winning and losing, filling the time
    I just want someone to talk to
    To talk to
    To talk to
    Don’t go down to the docks tonight
    The cops are nosing around for the site
    We moved the booze just before daylight
    They won’t find it now, it’ll be alright
    Warren Gameliel Harding
    In Alaska running out of days
    Leaving the ladies, God moves in strange ways
    I just want someone to talk to
    To talk to
    To talk to
    Don’t leave me here on such a lonely day
    Don’t leave me here on such a lonely day

    Harding died two years, five months in office.

  175. 175.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    @Benw: Might be easier to investigate the bastard after he’s gone, though, and the emotional attachment Trumpistas have has begun to dissipate.

    Still, I’d prefer he hang on to see his defeat and eventual irrelevance.

  176. 176.

    Morzer

    @Jinchi: Because they don’t want the press to get pictures of him in the face mask strapped to the gurney while Pence chuckles in the background?

  177. 177.

    Kent

    @PJ:@Mary G: They’ve already been pushing for Biden to suspend his campaign.  Fuck ’em.  The Constitution sets the date for the election, not Republicans.

    They aren’t suspending their campaign.  Anti-Biden ads are still up all over the place and Trump ground troops are still going door to door.

  178. 178.

    patrick II

    @Baud:

    Not just what he has done, but what he might do in the time between when he loses the election and January.

  179. 179.

    jl

    @Jinchi: I think if he walks on waving and then crashes it will look bad, and if he goes on a gurney it will look bad. I kind of agree. His fate is just a radical unknown right now. No point to seeing anything. Any signal of anything might be very misleading. I might be wrong, YMMV.

  185. 185.

    Shalimar

    It’s taking a hell of a long time for them to try to get him walking out to the helicopter,  but I guess they’re still optimistic he might do it?

    edit: finally

  188. 188.

    lamh36

    Apparently per MSNBC the President boarding the helicopter will not be LIVE they will be a recorded taping from pool reporting.

    the LIVE videon on now is just the other side of the helicopter.

    This is straight up a stunt.

    IDK…but Brian Williams are already speculating that Chump co doesn’t want the video to be sent out to be him unable to walk on his on to Marine One…playin the reality show game. of drama…smh

    Brian Williams just said Chump was walking on his own and is on board

  190. 190.

    Kent

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):What Baud said. If both Pence and Trump died, Pelosi would become president. If that happened and ACB was not yet confirmed by the Senate, then Pelosi could withdraw the nom (I think). Then again, I wonder if Acting President Pence could simply nominate another VP, have the Senate confirm them, and when Pence dies that VP could simply take over.

    The Senate doesn’t confirm a replacement VP.  It’s not like a SCOTUS appointment or Cabinet position.  It has to go through BOTH houses of Congress.  Unless Pelosi signs off, Pence doesn’t get a new VP.

  192. 192.

    JPL

    CNN is saying the antibody is a bad sign because why give an experimental drug.   Well doh.. on Fox and Friends they had a doctor who said he should have it.

  193. 193.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @VOR:

    But this White House has squandered any trust. Nobody can believe anything they say.

    Yet they demand to be believed and respected all the same. Kay has noted this a lot. I really don’t get it. How can you lie all the time and still expect to be believed?

  198. 198.

    jl

    @patrick II: The federal government needs a lot of reform. One is to adapt UK procedure after election, remove control of a lame duck administration asap after the election. I’m willing to forego the UK ‘walk of shame’ out of 10 Downing St.

  199. 199.

    Ghost of Joe Liebling*s Dog

    @Morzer: 

    Asymptotic : Approaching zero; “about to hit the wall”

    That face when they accidentally say what they mean …

  200. 200.

    Kathleen

    @Baud: What do they think he’s doing wrong while he’s thinking about what he should do? Aw, who am I kidding. Everything wrong. He is and will be doing everything wrong.

  202. 202.

    lamh36

    Brian Williams just said Chump was walking on his own and is on board…I swear this helicopter ride is such a stunt.

  203. 203.

    Kent

    @Anonymous At Work:

    @Adam L Silverman and @Cheryl:

    Does Walter Reed have the facilities for Trump as Commander in Chief, i.e. Situation Room secure environment?

    I think they have a whole Presidential suite, probably a whole floor set up for it.  But Adam would know better.

  205. 205.

    Ken

    @The Moar You Know: 8 grams (several million bucks worth of the drug). That’s higher than the highest dosage they tested it at

    Um.  So when people said that this was in phase II/III trials and no adverse effects had been noted, they meant for the trial dosages.

    That reminds me of the (quick google) Biotrial tests of BIA 10-2474 which had looked good in early tests, but dissolved peoples’ brains when they tested higher dosages.

  207. 207.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @lamh36:

    Brian Williams just said Chump was walking on his own and is on board

    I won’t believe it until I see live video of it

  209. 209.

    germy

    They sped up the tape to make it look like he entered the chopper faster???

    I just a different video, one from the other side than where reporters are staked out.  Trump climbs up the stairs to the chopper, but they sped up the tape!

  214. 214.

    Obvious Russian Troll

    @Ken: I assume the good doctor was too busy trying to save Trump’s ass to spell check.

    Or drunk.

  217. 217.

    germy

    NBC showing footage.

    He’s in a blue suit, wearing a black mask.  Salutes and climbs into the chopper.  Walking normally.

  218. 218.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I don’t believe the video is of Trump. The person is too thin and too agile. That’s why the person is wearing a mask

     

    ETA: My god I sound crazy even to myself.

  223. 223.

    TS (the original)

    So msnbc is showing a “playback” of the President boarding. Why am I wondering if this is from a different day. Why did they not show it live?

    Edit: And many thinks the same. This president* has led us to disbelieve anything we do not see live with our own eyes.

  227. 227.

    Ruckus

    I cleared my comment but I’m not sure that was necessary.

    The comment from the TV person was the camera was off while he was walking to the helicopter so they didn’t have that shot. I smell something and it smells like a large area filled with cows.

  228. 228.

    Morzer

    If Trump joins the choir infernal, it’s going to be fascinating to see House Trump starting their own Game of Thrones re-enactment.

  229. 229.

    C Stars

    I’m curious about what’s going on in Fox/Wingnut media, but a little scared to check. Anyone had a look-see yet?

  230. 230.

    SoupCatcher

    Facebook/Twitter bots all summer: Ha ha libs, Trump is never leaving the White House.

     

    Rona: Hold my beer.

  232. 232.

    VeniceRiley

    He did not get plasma. He got the Regneron polyclonal antibody cocktail. No “or a placebo” when you’re VIP

  234. 234.

    JPL

    The only thing I noticed is that he saluted a tad late and patted the railing when he got up.   I imagine that he received oxygen before he left.

  238. 238.

    MomSense

    Meadows and all the others who got on the chopper today are all wearing masks – the good kind. Fuckers

  239. 239.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Morzer: I’m sure the Russian creditors will compassionately forgive all the loans, maybe even through in a few rubles for flowers.

  240. 240.

    Shalimar

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I think it was more likely than not Trump, but I wouldn’t bet even a dime on it. There will be cars going too, easy enough to take him on a stretcher in one of them.

    If it was him, it took them long enough to be comfortable he could manage the photo op.

  241. 241.

    patrick II

    @Kent:

    I am trying to think of a Republican senator or congressman that, if I were Pelosi, would think to be O.K. as VP.

  242. 242.

    johnnybuck

    Well, if he walked on the chopper, I’m glad. As much as I hate him, i don’t want him to die. Suffer? Yes.

  245. 245.

    Sloane Ranger

    He’s in Marine 1, which is about to take off. He walked out to the chopper wearing a mask and wearing a suit.  Marine 1 now up and flying.

    Video of his walk out available and will be shown later.

  250. 250.

    bluefoot

    @VOR: Because of the dangers of blood clots, I can imagine them wanting MRI, especially cardiac MRI.  I wouldn’t think that the White House has a 3T MRI scanner in the basement.

    But it could also be that he has serious symptoms.

  252. 252.

    cain

    @LuciaMia: Yeah, I read stuff like, “The Libs must be dancing in the streets!” No, we’re shaking our heads and saying “What the hell did you think was gonna happen?”

    It’s projection on their part. But I will say that twitter looked like it was quite celebratory. I was more angry because they put so many people at risk. Some of those Republican donors are freaking out right now. They’ve probably lost a lot of faith in Republicans at this point.

  254. 254.

    lamh36

    They all in better than surgical masks, but still too many people who should NOT be in contact with him in non-full-PPE. Smh…all those folks other than SS and pilots/drivers, should NOT have been in those small spaces with him…smh. Even when forced to they can’t get shit right.

  255. 255.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @CaseyL:

    Just saw it. You’re right, it is him. We’ll see how sick he actually is. I was always afraid that if and when Trump got COVID he would either be asymptomatic or only mildly ill. Because this asshole seems to get all the breaks in life. I don’t want him to die, but I wouldn’t mind him being hospitalized for a few weeks to a month

  256. 256.

    different-church-lady

    Smart move doing the walk on tape-delay. Yeah, it looks weak, but only to those paying really close attention. Small cost for paying it safe.

  260. 260.

    trnc

    @jl: I see two bits of misinformation spreading from the Rush and covid-19 denial and BS social engineering machine: that standard precautions are useless.

    Ummm … standard precautions that aren’t used are useless. The lengths to which people will go to convince themselves that masks won’t reduce transmission of respiratory droplets, even though they’ve seen surgeons wearing them for literally their entire lives, is staggering.

  261. 261.

    Kent

    @AWOL:Hate to say it, but sadly, he looks fairly undying.

    Covid doesn’t strike that fast.  It’s usually more like 18 days.

  264. 264.

    C Stars

    I mean, it’s a scary disease, and he’s a germaphobe. Maybe he asked to go? I dunno. He looked OK in the helicopter clip.

  266. 266.

    TS (the original)

    Why is Brian Williams taking over msnbc? The ladies on there are so much better than him.

  267. 267.

    jl

    I think obsessing over signals and trying to divine signs is useless. The fate of any individual with this disease is just an unknown at this point. A person can feel like it’s a mild case and then suddenly crash at day 10. Just hope for what you think would be for the best, and reduce your stress.

  268. 268.

    Ruckus

    He didn’t walk like he has been for some time. He walked normal. None of the foot/leg stuff, looked a lot better than he has in a long time. I smell fish or manure, but it’s going to be hard to tell which. And maybe that was him and he walks like a drunk when he’s taken enough something to get him high which he may not be on now.

    I’ll just say, like I did above, something doesn’t look normal. And given what normal is for him, that’s saying something.

  269. 269.

    mad citizen

    @JPL: He had a right hand jerk while walking–at least one–some of the walk he was obscured by others; then the taps on the rail.

  270. 270.

    Kent

    @Geoduck:

    @lamh36:  I swear this helicopter ride is such a stunt.

    To what end? Who are they aiming said stunt at?

    Are they supposed to shut down DC and part of MD to do a motorcade through the city?  That would be an actual stunt.

  273. 273.

    Jinchi

    @Mary G: “Think I’m doing very well.”

    I don’t know, they clearly didn’t have time to blast him with that godawful orange makeup before that video.

  276. 276.

    mad citizen

    @Delk: Comments coming fast and furious but I have to acknowledge this one–my pillow guy.  LOL  An evergreen trump meme.  Thank you!

     

    I’m assuming there is some normal helipad at Walter Reed but instead they landed in a tight place right outside a door so he didn’t have to walk far.  Really weird spot, and to see the public right outside the area looking at the scene…

  277. 277.

    TS (the original)

    @Baud:

    You’re probably closer to becoming the King of England, but things are getting weirder every day, so you could be the late October surprise

  278. 278.

    trollhattan

    @C Stars:

    TBH that would not surprise me. “I want the best, I need the best, I deserve the best. Get me there NOW!”

    But, it’s fake, so….

  280. 280.

    The Moar You Know

    That fatassed slumping jerk with tiny hands, yep, that was Trump.  He’s ambulatory.  This is good.  I don’t want him to die before the election.  Day after would be great if you’re listening, Russia.

    I could not help but notice that EVERYONE is staying as far away from him as possible.

  281. 281.

    Shalimar

    @Mary G: At least that video is definitely him,  though it could have been recorded earlier just in case his condition deteriorated.

  282. 282.

    jl

    @TS (the original): ‘Was President Baud bald?’ will be a future exercise in intro logic classes.

    Edit: I think the King of France position is open. What does federal law say about the line of succession? I think you have to get through the cabinet before Baud gets that title and becomes president. Long shot at this point.

  284. 284.

    different-church-lady

    I started coughing on the 13th. I never *felt* feverish.

    I didn’t go to the hospital until the 25th.

    I also tested negative twice, so who the hell knows?

  286. 286.

    Kent

    @jl:I think obsessing over signals and trying to divine signs is useless. The fate of any individual with this disease is just an unknown at this point. A person can feel like it’s a mild case and then suddenly crash at day 10. Just hope for what you think would be for the best, and reduce your stress.

    Eyes on the prize folks.  It’s all about November 2.  Everything else is just noise.

    The Trump Campaign strategy was going to be campaign on re-opening the country by barnstorming from big live rally to big live rally among the maskless MAGA faithful to mock and contrast with the Biden’s more careful and responsible approach to social distancing, masks, and campaigning from his Delaware basement.

    That is all out the window.  This is just like the Conventions.  Reality is a bitch.  They have to re-invent their entire campaign strategy on the fly.  Instead of a campaign based on changing the subject away from Covid, they are going to have to create a new campaign on the fly in the middle of what will be the media’s 24/7 Trump Covid Watch for the next several weeks.

    Everything Trump ever said or tweeted about Covid will be revisited and re-examined.  As will everything his administration has done or didn’t do.

    I’m happy with that.

  288. 288.

    AWOL

    @Kent: I had it back in March.  Mostly GI and flu  symptoms; lost smell and taste. “Self-resolved.” Aftereffects still linger.

  289. 289.

    VeniceRiley

    @mad citizen:

    He had a right hand jerk while walking–at least one–some of the walk he was obscured by others; then the taps on the rail.

    I saw that. And it’s the same hand jerk after the debate … involuntary?!Melania was holding it still?

  290. 290.

    Poe Larity

    What is the ETA for Putin’s jet? Will he be going to Andrews or DCA? I guess he could wait until the debate, do a side visit to Cuba.

  291. 291.

    Nora Lenderbee

    @VOR:

    I could see his doctors wanting to get a better look at the state of his lungs. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s seriously ill, just that his doctors are concerned.

    Yeah. He’s the *POTUS*. They are going to be extremely cautious even if it’s very minor. I wonder if it’s also a bit of theater to soothe the Germaphobe–“Don’t worry, Mr Prez, you’re in the bigliest hospital in the word, we sterilize everything very strongly.” I was amazed at how many people were diagnosing him with imminent doornailhood in the last couple ofthreads.

  292. 292.

    jl

    @different-church-lady: Don’t know if the weird and horrible thing I had in March/April was covid. My doc wants me to take a serology test, but I don’t wanna so far.

    But, I was told to call in every morning and call ahead and go straight to to wherever ER said immediately if I had any shortness of breath or chest pain after I had a scary relapse after about a week of feeling like I had very bad and strange flu with some covid markers.

  293. 293.

    Immanentize

    @Geoduck: Who did FDR aim his ability to walk “stunt” at?  Who did JFK aim his back pain/disability/medicated “stunt” at?

    I don’t blame a President for trying to look healthy.  I don’t think it is a stunt because there is a world beyond our borders.  But I don’t have to believe the depiction is an accurate version.

  296. 296.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kent:

    The Senate doesn’t confirm a replacement VP.  It’s not like a SCOTUS appointment or Cabinet position.  It has to go through BOTH houses of Congress.  Unless Pelosi signs off, Pence doesn’t get a new VP.

    I don’t know why I thought the replacement VP only needed Senate confirmation. At this point I hope COVID sweeps through the Senate GOP caucus and delays the Barrett nomination

  297. 297.

    C Stars

    @Nora Lenderbee: Yup, that’s exactly what I was thinking. He probably asked to be taken there.

     

    Woulda been nice if the 280k Americans who died of it all would have had that option, but hey, for them it’s a hoax, right?

  298. 298.

    jl

    @Immanentize: GOP was planning to call FDR ‘half a man’ and attack his fitness for office over his disability. Some of their planning it out is described in the histories.

  303. 303.

    PJ

    @Tim C.: Which is why, if Trump dies, the House should not confirm a new VP.  Using McConnell’s reasoning, it’s an election year – let the people decide.

  304. 304.

    The Moar You Know

    That is all out the window.

    @Kent: My stepfather, after much agonizing soul searching, decided a few weeks back that Trump would still be a better bet than Biden. He called me today and said “congrats. Biden just won the election today. “

    I was honestly confused for a minute and said they hadn’t even had it yet. He just laughed. “This is the end for Trump. He’s done.”

  306. 306.

    Morzer

    @VeniceRiley: Could be a myoclonic jerk, possibly related to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.  Mind you, I am not a doctor, I don’t even cosplay one like Ronny Jackson.

  308. 308.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kent:

    I agree. None of this is good for Trump. I don’t believe in the “distraction” theory. They’re idiots and it’s all chaos all the time. It’s like Sideshow Bob repeatedly stepping into rakes

  309. 309.

    Scott P.

    That reminds me of the (quick google) Biotrial tests of BIA 10-2474 which had looked good in early tests, but dissolved peoples’ brains when they tested higher dosages.

    So you’re saying Trump has nothing to worry about?

  310. 310.

    The Moar You Know

    I was amazed at how many people were diagnosing him with imminent doornailhood in the last couple ofthreads.

    @Nora Lenderbee: triumph of hope over experience.

  311. 311.

    Morzer

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    This is a disaster for Trump – he’s the one who got sick, despite mocking Biden’s age. He’s the one who got sick, despite telling people that covid-19 was no big deal or possibly a hoax. He’s the one who exposed everyone around him and the idiots who attended his rallies to a disease that has now killed 208,000 Americans – and now his utter hypocrisy and dishonesty has been made as publicly clear as it can be.

  316. 316.

    Citizen Alan

    @Jinchi: 

    co-morbities

    Well, I don’t hate that word because it isn’t one. The dumb fucker misspelled comorbidities.

  318. 318.

    Kent

    @The Moar You Know:

    @Kent: My stepfather, after much agonizing soul searching, decided a few weeks back that Trump would still be a better bet than Biden. He called me today and said “congrats. Biden just won the election today. “

    I was honestly confused for a minute and said they hadn’t even had it yet. He just laughed. “This is the end for Trump. He’s done.”

    I lurk and keep track of the comments and conversations on some Fundamentalist Christian forums that my MAGA relatives frequent.   They are all saying the same thing.  The election is over as far as they are concerned.  They are demoralized as hell.

    It’s weird because they are usually so in the tank for Trump no matter what he ever says or does.  Nothing could ever penetrate their MAGA force field.  But this feels different.   For example, here’s a typical quote from one MAGA Fundie loyalist:

    We are 33 days away from the election. He cannot campaign, cannot debate, cannot have contact with another human for at least 2 weeks. Down in the polls as he was, his only hope was to have strong (and likeable) debate performances. He belittled Joe Biden on the debate stage on Tuesday for always wearing a mask and has not covered himself in glory with respect to social distancing protocol during this pandemic. He and a plane-full of Republicans now have it or have been exposed to it. Perhaps I am missing something, and I could be wrong but barring any other crazy events between now and November 4th (like Biden contracting COVID as well); Trump’s reelection hopes are finished.

    Last week the forum was all about ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter communists and how Critical Race Theory is a hoax and other endless tropes spawned by Fox News.  This seems to have shook them up like nothing before.

  321. 321.

    jl

    @Kent: They are so lost in their own fantasies. I’ve read most of them have always thought of Trump as the new Saul: a sinful imperfect instrument of The Lord to work His will. Maybe they think, like Saul, the diagnosis shows that the hand of grace has been removed.

  323. 323.

    WaterGirl

    I haven’t read the comments yet.  As much as I loathe the man and all the damage he has done, and all the lives that have been lost, and will be lost because of his actions…

    He has got to be terrified and afraid that he is going to die, and as a living, being creature, I still feel bad for anyone who is facing that.  The fact that he brought it on himself through his reckless arrogance makes it all worse.

    What the hell have all these people been thinking?  You cannot stop the laws of physics and your beliefs can’t stop this terrible virus.  Maybe “the virus is a hoax” people will wake the fuck up, and this will save some lives.

  328. 328.

    Kent

    @jl:@Kent: They are so lost in their own fantasies. I’ve read most of them have always thought of Trump as the new Saul: a sinful imperfect instrument of The Lord to work His will. Maybe they think, like Saul, the diagnosis shows that the hand of grace has been removed.

    I think it’s more like the Wizard of Oz.  Finally after nearly 4 years they are getting the curtain pulled away in front of their own eyes.

    It is easy for us to look at these folks cynically and assume that they all really know better and are just voting for Trump for cynical reasons, like little mini Mitch McConnells.   But that’s really not true.  They really do BELIEVE in him and they pour over every word he says.  It really is a cult.  And they are getting the wool snatched from their eyes right before the election.  And now they are confused.

  332. 332.

    Ruckus

    @Morzer:

    Having been extensively screened for Parkinson’s because of my tremor I can say that a jerk is not the same as a Parkinson’s tremor. Took me 4 yrs and several docs to find that out, and the trip was not all that fun but the end result was learning a lot about Parkinson’s – Alzheimers – ALS  and the other similar diseases that affect different parts of the brain and therefore have different symptoms. Also was checked extensively for a TIA during that time and that sounds to me like a more likely possibility. I’m not a doc either but have had a fair amount of training and also experience as very questioning patient in this area, and realize that others may know far more or have closer experiences in this area.

  333. 333.

    Morzer

    @Ruckus: Well, now I know,  Thank you, Citizen Medical Informer. A TIA might fit with the unscheduled trip to Walter Reed in the not-so-distant past.

  334. 334.

    Ruckus

    @Kent:

    Dying or coming rather close to it because of something absolutely stupid the person did is not a good look for the leader of a country. Causing lots of your own supporters to be in the same situation is like owning a time machine and selling them tickets on the Titanic. Lots of people can see that, even considering political BS and even if not everyone can.

  335. 335.

    Ruckus

    @Morzer:

    I would say yes. I’ve been informed that if you have a TIA it is likely you will have more, or a full blown stroke. I was told this so that I could watch out for anything happening again. In the end they didn’t think I’d had a TIA but it wasn’t a lot of fun finding out.

  339. 339.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @jl: I think the King of France position is open.

    Yeah, well, Baud has a problem there inasmuch as you can’t just buy a Bourbon, you have to be a Bourbon…

  340. 340.

    Matt McIrvin

    @WaterGirl: It’s true. I just can’t stop thinking of how contemptuous this man is of the hundreds of thousands who have needlessly died because of his carelessness, and how nobody seems to have kicked him off Twitter for that, but anyone returns the favor and it’s ban time.

  345. 345.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Senator Thom Tillis has tested positive. Just announced.

    Why yes, he was at the Rose Garden event last Saturday, why do you ask?

  346. 346.

    J R in WV

    @Baud:

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see dancing if he dies. Not me, but I think people would. Trump is such a horrible person who caused so much suffering.

    No dancing here. We’ve both got serious joint issues, and a fall could do serious damage. Now, champagne drinking, on the other hand!

  348. 348.

    Miss Bianca

    @Kent:

    @The Moar You Know: You know, this is the first time I’ve actually allowed myself to hope. I mean, a crushing victory is one thing – I’ve been feeling pretty positive of that – but a crushing victory over a self-vanquished foe? One that has bellowed and swaggered and bullied and jeered, looking on as we march past, in shock and meekness and maybe even shame, instead of bluster and belligerence?

    Priceless, as the old ad(age) goes.

  349. 349.

    2liberal

    Dead pool!

    So how long does he last?  Choose your 12-hour interval.  I’ll take Thursday noon-midnight.

  350. 350.

    J R in WV

    @Mary G:

    You know they’ll be pushing this now:

    Should the election be delayed by two weeks to allow @realDonaldTrump more time to campaign?— Jacob Heilbrunn (@JacobHeilbrunn) October 2, 2020

    No legal way for this to happen. The date of federal elections to complete is specified in Federal Code, and would need to be changed by both houses of Congress and approved by the President. Or Acting President.

  351. 351.

    J R in WV

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    I wonder if Acting President Pence could simply nominate another VP, have the Senate confirm them, and when Pence dies that VP could simply take over.

    No, that can’t happen, Both Houses of congress must approve a new VP. So this can’t happen with Speaker Pelosi on deck!

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