Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / Friday Morning Open Thread: OCTOBER SURPRISE!

Friday Morning Open Thread: OCTOBER SURPRISE!

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The NYTimes seems to have decided that Trump is a sunk cost:

Reader Interactions

291Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    Sir ??? wasn’t listening closely enough when his aides explained “October Surprise” to him

    (all credit to Ms. Cracker)

  2. 2.

    joel hanes

    Here are two more October surprises that may be more consequential than Trump’s positive COVID diagnosis:

    1,600 alumni of the Department of Justice sign an open letter warning that AG Barr is suborning DoJ to prevent free and fair election:
    https://medium.com/@dojalumni/doj-alumni-open-letter-on-protecting-free-and-fair-elections-78bea0575e1a

    Senator Chris Murphy (D, CT) urgently warning that the maladministration is covering up, aiding, and abetting massive Russian interference in the election:
    https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1311772832234385409

  3. 3.

    bemused

    If the worst person in the country really does have covid19 and considering Hope Hicks diagnosis was leaked not announced, he probably does, will we finally find out what the other health issues he has been hiding?

  7. 7.

    Lapassionara

    What a complete cluster f. I’m hoping Joe Biden is ok.

    what a cavalier group of entitled narcissists.

    good morning, everyone.

  9. 9.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    White House doctor: Trump to continue carrying out duties ‘without disruption’ after contracting coronavirus

    by duties he means watching tee vee all day long

  13. 13.

    Barbara

    He was in close contact with people after he knew he might be sick. As the president, he gets to cancel things at a moment’s notice.

  14. 14.

    TS (the original)

    Trump doesn’t even know what he should be doing. Quarantine is for people (like the Bidens, the press) who have been in contact with someone who has the virus, but do not yet have it.

    Trump should be in isolation. Seeing, interacting with no-one.

  15. 15.

    RSA

    Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi et alia should express polite hope that Trump makes a full and quick recovery…

    Sample statement: “I hope that ALL people with COVID-19 recover fully and quickly.”

  16. 16.

    Princess

    I hope the Bidens and their staff are all okay. And Pelosi The rest can drown in their phlegm.

    Also, I wonder when was the last time AmyCB spent any time with Trump staff. Hmmm.

  17. 17.

    Cermet

    Don’t believe it for a second if he continues WH business in a normal manner. If he gets sick, ok; otherwise, full on hoax so he can 1) claim he is hyper healthy 2) get people to feel sorry for him 3) show it isn’t anywhere as serious as the ‘fake’ news claims 4) avoid the next debate.  Finally, we know as absoult fact the WH doctor lies – proven by their claim he was not obese. So, until he gets very ill and ‘disapears, I will never believe him or those quack doctors he uses.

  18. 18.

    Brendan in NC

    I’m actually skeptical of the report that he and Melania have it. The timing is too convenient. The same way that I don’t believe that Mitch fell, breaking his shoulder last year. Too convenient.

  20. 20.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    I’m really OK with him dying on a ventilator.

    Maybe they can shoot video and put it up on pay per click, proceeds to go toward worker and small business relief.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I guess he should have taken more Hydroxychloroquine.

    Maybe he can drink some bleach.

    And have a sun lamp shoved up his ass.

  25. 25.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    Everything depends on how sick he gets. If it’s a mild case he’ll just say it was no big deal and everyone else who got sick or died was just weak with bad genes. If he gets really sick but is still “able to do the job” he may start to take it a little more seriously. If he has to go one a ventilator, then we get to listen to Dense campaign for him.  In any case as an athiest I’ll just say “thoughts and prayers!”

  26. 26.

    Immanentize

    @Cermet:  Trump would be incapable of allowing illness to be reported as a ruse.  Too weak.  Like Boris Johnson, he thinks illness is for weaklings.

    But I do hope he doesn’t order airstrikes against Wuhan to compensate.

  27. 27.

    jimmiraybob

    Call me Trump cynical but what do you suppose the scam is?  The greatest distraction evah!  Are they demanding yet that Biden-Harris withdraw from the campaign?  Going for the sympathy factor to congeal the base?  Packing up and moving to a non-extradition country while the gettin’s good?

    It would be irresponsible not to wildly speculate.

  28. 28.

    Punchy

    I would assume half (or more) of his Cabinet is at risk, right?  Steve Miller and other advisors, too?

  29. 29.

    Sloane Ranger

     

    @Princess:

     

    Also, I wonder when was the last time AmyCB spent any time with Trump staff. Hmmm.

    According to CNN she was seen entering WH grounds yesterday morning.

  33. 33.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @debbie: An as most of us suspected would happen once the virus breached his wall of testing with a person in the contagious phase, most or all of he and his staff will get it.

  34. 34.

    debbie

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    He’s gonna have a cow if anyone tells him how often NPR has called Trump obese this morning!

    A surprising number of people on my FB feed are saying this is all fake and intended to get him out of the remaining debates.

  36. 36.

    Princess

    Also, Martin and Haberman etc. are ANGRY. They know Trump has knowingly exposed them to Covid.

  40. 40.

    JPL

    Brian Kilmeade speculates that if Trump easily overcomes his covid infection, “doesn’t that also send a message that you could say whatever you want in stats & graphs but I give you an example of somebody who’s in that danger age of 74 who is out there, gets it, and beats it?”

    Bobby Lewis

    @revrrlewis

  41. 41.

    Princess

    And I wonder if McConnell knew Trump tested positive when he hinted that the confirmation vote for ACB might not happen quickly.

  42. 42.

    Tokyokie

    If fatass goes on a ventilator, the Presidential Succession
    Act would have to be invoked, as he would be incapable of communicating.

  43. 43.

    Emily B.

    Sorry for the all caps but IS BIDEN OKAY??

    How far away were they from each other on that debate stage? All that yelling…dear God. And Melania taking off her mask as soon as she sat down. Yikes yikes yikes, although that’s not the word I want to use.

  46. 46.

    JPL

    @Betty Cracker:   Scaramucci is convinced he has it, because no way would he stay put for fourteen days if not.

    Strange, trump lies so much that the news media questions it.

  48. 48.

    Argiope

    @debbie: People are most infectious at the time symptoms show up and for about 12 -24 hours before.  Critical exposure probably happened before the plane, not on it.  And I know this because of Anne Laurie (thanks, AL!)

  51. 51.

    Mary G

    I am afraid they will claim it’s unfair to hold the election while he’s sick and it should be postponed.

  54. 54.

    different-church-lady

    He might as well have avian flu, because a whooooooole lot of chickens are about to come home to roost.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    For all those who gave the Birther Trophy Wife the benefit of the doubt ??

    Oh my god — CNN just aired a recording of Melania Trump caught on tape saying “Give me a fucking break” in response to questions about children separated from their parents at the border.— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) October 2, 2020

  60. 60.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Have you heard about anyone that age surviving? I haven’t. You’d think it would have been all over the news.

  62. 62.

    TS (the original)

    Just got an ad online for the VP debate. As if that will happen in the manner planned – if at all.

  67. 67.

    Lapassionara

    Here in Misery (hat tip Ozark Hillbilly), our Governor and his wife have tested positive. That is the last we have heard, so we don’t know whether they are highly symptomatic or just coasting along with a mild form of the illness.

    the only person I know who has had it was extremely fatigued and finally given oxygen, although not put on a ventilator. The recovery was very prolonged.

    In my imaginary alternate universe, where Hillary Clinton is president, our lives are pretty much back to normal, as is the case in Wuhan, as I understand it.

  71. 71.

    different-church-lady

    And now all the kids look petulant and malicious for refusing to wear masks at the debate.

  77. 77.

    mali muso

    Oh wow.  I went to bed at 11pm last night and woke up to this.  Very on brand for 2020.

  78. 78.

    rikyrah

    Fuck em.God Bless and watch over Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug, their staff and those serving the American people- all the Americans who have died thus far, those who are sick, are recovering, their families and our frontline health workers.Amen.— Ivanka’s Overdrawn Jail Commissary Account??⚖️ (@ish_not) October 2, 2020

  81. 81.

    jl

    @Baud: though I think a third get sick enough for hospital. Still, fair bet Trump will pull through OK. But I forgot we really don’t really know jack about his true health.

  82. 82.

    TS (the original)

    @MJS:

    Steve Miller can be seen in this mornings news walking alongside Hope Hicks on the way to AF1 – but who knows when. Apparently the picture of Marine One shown this morning with Hicks wearing a mask was taken 2 weeks ago.

  83. 83.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I feel like I should be more excited about this than I am. I don’t believe it. And if it’s true, he’ll be asymptomatic.

    Mostly I’m horrified he was allowed anywhere near Joe Biden

  86. 86.

    mali muso

    @rikyrah: Small mercy, in some ways.  At least I got a few hours of decent sleep.  Hope you did too!  We’re going to need our rest and energy for this final stretch.

  89. 89.

    Patricia Kayden

    I think it’s really depressing that the president of the United States can contract a deadly virus and all half of you can do is wonder if it’s a hoax meant to help his sagging campaign, instead of showing some humanity and simply enjoying the hell out of it like the rest of us.— Josh Raby (@JoshRaby) October 2, 2020

  90. 90.

    Princess

    The reason I believe it is true is that the WH didn’t tell us Hicks had COVID — it leaked.

  95. 95.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Went to bed with the Hope Hicks news, woke up to this.

    I want him sick enough to be distracted from doing any more damage between now and Jan 21.

    But if he dies I will be furious if we decide it’s no longer necessary to investigate the crimes and conflicts of interest over the last 4 years on our dime. I hated that the Epstein story ended with his death. That a lot of powerful people were successfully protected by that convenient death.

    Ah well, we don’t get to choose how this plays out. It is (wait for it) what it is.

    Wouldn’t it be a nice plot twist at the end of 2020 if Nancy Pelosi is the President taking us through the transition period?

  96. 96.

    randy khan

    @debbie:

    Airplanes actually are pretty good – they don’t recirculate the air, but constantly bring in (compressed) air from outside.  But just bringing her along was a stupid risk.

  98. 98.

    oldster

    I rejoiced when Osama bin Laden died, because he was a foreign agent who killed thousands of Americans.

    I will rejoice when Trump dies, for the same reasons.

    But may all the Catholic saints and martyrs protect  Joe Biden.

  99. 99.

    mali muso

    @debbie: Ugh, same.  Four years ago at this time, I was 8 months pregnant and excited to bring my daughter into a future that I thought would include our first woman Pres.  Little did I know.

  100. 100.

    Argiope

    So I’m thinking it’s our civic duty to hope and/or pray he gets really sick and needs hospitalization, because otherwise the MAGA ratlickers will be further confirmed in their hoax beliefs until the leopard comes for their own personal faces.  And of course they will keep takIng a lot of actually good people with them.  If you have a mommet, dust it off and get those pins sharpened.

  103. 103.

    danielx

    I have read about the aftereffect known as ‘Covid brain’ and the issues it causes, but in Trump’s case I do not think it will be a problem. Who would know?

    eta: rephrase – who would know the difference?

  105. 105.

    randy khan

    I honestly am sorry to hear that they have COVID-19 – I don’t wish it on anyone.  And I hope that Hicks and the Trumps all recover.

    I will say that it’s really not exactly a huge surprise.  Maybe the only surprise is that they announced that the Trumps tested positive.

  107. 107.

    Searcher

    @debbie: If you want anecdotes, a friend of mine’s 93 year old mother had it in the nursing home, was largely asymptomatic.

    Even among the elderly, the chance of dying from COVID-19 is only 1-in-8, which is pants-shittingly-terrifying if you have it but not that bad all things considered.

    There’s roughly a 2-in-3 chance that Trump sails through this with mild or no symptoms and in 2-3 weeks he’ll have a couple of negative tests and be back with even less sympathy for the sick and dying than before, because fuck 2020.

  108. 108.

    Soprano2

    @rikyrah: It’s true that he lies a lot, but he wouldn’t willingly give up being able to do rallies, which leads me to believe he really does have it. I’ve been thinking about how many people will have to quarantine and be tested, and yikes it’s a bunch!!

  110. 110.

    Lavocat

    Looks like Traitor Trump figured out a way to ditch the last 2 debates AND secure everyone’s pity in the process. What a shameless motherfucker!

    I will bet serious money this bastard does NOT have Covid! Shit, he lies about EVERYTHING! And how ironic that the man who has killed 200,000+ Americans with Covid, now uses Covid as a shield against his critics. This manchild knows no decency.

  111. 111.

    zhena gogolia

    Gets him out of debates, distracts from Melania saying who gives a fuck about Christmas.

    I’ll be very surprised if he actually gets sick.

  113. 113.

    TS (the original)

    On a different topic, just read this at the Washington Post

    A fight over how Georgia votes comes to a head just weeks before Election Day
    A federal judge could rule as early as Friday in a legal fight that might upend how Georgia runs November’s election.

    The dispute centers on a last-minute software update that Georgia officials ordered on voting machines across the state. The update was prompted by a technical glitch that in some cases hid the names of some candidates in a 21-candidate special election for the U.S. Senate.

    Plaintiffs in a long-running legal case say the last-minute change could create new hacking vulnerabilities — and argue there’s not enough time to test for other bugs that will make the machines malfunction during voting. They’re asking a judge to order the state to replace the machines with hand-marked paper ballots, which experts say are the most secure option and dramatically lower the chance of technical foul-ups.

    Georgia will be dragged into the democratic party group when the republicans have tried everything they can to stop fair elections taking place.

  114. 114.

    A Ghost to Most

    28,000+ comments on WaPo story about t** infection. Most of the form:

    Karma, you have one job.

  117. 117.

    hueyplong

    This seems like one of those Breaking News instances in which it’s best to wait 24 or 48 hours to see what’s happening.

    [You know, like 2016, when Fox figured Killary should withdraw because she got light-headed once at the door of an SUV.]

  118. 118.

    Ohio Mom

    Ohio had an interesting day a few weeks back when it was announced our Governor and First Lady had tested positive.

    The next day we found out the test was inaccurate and they were fine.

    Are we sure the same thing isn’t happening now? I don’t want to get too excited and then have my new hopes dashed.

  119. 119.

    Cermet

    @randy khan: Don’t know where you came up with that but they certainly do recycle much of their air – at least 50%. Pulling air off the engines has a large impact on fuel effiiciency and cutting back on that has been a major goal for all aircraft producers.

  120. 120.

    danielx

    I heard second hand news that Hope Hicks is seriously ill; has anyone else heard/read of this?

  123. 123.

    The Thin Black Duke

    I hope all those unmasked idiots who showed up at Trump’s rallies are scared to death.

  124. 124.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @rikyrah: Not giving a fuck about the caged kids will make her more popular with Trump’s deplorables.

    But dissing Christmas!! HOLY SHIT BURGERS BATMAN!

  125. 125.

    NickM

    @Baud: what about for people with histories of strokes? And I wonder what permanent damage could be done – recovering doesn’t mean returning to 100%

  127. 127.

    evodevo

    @Chief Oshkosh: She’s as clueless, lazy and spoiled as Trumpy….she was just pissed that she actually had, you know, “duties” that were customarily performed BY ALL THE OTHER FIRST LADIES IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS…

  129. 129.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    This person speaks for me.

     

    I’m furious that I have a president so maliciously divorced from reality that I can’t muster sympathy for him announcing a terrible illness or even trust it’s real & not some bizarro election survival gambit. Every emotional response I have is dysfunctional. It’s astounding.— Tracy Townsend (@TracyATownsend) October 2, 2020

  135. 135.

    PPCLI

     

    The issue isn’t just that Trump and others in the entourage got COVID-19. It’s that they were consciously infecting others. Case in point: The Cleveland Clinic had very explicit rules about the audience. Everyone had to wear a mask. And of course once the Trumpites were seated, everyone took their masks off and refused to put them back on. Even after one of the Cleveland Clinic reps went over to them and reminded them of the rules. Assholes.

    Also I hope that the clip from the debate, in which Trump talks about how he doesn’t need to be wearing a mask because he and his crowd have been tested. Then he mocks Biden for wearing one.

    All while he and his entourage were exposing everyone in the room.

  136. 136.

    Betty Cracker

    Biden’s response:

    Pitch perfect. Covers all the bases, but is perfunctory in the way the malicious orange clown deserves. Now Fox News can STFU about “Why won’t Biden RESPOND?!?!?”

  137. 137.

    TS (the original)

    Couple of tweets from stonekettle

    And the truth of the matter is that I don't believe it. What? He announced it via TWITTER? C'mon. And now he doesn't have to face another debate or public appearances? Maybe he's got it, but I'm not taking HIS word for it. And I'm not sure we can trust ANY confirmation.2/— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) October 2, 2020

    Hey, you know what we're not talking about this morning? Trump's support of white supremacy.— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) October 2, 2020

  138. 138.

    gvg

    @debbie: Yes, relatives of mine, including someone with cancer….but he isn’t going to survive the cancer much longer.  He and his wife both got it and had to be separated. I think they expected to die without seeing each other again. That was months ago and they lived.

  139. 139.

    Amir Khalid

    @Lavocat:

    Is Hope Hicks testing positive also Trump’s invention? If anything, I’m surprised that it took this long before Trump tested positive.

  141. 141.

    Betty Cracker

    Seriously, the Fox & Friends people were freaking the fuck out at 7 AM because it had been SIX HOURS and Biden hadn’t made a statement. Meanwhile, this happened exactly four years ago TODAY.

    JFC, look at that fucking clown. He deserves to choke out on a ventilator.

  144. 144.

    Tony Jay

    I can only imagine the state of chaotic uproar the White House is in right now as the Crank in Chief simultaneously lashes out at everyone in his orbit for making him look like a “fucking plague-rat loser fuck” while demanding every staff member files through the Oval Bedroom – maskless – because he’s heard that dumb young people produce antibodies that can be culled from their blood and mixed with anti-freeze to fight the Virus so they should ‘look into that’, if they know what he means, and he thinks they do.

    Meanwhile Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff is necking Trucker’s Pills by the handful as he launches into Excuse 3497 for why the Vice President’s car/coach/private jet is still stuck in Barrow/Derry/Innsmouth due to engine trouble/fish on the road/questions about the nature of reality in a world without God’s Love and no, he can’t be reached by phone because it’s… uh… because of the 5G?

    Along the hall from Daddy’s Playroom Ivanka crouches over the bidet furiously scrubbing away with a bleach-drenched loofah while, in the corner, Jared sits bolt upright on a stool wearing the look of a man who thinks he looks far more intelligent than he really is while, in one limp hand, the burner phone his good friend Prince Mo gave him for emergencies drones an engaged tone.

    In the secret tunnels cobwebbing the structure of the White House a silent, teeth-gritted knife-fight rages between Scott Baio and Kevin Sorbo as the former stands bruised, bloodied but stubbornly undaunted between the latter and the long-promised ascension of Codename: Mother’s Milk to ultimate secular power.

    Over at the Fox News studios there’s a frantic search on for voice actors who can impersonate Sean Hannity and the rest of the Presidential Brain-Trust so someone can field the blizzard of needy phone-calls emanating from You Know Who, while ‘the talent’ race against time to record a Special Presidential China-Virus Special covering Our President’s Heroic Fight against the Deep State Hoax (that has possibly killed ‘some’ lesser men) to be beamed on repeat directly to an audience of one.

    And in his room in his grandparents house the mind behind the mayhem sits in front of a battery of monitors twirling an empty hypodermic through the fingers of one gloved hand, an infrequent smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he contemplates another part of the Grand Plan falling seamlessly into place. With that meddling do-gooder Parscale caught up in scandal and the Conways dealing with their daughter’s sudden emergence of spine, turning the obstinately vapid Hicks into the vector for his usurpation had seemed poetically apt. And now, since the only obstacle blocking his path to absolute power was Miller and his bloodless henching for Papa Absentio, the time had come to put the width of a blade between the Cueball Kapo and the White-Right masses. His free hand blurs across the keyboard, opening the final front in the War of Succession. “Why has Stephen Miller proven immune to the China Virus? Why are the Patriots being held back from Bringing the Storm? Wake up, true believers, nothing is as it seems. WWG1WGA#lastmanstanding?QCP” Pressing ‘Send’ with a thumping flourish Barron Trump chuckles grimly. This was too easy, maybe next time Uncle Vlad could send him somewhere more challenging.

    Or something like that. It’s all rather confusing. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of cockslaps though.

  145. 145.

    Spanky

    Until proven otherwise, I’ll assume he knew he had it at the time of the debate, and he was deliberately trying to infect Biden with all his spewing.

  147. 147.

    NickM

    Hey – anyone have source for the story that Biden tested negative today? I’m not finding it anywhere.

  148. 148.

    prostratedragon

    @debbie:  I personally know of someone, who was able to afford topflight care from an early stage. The fatality rate among cases in that age group is far below even 50 percent; but elderly are overrepresented among those that do die.

  149. 149.

    Geminid

    @Soprano2: The cancellation of the Florida rally, and the Wisconsin rallies tomorrowin Green Bay and Janesville, will prevent a lot of death and disease.   And trump’s illness will throw a harsh back light on his reckless course of holding mass rallies with largely maskless attendees. I expect that there will detectable spikes in Covid-19 among the ralliers.

  152. 152.

    TS (the original)

    @NickM:

    google gives the NYT saying “Joe Biden is to be tested today” while pence & wife “had a negative test this morning”

    CNNs chief medical correspondent says Joe Biden should be tested immediately.

    A few other similar stories – but not dated more recently.

    So  I can’t find confirmation that he has been tested

    Edit: The NYT story also said
    President Trump is showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but mild ones, according to two people familiar with his condition.
    The president has had what one person described as cold-like symptoms. At a fund-raiser he attended at his golf club at Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday, where one attendee said the president came in contact with about 100 people, he seemed lethargic.

  153. 153.

    Spanky

    It’s too early for Biden’s test to come back positive if he were infected at the debate.

  154. 154.

    germy

    The people who spent months mocking Hunter Biden are suddenly demanding you show sympathy to the two racist Birthers who only stopped looting the treasury because they got hit by the 'Rona.

    — Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) October 2, 2020

  158. 158.

    germy

    I checked DeAnna Lorraine's account to see whether she had come up with a wild claim as to why President Trump and the first lady tested positive for Covid-19, and I wasn't disappointed. pic.twitter.com/EPNmt2vOGg

    — Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) October 2, 2020

    “It’s the Dem’s fault,” says the Party of Personal Responsibility

  161. 161.

    germy

    Some of Trump’s closest aides sensed on WEDNESDAY that the president was feeling poorly. The president seemed exhausted, I'm told. Some chalked it up to fatigue from an intense campaign schedule, others began to worry he had the coronavirus.https://t.co/IWhJqbz3T3

    — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 2, 2020

  163. 163.

    John S.

    @TS (the original): No, we aren’t talking about Trump refusing to denounce white supremacy. Instead, we’re talking about how he has COVID-19.

    And the fact that he said it affects virtually nobody. And it’s probably spreading like wildfire through the WH. And how he mocked Biden for wearing a mask. And has to cancel his rallies for the foreseeable future.

    If it’s a ploy, it’s a pretty stupid one. He’d have been better off continuing to deflect on white supremacy.

  164. 164.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax: HIstory is so cool.

    I want the dishes that, instead of cleaning, you just throw when dirty into a machine that cleans, melts them down and fabricates new ones as needed.

  167. 167.

    Betty Cracker

    @TS (the original): Biden hasn’t been tested but will be today, according to the NYT live update just now. Also from NYT:

    Trump’s virus case is mild so far, with cold-like symptoms.
    President Trump is showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but mild ones, according to two people familiar with his condition.

    The president has had what one person described as cold-like symptoms. At a fund-raiser he attended at his golf club at Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday, where one attendee said the president came in contact with about 100 people, he seemed lethargic.

    A person briefed on the matter said that Mr. Trump fell asleep at one point on Air Force One on the way back from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday night.

    A White House official said that as of Thursday night, the president’s treatment plan was still being discussed. So was a possible national address or a videotaped statement from the president to demonstrate that he was functioning and that the government is uninterrupted.

    If true, that means he’s NOT asymptomatic and likely spread the virus to God knows how many GOP bigwigs and staffers.

  169. 169.

    jonas

    @TS (the original):

    At a fund-raiser he attended at his golf club at Bedminster, N.J., on Thursday, where one attendee said the president came in contact with about 100 people, he seemed lethargic.

    Excellent.

  172. 172.

    JPL

    According to Jake Tapper, the trump team did not reach out to the Biden campaign to notify them.    I wish I could say that I’m shocked, but it’s so typical of the asshole in chief.

  176. 176.

    rikyrah

    Annnnddddd,

    If actually true, I have as much sympathy for them as he has had for the 200,000 dead because of his deliberate lies about COVID-19.??

  182. 182.

    Kropacetic

    Three people in the White House, including President Donald Trump, have tested positive for the coronavirus

    So…time for Trump to hold a bunch of rallies across the west coast and the northeast?

  186. 186.

    NotMax

    @Immanentize

    When they were spitballing concepts for curbside service I figure am on firm ground in saying a virulent pandemic was the last thing on their minds.

    ;)

  187. 187.

    different-church-lady

    @Betty Cracker:

    We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family…

    “…because I’m really looking forward to kicking his ass again at the next debate.”

  188. 188.

    Betty Cracker

    @chopper: Good point. Maybe the people at the fundraiser just saw him sweating and incoherent and snuffling AS ALWAYS and made assumptions…

  193. 193.

    different-church-lady

    @germy:

    WH Physician Says Trump Will ‘Continue Carrying Out His Duties Without Disruption’

    That’s interesting: he hasn’t done a single thing in his entire presidency to this point that didn’t involve disruption.

  196. 196.

    zhena gogolia

    As I said on my podcast I have prayed for Donald Trump. True story. I have prayed for him to change, prayed for him to be a better leader and prayed for his heart to open up. And it always feels like God is saying "that is a pretty tall order"— J-L Cauvin (@JLCauvin) October 2, 2020

  197. 197.

    narya

    @debbie: I have–a relative of mine, in her early 90s; tested positive in a rehab center (and she has some dementia issues, apparently), but is long recovered from Covid.

  198. 198.

    evodevo

    @germy: wonder if Dr. Ronny has had contact in the last week…would be another goal for Karma if he did…maybe HE can drop out of HIS wing nut Texas race…

  199. 199.

    NotMax

    @Mary G

    Shall drop this in again.

    Infinitely easier to move the date earlier, as moving it later would also mean adjusting to a later date the deadline for sending of electoral votes to Congress. Plus the time frame for later dates is very narrow, as the 20th Amendment provides zero wiggle room, specifying the four-year term of the office of the president and vice president ends at noon on January 20, period. Full stop. (Regardless of whether or not an election has successfully taken place).

    And from a darling of the right (about speculation of similar dickering with the ’04 election):
    “We’ve had elections in this country when we were at war, even when we were in civil war. And we should have the elections on time. ”
      – Condoleezza Rice

  200. 200.

    germy

    imagine if there was a tape of michelle obama saying she didn't give a fuck about christmas stuff – every maga shitheel would have screamed until the corners of their mouth tore apart then blown rock-melting hellfire out of their assholes

    — yoyoha (@yoyoha) October 2, 2020

    I think Obama would have been impeached if anyone had heard Michelle say something like “They make me put up Xmas decorations… I mean, who gives a fuck about Xmas??”

  201. 201.

    Benw

    Man I feel bad for the WH staffers who’s job the last week has been to help Donald down ramps and hold glasses of water for him

  202. 202.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @chopper:

    I thought Trump looked like shit even worse than usual. He looked clammy and sweaty to me.

  203. 203.

    different-church-lady

    @germy: IF SLEEPY JOE HAD PASSED A MASK MANDATE TRUMP WOULD ALREADY BE PRESIDENT! CHECKMATE, LIBTARD!!1!

  210. 210.

    TriassicSands

    @Baud:

    But a significant negative indicator is obesity. And Trump is obese. Unless he’s once again magically grown a few inches taller, which is pretty rare in septuagenarians.

    Apart from his weight and age, we don’t know much of anything about his health. However, the word is that he’ll release his medical records as soon as the AMA finishes auditing them.

  212. 212.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @germy: A random thought. What if the horrifying Christmas decorations have been Melania deliberately trolling the people who insisted that’s her duty? “They can make me do the f*cking trees but they can’t make me do it nicely!”  That might actually make me like her a teeny tiny microscopic bit.

  214. 214.

    NotMax

    Going OT, Amazon has finally confirmed delayed dates for Prime Days: October 13 and 14. In the past there have been some mouth-watering bargains (deeper reductions than Black Friday sales); expect there will be more than ever this time around. There unequivocally is pent up demand this year.

  215. 215.

    oldgold

    BREAKING – Ronna McDaniel, the RNC chairwoman, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, multiple sources say. She has mild symptoms. She was last with POTUS last Friday and has been in Michigan since then.

  216. 216.

    bluefoot

    @Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!): My guess is that he will be (if he hasn’t already) some of the anti-COVID antibody therapies that are in Phase 3 clinical trials to mitigate disease severity. At least that’s what I would do. So far safety for those therapies looks good. As President, he could probably push to get it without having to enroll in the trial.

    I wonder if he would do it if Fauci recommended it.

  217. 217.

    Aleta

    I’ll be very nervous if they pull him, even if it’s for Pence, who’s demonstrated he’s  obedient and safe, desirable to Evangels and at this point acceptable qualities to all the Rs damaging the brand in public with “I don’t want Biden but I’m not voting for Trump.”

    Give Pence a Cheney and he’s good to go.

    It’s too early to know anything at all.   But for the sake of equal time for  paranoia :) :  Rs who’re capable of a coup against the democratic process and the norms of decency are surely capable of an inside coup against Trump.  They and his doctors already lie to him, so lying about his test to get him offstage?   A noble act, in their minds, to  save the party from a historic train wreck followed by cannibalism.

    In either case for Trump’s actual result, Hicks had to be announced before him:  you use a woman whose image has been kept clean (relatively) to take the edge off the blame for everyone else.   Use Melania  to stir in  a little bit of sympathy for the Trumps.  (If she is positive she must be hopping mad about it since she normally avoids him like the plague.  Ironic.)

  219. 219.

    Punchy

    TPM now saying the RNC Chair tested positive.  Isn’t that Romney’s cousin, or niece once removed, or something?   This just keeps getting better….worse?  Both?

  220. 220.

    TriassicSands

    I know a lot of you are concerned about the stability of the government with Trump being infected, but I have it on good authority that Ivanka and Jared are ready to step in at a moments notice to take over.

  221. 221.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @oldgold: Cool. The entire upper echelons of the Republican Party are an ongoing super spreader event. Hope Democrats and other Biden voters stay masked around them.

    I wouldn’t wish the disease on anyone, by every account the serious version is horrific. But Karma strikes who She will.

  222. 222.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @PPCLI: You know that whole “it’s always projection with these people” thing? My bet is that all the top-level Repubs are gearing up an adenochrome operation.

  226. 226.

    bluefoot

    @PPCLI:

    And it’s not like that isn’t the auditorium where the Cleveland Clinic holds grand rounds or anything.  I hope they decontaminated that space and scrubbed the HVAC but good after the debate.

  227. 227.

    chopper

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    The entire upper echelons of the Republican Party are an ongoing super spreader event.

    which TBF isn’t much of any surprise. did anybody really think that ignoring a viral pandemic wouldn’t eventually lead to this?

  228. 228.

    germy

    @Aleta:  Give Pence a Cheney and he’s good to go.

    I can imagine Pence (and Mother) right now, kneeling in prayer:

    “Lord, whatever You decide regarding Trump,  if You decide to take him into your kingdom of heaven, please know I am ready to meet this awesome responsibility.  Awesome.  Just wanted to let you know.  I am ready.”

  229. 229.

    bluefoot

    @PPCLI:

    I wonder if he believes his own bullshit enough to take HQ.  Or if he’d actually take Fauci’s (or another reputable clinician/scientist’s) advice on what to do.

    Also weird: the language about beginning convalescence process.  If Trump’s doing fine, he’s not convalescing, he’s just isolating and being monitored.

    I hate that we’re in this timeline where I don’t know what to believe.  I mean, that’s how far this administration has corrupted things.

  231. 231.

    TS (the original)

    @Betty Cracker:

    If true, that means he’s NOT asymptomatic and likely spread the virus to God knows how many GOP bigwigs and staffers.

    Yep – and in my part of the world we are told you are contagious up to 48 hours before you have any symptoms, so both Trump, Melania and Hope Hicks could have been contagious at the debate.

    If their close contacts come down with the virus it should prove this is no make believe. Contacts can also take many days before symptoms appear, which is why those VIPs have many tests.

  233. 233.

    prostratedragon

    @Benw: His personal valet has already had a bout of it. Loads of personal staff at one or two removes.

     

    And it seems that Rona McDaniels has now tested positive.

  235. 235.

    artem1s

    @jimmiraybob:

    Packing up and moving to a non-extradition country while the gettin’s good?

    honestly, this was the first thing I thought of. Or that Putin decided to get rid of his puppet. But also,too since everything Trump touches turns to shit, it wouldn’t surprise me if some super genius in his circle tried to infect the Biden’s at the debate and the whole scheme backfired.

    the fact that Trump will get immediate and best care possible (unlike those of us who can’t even get tested) probably will mean he won’t die. But given his overall physical condition it’s likely to be a rough road to recovery.  I guess he’s been symptomatic and lethargic (how can they tell when he’s off his meds?) since Wednesday. Next couple of days will tell how bad he’s going to get.  Johnson had to go into the ICU for a couple of weeks, right?  I wonder if Melania knew on Tuesday when she wouldn’t hold his hand?  Wouldn’t surprise me if she just packs up and gets the hell out of Dodge the minute they let her out of quarantine.

  237. 237.

    TS (the original)

    @JPL:

     the trump team did not reach out to the Biden campaign to notify them

    If the WH does any contact tracing (which seems doubtful) they should have contacted anyone who has been close to trump, Melania & Hope Hicks since at least Tuesday & probably earlier for Hope, if she was the start point. Who did Hope get the virus from?

    All of these people should be in quarantine. This could be a very large cluster of political and government leaders. Yikes.

  238. 238.

    sdhays

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I don’t want him to die. I want him to see America curb stomp his ass on November 3rd.

    I kind of think the best outcome would be for him to recover, but be saddled with chronic exhaustion. I have a friend whose husband had COVID-19 and while he had mild symptoms and is no longer infected, weeks later he still gets exhausted very, very easily.

    Having the world scream how much they hate you and Dump not having the energy to rage against it seems like the perfect little hell for that odious man.

  240. 240.

    germy

    Hot take from a professional:

    The electoral college is built for late swaps, more than any other elected position. Would not be surprised to see Pence-Ivanka emerge over the next week.

    — Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) October 2, 2020

  252. 252.

    MCA1

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Right?  I was so proud of myself earlier this morning, for showing some empathy and thinking “I hope he doesn’t get really ill and die from this,” but then I realized that’s only because I want him to die in prison and not the White House.  I’m also overtaken with anger that these f’ing people went out yesterday and interacted with people like nothing was going on AFTER Hicks had a positive test.  It’s not some bizarre electoral ruse/hoax, because Trump’s malignant narcissism wouldn’t allow for him to pretend he’s ill, but the fact that that’s even a possibility people are discussing is mindblowing evidence of how much this last four years has messed with us.

  253. 253.

    Just Chuck

    @Patricia Kayden: I always thought him getting Parkinson’s disease would have been karmic justice.  Then Michael J Fox could bring down the house doing a bit mocking Trump.

  254. 254.

    topclimber

    @germy: It is so unfair that you did not specify that she was talking about Christmas STUFF, not Christmas itself. You know, the lights, bulbs and decorations that damn near anyone who has ever dealt with have elicited the f-bomb more than once.

    Shame on you.

    It is even more unfair that the public at large will only hear the flack Christmas part of her quote and not so much the stuff part.

    What a shame.

    Thank you karma for the early Christmas present.

  256. 256.

    Ken

    President Trump is showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but mild ones, according to two people familiar with his condition.

    A bunch of old Kremlinologists are going to have to come out of retirement.  They have the necessary experience with analyzing state propaganda and figuring out what might really be happening.  Back in the day, an announcement like this could mean anything from “Beloved comrade Malenkov has a cold” to “un-person and traitor to the nation Malenkov has been liquidated and we will announce the death in two weeks”.

  257. 257.

    TS (the original)

    Doug and I join Joe Biden and Dr. Biden in wishing President Trump and the First Lady a full and speedy recovery. We’re keeping them and the entire Trump family in our thoughts.
    — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 2, 2020

    It really highlights the caring nature & empathy of democrats when  in comparison trump attacked Hillary Clinton for getting pneumonia while campaigning.

  259. 259.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @germy: hmm I did predict if Trump was losing he would come up with some BS not-resignation so Pence would eat the election loss.

  260. 260.

    catclub

    speaking of superspreader events:

    Just hours before President Trump announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, he was mingling with fundraisers at an event held at his New Jersey golf club—and even posed for personal photo-ops with supporters. The event went ahead after the White House learned that one of the president’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for the disease, according to multiple reports.

    Trump was last seen in public Thursday afternoon, when he headed home to the White House after the fundraising trip to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. Ahead of that event, attendees were promised a photo-op with the president, and Trump was due to meet with the winner of a raffle organized to raise funds for his campaign. Despite Hicks’ test, the event went ahead as planned.

  261. 261.

    germy

    @topclimber:  the lights, bulbs and decorations that damn near anyone who has ever dealt with have elicited the f-bomb more than once.

    It must have been exhausting for Melania to give instructions to laborers

    It is even more unfair that the public at large will only hear the flack Christmas part of her quote and not so much the stuff part.

    I have a feeling this will get about five minutes of the media’s attention (except for parts of twitter and blogs like this) before it gets memory holed.  All further coverage of Melania will be “How is she feeling??  Hope she’s okay!!!”

  262. 262.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Immanentize: We really want Trump to lose the election, not die in the office so there is no St Trump the Coveffee cult on the right.

  265. 265.

    Anya

    I hate that we’re in a place were we’re thinking this but this: ” Trump to continue carrying out duties ‘without disruption’ after contracting coronavirus,” is making me doubt that Trump and his evil associates have tested positive. It makes me think that he’ll announce shortly that he has recovered and this is not a big deal or he’ll use it for some form of a propaganda whether it’s about his power and resilience or his crazy treatment methods.

    Having said that, I wish they all have a painful experience. Barron Trump is the only one I am worried about.

  269. 269.

    Kropacetic

    @Anya: I hate that we’re in a place were we’re thinking this but this: ” Trump to continue carrying out duties ‘without disruption’ after contracting coronavirus,” is making me doubt that Trump and his evil associates have tested positive.

    This should provide exactly zero disruption to his Fox News consumption.  It may even augment it.

  278. 278.

    Amir Khalid

    @Betty Cracker:

    Being asymptomatic doesn’t mean you’re not contagious. In fact, asymptomatics are the most dangerous spreaders, precisely because they show no obvious signs of disease.

  279. 279.

    Gravenstone

    @germy: If I may quote myself from Adam’s thread last night…

    Let the mayhem commence. Who will be the first to accuse either the Biden campaign or Democrats in general of intentionally infecting them?

    Seems like you found the winner of that dubious query. Cultists are so predictable.

  282. 282.

    patrick Il

    @TS (the original): I wonder why the Republican party is so obssessed with using the automated machines. If they were truly randomly flawed it would hurt them as much as the Democrats. Perhaps there are problems, seen and unseen, that are not so random. Or perhaps the “fix” is meant in another sense.

  285. 285.

    SFAW

    @catclub:

    I was wondering how beloved(?!)  frontpager Dougj was involved.  But I guess Kamala meant her husband.

    Umm … you DO know that they’re one and the same, right?

  287. 287.

    artem1s

    @Anya:

    Trump to continue carrying out duties ‘without disruption’ after contracting coronavirus

    makes me think he’s not invoking 25 and doesn’t want the press asking about it.

  288. 288.

    patrick II

    Trump flies to his Bedminster resort in New Jersey for a private fundraiser. Several aides who were in proximity to Hicks scrap plans to accompany Trump. White House officials say they learned of Hicks’ positive test soon after Trump boarded Marine One to start his journey to New Jersey.

    If I’m at that fundraiser I’m stopping my check.

  291. 291.

    J R in WV

    I woke up around 4:30 am to take a whiz, checked on the news on B-J — had a hard time going back to sleep with that big ol’ grin. Managed it, stayed down til 10ish.

    No way to tell how this news will affect the polling or ongoing election, still glad to hear the “Hoax” Trump Plague landed at home!

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