Disclaimer: at the time of writing, the results of the 2020 Presidential Election are unknown.
As COVID-19’s presence has become common fare for the world, the initial nationwide panic has begun to trend downwards, and some citizens have let their guard down in terms of safety procedures. One example of such behavior was the Supreme Court nomination event in the Rose Garden on September 26, in which Donald Trump announced his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court Justice after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18. The event was attended by 200 people, and many photos show guests sitting close together without masks, not following widely accepted safety guidelines.
Eight of the people who participated in the event had already been confirmed to have the virus by October 3, and several more politicians in Trump’s inner circle followed suit, including his senior advisor Stephen Miller, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and two Republican senators that had contact with Trump at the ceremony. Hope Hicks, Trump’s senior advisor, tested positive on October 1, quickly followed by Trump and Melania confirming they were infected two days later. Social media was flooded with expressive opinions, with users frequently referencing the irony of Trump’s comment towards Biden during the first Presidential debate, in which he mocked Biden for often wearing a mask.
Biden then tested negative and tweeted, “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the President and his family.” Trump assured the public he was asymptomatic, but was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 2, where he reportedly ran a high fever and began to show symptoms. Three days later, he left the hospital and returned to the White House, tweeting, “Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump administration, some really great drugs and knowledge. I feel better than 20 years ago!” His comment sparked criticism all over Twitter concerning his ignorant behavior.
Upon returning to the White House, Trump was seen removing his mask and waving to cameras. Many commented that he seemed to have difficulty breathing, but White House physician Sean Conley said Trump was doing fine. When giving a briefing outside Walter Reed the Saturday of Trump’s hospitalization, Conley stated, “This morning, the President is doing very well. At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress he has made.” Trump also spoke about the “cure” he received for COVID: a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies manufactured by Regeneron, a biotechnology company. The antibodies were developed using human cells from a fetus aborted decades ago, which was seen by many as controversial due to Trump’s mainly pro-life stance. The Trump administration had previously suspended federal funding for most new scientific research projects involving fetal tissue from an aborted fetus in 2019, potentially halting or slowing down medical progress. However, all three major vaccine makers in the US have received funding from the White House, despite all using fetal tissue in some way in their research.
A common concern brought up by American citizens is that this so-called “cure” is not affordable for most Americans, especially those without medical insurance. Trump’s medical costs were all covered by the federal government, including his three days at the hospital, helicopter rides to and from Walter Reed, multiple COVID tests, steroids, oxygen, and the experimental antibody treatment. According to the New York Times, a hair colorist in Brooklyn reportedly received a $1,394 bill for getting a COVID test, a huge expense for many working class Americans. As described by Fair Health, a non-profit in NYC, the median cost for COVID hospitalization for a patient over 60 is $61,912, and $31,575 for insured patients. Taking a helicopter to the hospital would add on $38,770, or $21,698 after the insurance payout. Not having to pay for the expenses personally made Trump’s recovery far more feasible than it would have been for the average American citizen.
The week previous to Trump’s positive test was fairly busy, during which he could have already been infected due to COVID’s incubation period. On September 25, he attended a fundraiser, and on September 26, after the Rose Garden event, he flew to Pennsylvania for a rally. He then attended both the reception for Gold Star military families on September 27 and the Cleveland debate on September 29. Trump often openly refuses to wear a mask, putting other attendees of the events at a higher risk.
Most of the infected people in Trump’s political circle had been at debate preparations and Barrett’s nomination. For example, Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, tested positive after traveling to the debate with Trump on Air Force One, and Michael Shear, a reporter who had traveled to a rally with him, also tested positive and experienced symptoms. The Vice Commander of the United States Coast Guard also became infected shortly after visiting the Gold Star families event at the White House, where masks were not worn and social distancing guidelines were not observed.
As cases in the US continue to grow, it is abundantly clear the crisis is not ending anytime soon. It is currently unknown exactly where Trump contracted COVID, and who else might be infected, a story that will surely unravel in the coming weeks. As Dr. Fauci, a member of the White House COVID task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says, “We’ve got to get those numbers down. If we don’t get them down, we’re going to have a really bad situation in the fall.”