October Surprise？ President Trump Tests Positive for Coronavirus
News Compiled and Reported by Taiwan Weekly
On the early morning of October 2, President Donald Trump of the United States and his wife Melania Trump were announced that they have been diagnosed positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). It shocked the world. President Trump was reported with low fever, cough, and nasal congestion. On the evening of October 2, President Trump and the first lady checked in to the presidential medical unit of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It was the 74-year-old president’s first visit as a patient.
But Mr. Trump spent only three days in the hospital, returning to the White House by helicopter on the evening of May 5. Sean Conley, the White House physician, said that while Mr. Trump may not be completely out of danger, based on assessment and clinical status, the team agreed that Mr. Trump could be discharged from the hospital and returned to the White House for round-the-clock care.
The president’s medical team expressed on October 3 that President Trump was in good condition. His heart, lung, and kidney were all functioning well, with no sign of fever more than 24 hours, and no breathing problem. The symptoms of coughing, nasal congestion, and fatigue were alleviating. According to one physician, President Trump has been walking to and working in his office.
On the evening of October 1, Bloomberg reported that President Trump’s core staffer Hope Hicks has been tested positive for coronavirus. President Trump shortly revealed in an interview on Fox News that he and the first lady Melania Trump both had coronavirus tests. In the early morning of October 2, Trump announced in his Twitter that he and the first lady were diagnosed positive with coronavirus. Financial markets were shocked. European and American stock and futures markets were dropped immediately. The Dow Jones Industrial Average once dropped 580 points, NASDAQ Composite Index dropped up to 2.4 percent, and most Asian stock markets were also dropped.
The worst news was that on October 3, many of President Trump’s campaign team members, aides, and contacts, including two Republican Congressmen and reporters were diagnosed positive. The White House has appeared “cluster infection”. Among the 23 people from the White House tested positive for coronavirus, except the Trump couple, at least seven of them have attended the White House festivities honoring Supreme Court nominee Amy Barrett on September 26, in the Rose Garden. That gathering may become a “super spreading rally”, because at least 180 people attended the festivities, and most of them neither wear a mask, nor keep social distance. Considering the incubation period, number of the infected may raise up again. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, also reported to have been diagnosed with coronavirus, became the third infected Republican senator.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has taken twice coronavirus tests, both tests were negative. In the debate on September 29 he was very near to President Trump, fortunately he was not infected. The coronavirus tests for Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris were negative. According to the reports, the vice-presidential debate on October 7 will be held as scheduled. As to second presidential debate on October 15, Trump tweeted that he looks forward to attend. Biden replied that he would attend as long as experts determine that it is safe.
Many world leaders have sent their concerns to President Trump’s diagnosis with the coronavirus. Our President Tsai Ing-wen has not only sent her concerns through the channel of Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the U.S. government, but also in her Twitter wishing President Trump and the first lady a prompt recovery. It reads as follows: “On behalf of the government & the people of Taiwan, wishing @POTUS & @FLOTUS a swift recovery. Yes, we will get through this together.”
Mainland China, an enemy in the eyes of President Trump, dealt with this news with low profile. After more than 24 hours, official Chinese media reported that President Xi Jinping sent his concerns to President Trump. On October 3, CCTV reported Xi’s telegram to President Trump as follows: “We have learned that President Trump and first lady Melania have diagnosed Covid-19 positive, my wife Peng Li-yuan and I herewith wish to send our best wishes for your prompt recovery.”
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 200,000 Americans, more than 7.3 million Americans been diagnosed positive. President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis may increase general public’s awareness of the Trump administration’s poor performance handling the pandemic, and make Trump’s presidential campaign, which is now behind in the polls, more difficult.
There are many assumptions in the markets that some certain incidents which could change the election path may break out before the November presidential election. That is so-called “October surprise”. Will Trump be the “October surprise”? The whole world is watching.
President Trump’s physician Sean Conley announced to the public that the medicines which have been taken by President Trump included the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ experimental “polyclonal antibody cocktail”, and Remdesivir, an experimental antibody treatment, not yet received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment for coronavirus, but it’s gotten an emergency use authorization from FDA.
According the analysis, President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis can hardly gain sympathy votes. On the contrary, it may show the Trump administration’s grave mis-judgement of the pandemic. The best way to reduce the impact is to recover soon.