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reThe presidency of onald Trump has been full of surprises in the plot. But no tweet has had the same meteor strike as the one sent by the president shortly before 1 a.m. Friday. It felt like the final moment of the season. “Overnight @FlOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19,” Trump wrote. He added, in practical style: “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through it TOGETHER! ”.
The announcement was amazing. And yet, seen through the timeline of Trump’s recent activities, it seems unremarkable and perhaps even cosmically inevitable. For the past five days, the president has behaved with the same reckless disregard for public health standards that has characterized his response to the global coronavirus pandemic since January.
In hindsight, their meetings over the past week seem misjudged, to say the least. On Monday, Trump appeared in the Rose Garden of the White House. He announced new measures to distribute Covid-19 test kits to US states, to defeat what he called the “China virus.” The president was optimistic. He confidently predicted that the pandemic would end soon. “We are turning the corner,” he declared.
His audience consisted of members of Congress and state officials. Few wore masks. Neither did Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who followed the president to the podium. Other administration officials who were present were the secretary of health, Alex M Azar, and the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos. Earlier, Trump inspected a truck in South Lawn and met with Ohio manufacturers.
On Tuesday, Trump was preparing for his first televised debate with Joe Biden, his Democratic rival. These practice sessions were held in the west wing of the White House. As the Washington press corps has frequently pointed out, masks are rarely seen inside the White House building. It was almost as if this area of executive power had been deemed off limits to the virus, a fantasy that would soon prove spectacularly wrong.
Later on Tuesday, Trump boarded Air Force One on his way to the debate in Ohio. With him was a large entourage. It included members of the Trump family: his wife Melania, grown children and senior staff. There was also his trusted aide, Hope Hicks, 31. Since joining his campaign in early 2015, Hicks was often by Trump’s side. She returned to his administration in the spring, after a previous stint as press secretary.
None of the entourage members were seen wearing masks when getting off the plane. Hicks was seen getting into a staff van along with Bill Stepien, the president’s campaign manager, the New York Times reported. Among those on board were campaign strategist Jason Miller, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and policy adviser Stephen Miller.
Inside the debating room, the two candidates stood some distance away. It was a spiteful and horrible night, memorable for Trump talking about her rival. Now stand out for a moment. On stage in Cleveland, Trump mocked Biden for his habit of wearing a mask in public. “I think the masks are fine,” Trump said. He noted that both candidates had been tested for the virus, just before their television showdown, adding: “I wear a mask when I think I need it.”
And then Trump went on the attack. Speaking directly to Biden, Trump suggested his rival’s precautions were overdone. And ridiculous: “I don’t wear a mask like him. Every time you see him, he has a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from them and he appears wearing the largest mask I’ve ever seen. ”To emphasize his point, Trump spread his arms. Biden was very close to Trump for 90 minutes.
The Trump family watched from the audience. None wore masks. This show of support for the president was, it seemed, transgressive. And in clear violation of the reception rules, which required the use of blue surgical masks. A Cleveland Clinic doctor in a white lab coat had even attempted to approach Trump family guests and offer them a mask. She was unsuccessful. Someone shook their head as they approached, according to a news report.
On the flight back to Washington DC, Jared Kushner chatted with his colleagues, again without a mask; On the runway, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump shared an umbrella with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr.
But it was Wednesday that turned out to be the highlight of the 2020 US elections. Trump continued his campaign activities. There was a fundraiser at the home of a private donor in Minneapolis, and then a rally in Duluth. Everything was as usual: warm-up music for the tight crowd waiting for the president, followed by the theatrical arrival of Air Force One.
Trump emerged solemnly. He greeted his followers. Upon reaching the stage, he threw a pair of “Maga” baseball caps at the audience behind him. And then he embarked on his usual speech: how he had “won big” in his debate with “Sleepy Joe”, and how he would put America first during his second term in the White House. Inquisitive observers might have noticed that it finished early and left after just 45 minutes.
Behind the scenes, something was wrong. Hicks had accompanied Trump on his trip to Minneapolis. At this point, he felt bad. His symptoms were ominous: probably cough, headache, or both. On the trip home, Hicks isolated himself in a separate part of the cabin. When he landed, he exited the back of the plane.
Until Wednesday, the president’s behavior could be defended. After all, Hicks had separated from other members of the White House staff as soon as he became ill. For the next 24 hours, however, Trump continued as if nothing had happened. It was a remarkable act of arrogance that may have caused the virus to spread. Key members of his administration also failed to isolate themselves.
On Thursday, Hicks tested positive. The news tore through the White House like an explosion, shattering the complacency that had once prevailed. Amid consternation, and one imagines fear, White House staff began wearing masks. News of Hicks’ diagnosis was not made public. The hope among the senior staff was that this would be kept a secret. The mood was one of mounting panic, according to reports.
Meanwhile, some of Trump’s closest aides said they felt on Wednesday that Trump was feeling bad. They attributed it to the fatigue caused by an intense campaign schedule. The president seemed exhausted, a person familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.
Seemingly unconcerned, Trump flew to his Bedminister golf resort in New Jersey for a private fundraising event. Several assistants who had been very close to Hicks were to go with him. They canceled. At the golf club, Trump made a speech and mingled with his supporters at a panel discussion. As usual, he was not wearing a mask. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who had been with Hicks on Wednesday, did not cover her face when briefing reporters.
Trump was tested for Covid-19 later Thursday, after returning to the White House. For a while longer he went on as usual. The president gave a telephone interview to Sean Hannity of Fox News. Speaking from his residence, he sounded a little hoarse. Trump explained that both he and the first lady were being tested for the coronavirus. The result, delivered via Twitter early Friday, came as much of the United States was asleep.
Over the past nine months, Trump has sought to downplay the importance of the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and more than 1 million people worldwide. Above all, he has rejected social distancing. For a long time he downplayed the importance of wearing masks. As the number of cases has risen, Trump has pushed for states to reopen their economies. The president even gleefully predicted that the “virus” would disappear, as if by magic.
It was not so. And now Trump has become his most famous victim.
