Just hours after telling attendees at the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation’s annual dinner that an end to the pandemic was in sight, Donald Trump’s name was added to the long list of those who’ve been afflicted by it.
Like so many of the consequential announcements he has made during his presidency, Trump broke the news that he – along with his wife Melania – had tested positive for Covid-19 with a post to his Twitter account shortly before 1am on Friday. An official announcement came roughly 10 minutes later, under the signature of Commander Sean Conley, the Navy Medical Corps officer who serves as physician to the president.
According to Trumpworld sources, political strategists, and other Washington insiders, the president’s disclosure of his positive Covid-19 test may well have had another purpose: announcing the de facto end of his hopes of re-election.
The more public-facing members of Trump’s White House staff have largely attempted to give the impression of business as usual. Addressing reporters outside the West Wing on Friday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows characterised the president’s symptoms as “mild” and his mood as being “in good spirits” as he spent the day in quarantine, working out of the White House residence, even as he cautioned that other White House staffers would almost certainly test positive for the virus.
Indeed, when Meadows first began speaking to reporters outside the White House (sans mask), the first thing he mentioned was not Covid-related, but instead the recently released unemployment numbers from last month.
Other White House officials, including National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow and Trump’s top trade adviser Peter Navarro, continued the administration’s attempt to focus attention on the economy with appearances before the press both in person and on the phone. During an attempt to hold a conference call with reporters about the president’s “buy American” policies, Navarro angrily ended the question-and-answer session when a reporter appeared to begin asking a question about the testing program for White House staffers.
But some of those in Trump’s orbit whose jobs do not include carrying his message to the press were more circumspect about what testing positive for Covid-19 means for the president’s immediate future.
“He’s f**ked, we’re f**ked,” said one White House aide who is not authorised to speak publicly. “No matter what we do, the next two weeks or more will be about him not being able to protect himself or us from Covid.”
