Not sure I'm buying this "It's a trick!" line of thought

[EarlG]

The theory: It's a hoax, so that in a few weeks the headlines will read, Mighty Trump shrugs off COVID! Marvel at his toughness and realize how insignificant the virus really is!

I get it: Trump is a slippery bastard who is seemingly capable of any dirty trick. But, this story means that for the next couple of weeks, all we're going to be talking about is:

1) Coronavirus
2) How irresponsible Trump was to ignore the recommendations of his own health experts
3) How incompetent he is for getting the whole White House infected
4) What an asshole he is for holding all those packed rallies
5) All the times he belittled COVID and dismissed the thousands who have died
6) His health and fitness for office
7) Coronavirus -- remember? The pandemic that has killed 200,000 people because Trump handled it so pathetically?

I just don't see how pretending to have COVID would be good for Trump politically. And remember: this guy is a massive narcissist who considers himself infallible and invulnerable. To him, showing any kind of perceived weakness is unthinkable. I just can't imagine him pretending to have COVID because he thinks it will give him a political advantage.

You know what would have given him a political advantage? Denouncing white supremacists! And he couldn't even do that, because he thought he would look weak! I don't think he's going to pretend he's got COVID.

Edited to add: and let's be real, the coronavirus is highly infectious, and Trump and his team have totally ignored the recommendations for avoiding it. They don't wear masks, they don't socially distance, they mingle with large crowds in closed buildings... isn't is COMPETELY LIKELY that he would have caught it?

[Claustrum]

1. Agree!!!!!

[BigmanPigman]

2. I have been reading post after post saying that...

thank you for YOUR post. It is realistic.

[ecstatic]

3. True, but what if he's faking it so that he can get his final grifts in

before resigning, getting pardoned by Pence and/or fleeing the country?

I really hope the FBI is following the money and foreign communications.

[EarlG]

16. I don't think he's psychologically capable of faking it

What you see is what you get with Trump, and what you see is a raging narcissist who could never admit weakness for a single second, and who thinks that coronavirus is a disease for suckers and losers.

Trump isn't Machiavellian -- all of his schemes are dumb, transparent, and they are carried out clumsily. The only reason he gets away with them is because of the sheer force of his bluster and bullshit (and friendly RW media and Republican Senators carrying water for him).

Pretending to have COVID would be massively out of character for Trump.

[Pacifist Patriot]

84. Completely agree.

[cstanleytech]

33. Oh I have zero doubt he will flee because a presidential pardon rarely will block state level

criminal charges.
So my guess is he will be on the first jet out of the US on his last day in office with his family fleeing to Russia most likely with a ton of classified information to give Putin in exchange for safe haven like Snowden.

[onetexan]

71. first thing that came to mind when i read the headlines - this must be a ploy to either resign or

for some nefarious reason we've yet to learn. Maybe he's now too lazy to campaign in person? Make his rabid followers feel sorry for him so they can send in more money? This dangerous man lies daily. Unless he's hospitalized and intubated or worse like Boris Johnson i'm skeptical.

[Grasswire2]

4. unless it's an escape hatch so Pence can be acting and pardon him. nt

[JI7]

5. And one of their attacks on Biden has been to try to claim he is physically weak

If they are going to go this far in lying about something I just think they would come up with something else .

Maybe even something like claim Melania has some illness and he needs to be with her and therefore he can't debate or avoid whatever else he wants.

[hedda_foil]

6. I'm with you EarlG. Getting sick looks weak.

And getting sick with covid -19 makes him wrong. Mighty Trump must always be look strong and right in Trumpworld so this is the last thing he would fake.

[renate]

22. Yes exactly!

If he wanted a physical excuse to get out of the debates, he could have “gotten“ gastroenteritis or something the day of the next debate.

Getting Covid just makes it obvious that he was wrong about it being a hoax. You and I know he was lying; even his most devoted acolytes will see him basically admitting he was wrong.

[TeamPooka]

52. Although if he wanted to get out of the last two debates cleanly this would do it.

[Bengus81]

79. Yeah but...kicking Covids ASS with a quick recovery looks strong and shows it's like the flu

I doubt it's a set up but with a 24/7 liar like that POS it does make people wonder.

[vsrazdem]

7. Dow is already down 500 points after the announcement. When the job numbers come

out tomorrow it will be worse. There is no way he would have done this if is wasn't true.

[wnylib]

47. I don't understand why the Dow would

be down just because the orange fascist says he is sick. What does that have to do with stocks?

[vsrazdem]

49. Seriously. It puts the government in an tizzy. Anytime there is no certainty for wall street, they

go crazy.

[Rstrstx]

57. Many, mostly related to uncertainty

There are now many more questions about the campaign and the US itself that have been upended.

What does this do to the election?

What happens to the stimulus bill?

What if the president gets seriously ill?

Is there a potential for wild conspiracy theories spreading disinformation? Riots?

Do people start becoming more conservative in their habits and/or more restrictions get implemented?

Can a bad actor somewhere in the world try and use the opportunity for a geopolitical advantage?

How many people in the line of succession are at risk?

All the consequences of this have not yet come into focus, so all of a sudden there’s this big unknown introduced into the US system and, by extension, the economy.

[Qutzupalotl]

8. He knows he's losing

and can’t stomach it. It’s possible, albeit unlikely, that he is pretending to have the virus to bow out gracefully, and let Pence win or lose.

He’s in such legal jeopardy once he becomes a private citizen, his best move is probably fleeing the country, with or without faking his own death. I’m not saying he’s doing that, but I would not put it past him.

[JI7]

11. But if you are going to make up something why THIS of all things ?

[Qutzupalotl]

14. It's available and convenient (sort of).

Again, not saying he’s doing that, but I’m also not NOT saying it.

[Skraxx]

9. It Would be the Stupidest Desperate Gambit Ever

Sure, it could be a gambit. But who cares. It’s a disaster for Trump. Full stop.

[Marie Marie]

10. I may be the biggest fool on the planet but I do think this is not a ploy.

I also agree that testing positive does not help Trump. The problem is Trump's constant lying. Once you've proven yourself a liar, you will spend the rest of your life trying to prove that you're not. So I understand the skepticism. But I still think that this is all very real and Trump has tested positive. Now my question will be whether or not he becomes symptomatic and/or very ill.

[underpants]

12. I agree. He can simply never show weakness.

In fact he returns to punch down on those he defeats and who do show weakness.

It’s real. It’s real ironic too, I just have to say.

[pamela]

13. Sickness is weakness in his peabrain.

He would never admit to being sick unless he had to. No way this is fake.

[Silent3]

15. Oh, I'm pretty sure it's real because it makes perfect medical sense...

...with all of the crazy risks Trump and his people have been taking.

On the other hand, however, it's hard to entirely shake off thoughts of crazy deceptions and shenanigans too, because so much else has been fake.

[Skraxx]

18. It would have also probably been fairly easy for him to have been purposefully infected

Maybe Putin’s getting restless.

[Hortensis]

17. Agree, of course. And given the way he's been living his life,

and the ongoing exposures of people working around him, this doesn't even qualify as a surprise, October or otherwise (except to him, perhaps, given his superior genes). Bad dumb luck, sure.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. Ooooh, you totally channeled my 'Alex Jones' theory on this. nt

[cayugafalls]

20. I agree. Trump could never fake having COVID due to it making him look weak.

He would not stand for it.

His stupidity and arrogance cost him a possible fatal disease.

At this point we can only hope for the best.








I'll just let that last statement sit there...

[ecstatic]

36. If he is faking, it means he's mentally moved past the idea of a second term

and is now planning his post-presidency future.

A lot of people who know him have predicted that he might resign.

[Sogo]

21. 100% agree....

....and well stated.

[marybourg]

23. I'll wait, just to make sure he doesn't make a "miraculous recovery'"

in 3 days, showing that he’s the “healthiest person ever”, and “proving” that it’s no worse than the flu.

I think a person who racks up 20,000 lies in less than 4 years should have every statement disbelieved initially, and until good proof otherwise emerges.

[Cha]

35. There is that & he has some "miraculous vaccine"

to sell us.

[AdamGG]

42. or he takes the hydroxy again and it knocks the COVID right out of him

[MyMission]

56. The vaccine he took that didn't work?

The vaccine that perhaps gave him (or Hope) the virus which they can now spread?
That wouldn't surprise me. (Something like that happened during the initial polio vaccine release, a tainted batch that infected with polio and caused community spread.)

I agree with folks here saying he wouldn't lie about having Covid because it would show him to be weak and vulnerable. And he was bound to get it eventually, given his enforced lack of PPE, and the rising numbers in most states.

May the good Lord call him home and give him a stern talking to, and dispatch him to purgatory!

[Liberty Belle]

24. He's too much of a narcissist to give up his rallies and the adulation of his idiot crowds.

I believe he really has it.

So here's a point to ponder: If he winds up on a ventilator and Melania has to make a decision on his future, how fast will she pull the plug?

[ToxMarz]

25. He wasn't getting enough executive time

Now he gets to lay in bed all day watching TV instead of just most of the day.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

26. Your post really holds water, my dear EarlG!

I think you're absolutely right. I'm very curious to see just where all this goes.

[littlemissmartypants]

27. Kicked and recommended. ❤ nt

[Crunchy Frog]

28. I don't think it's a trick, but I do think it's a gambit.

He's counting on people rallying around him in his moment of crisis, and playing the martyr. And I'm not sure that enough people have the sense not to be sucked in.

Also, who's going to speak Ill of him during his heroic struggle? Who's going to continue to mention his performance in that debate.

I think it's an act of desperation on his part because he would literally rather die than lose.

In any event, I think the timing is good for him and bad for us.

[AdamGG]

51. It will be the ultimate example of his incompetence and failure

At first, I thought that the timing seemed convenient with things snowballing more against him after the debate and this would give him a break.

But, I don't see how a sympathy reaction can outplay the just desserts reaction that his incompetence, mismanagement, lies, denial have come home to roost. He made fun of Biden not having rallies because no one would want to go, made fun of Biden wearing a mask all the time - I don't see how it won't benefit Biden to be seen as the one who managed not to get COVID, and stressed the seriousness of the situation.

The most likely outcome is that this makes President Pandemic even more of a laughingstock.

[sandensea]

29. Then again, we can't underestimate the sympathy effect

Plus of course, this gives Cheeto a convenient out from the next two debates (as well as Dense Pence, from his).

That said, I certainly hope you're right.

[BainsBane]

30. You're probably right

It's just that with Trump, you never know.

[NanceGreggs]

31. He knows he's lost re-election ...

... so I don't think 'political advantage' is in play here.

But I don't take anything that comes out of this WH at face value. Maybe he is sick, maybe he's not. We'll see what happens over the next few days and weeks ...

[Cha]

32. TY.. I don't, either. Also don't think he's going

to get any "sympathy" vote from anyone but the cult45.. for the excellent reasons you listed.

This is what I posted about it..

Why should trump get "sympathy" for Reaping what he Sowed?

trump still called it a "democrat hoax for 70
precious days" & encouraging his fans Not to wear masks.. trump Mocked Masks.. Mocked them at the Debate.. Mocked Biden wearing Masks.. & now trump has COVID.

Also trump has been documented as the number 1 person in the country who has spread the Most Misinformation about COVID.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017609169

trump LIED to the Country about COVID.. now there are at least 211, 000 people dead from it.. and it caught up with trump, too.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14180847

Regarding your ETA.. Yes it is completely likely somebody in, the Flaunting the COVID protocol rules, would get it.

I've seen posts on here asking.. Why hasn't trump gotten it yet?! He seemed invincible until he wasn't.

[EarlG]

37. Yeah, I mean he has literally reaped what he sowed

He's spread so much bullshit around about this deadly disease, and now 200,000 Americans are dead. Many of them did not have to die, but they did because Trump lied to them.

This is a real, highly infectious disease! Trump ignored and belittled all the protocols, and now it's bitten him in the ass.

There are going to be a lot of polite things said about him over the next few days because serious politicians don't want to come over all "told you so."

But if you saw someone running into traffic repeatedly until they eventually got hit by a car, while you might feel a twinge of sympathy for the fact that they had been injured, you'd also consider it entirely their own fault.

[Cha]

40. Yeah, what are all those Anti-Mask Stormers gonna

do now.. that their Cult leader has the "hoax" Virus?

Polite things.. "Thoughts and prayers, trumps.

[Skittles]

34. I agree with this assessment

I also fail to see how he gets a lot of sympathy - his cult fans think it's a hoax and those of us with critical thinking skills know he is full of shit

[AlexSFCA]

38. To lie about something like this would require a huge conspiracy

trump is not disciplined enough to pull this off. He’s got it, it’s clear. As with anything he does, he’ll turn it into political theater trying every trick to turn it into positive.

[garybeck]

41. Another explanation is

He knows he is going to lose the election so this is his way out without losing. It's not that this would help him politically, it's that he wants out

[Garion_55]

43. i doubt its a trick. i thought he got infected months ago

but pretending to have the virus now, shutting down his rallies, being locked in his basement for two weeks, everyone back talking about the virus again, him looking weak......none of that seems to help him right now 30 days away.

[dalton99a]

46. I think he had a mild case and recovered, hence the blase attitude and contempt for mask-wearing

[dalton99a]

44. Trump never revealed his true height and weight or his medical condition. Why now?

[AdamGG]

54. Would he have a choice if he tested positive?

If it was at another time, he might be able to hide it, but if White House medical staff know that he has COVID, would they allow him to continue with the rallies and debates?

If he suddenly had to drop out from those activities now, he'd have no choice but to reveal his diagnosis, or to make up a very involved lie. He can't just say he's gone to hike the Appalachian trail.

[Dopers_Greed]

45. Now conservatives are going to become worried about the pandemic

And scream that liberals aren't masking and social distancing enough.

[durablend]

75. And the screed

"WHY DIDN'T BIDEN STOP THE PANDEMIC?!?!?"

[Maru Kitteh]

48. Too many of our population in general simply *must* have their conspiracies.

It's a weakness on both sides of the aisle.

[budkin]

50. Agree totally, he gets off on being invincible

And would NEVER agree to pretend to catch a virus he doesn't even believe is real.

[oasis]

53. Democrats are holding all the Aces on this deal. nt

[BootinUp]

55. nicely put as usual.

i agree completely. but it seemed pretty obvious so i figured it would pass.

[Eyeball_Kid]

58. 90% chance that Trump's campaign is over.

Even if he's asymptomatic. He loses too much time in quarantine. He can't go to rallies. He can't go maskless macho. He can't talk down the pandemic. He can't claim that he's vulnerable at all, no less from a virus. Two weeks. And that's if he has no symptoms. If he's got symptoms, ANY symptoms, he may never see a campaign event again.

Desserts can't be just enough.

He will never suffer in a way equivalent to all of the suffering he's caused others.

[Aussie105]

59. Got to ask . . .

What is the connection between the US (and AU) stock markets, the economy in those countries, and Donald's state of health?

Personally, I can't see a connection between those things.

So why are the markets freaking out?

The Australian ASX200 did a big dip when it was announced. 211,00 deaths in the US, markets don't react, yet Trump has (may have ) caught the bug, and panic sets in.

Don't understand that.

[JohnnyRingo]

60. I think he's infected.

Figures that he fumbled Covid response so badly that it will cost him personally, like every other endeavor in his life.

Seems about right to me.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

61. What if

he figured if he were to catch it, with every experimental virus vaccine there is anywhere in the world ,and knowing now a cure will not be ordered nor will one force it's way through, if the president of the United States has it, than the process may well be expedited , quick results. et. hail Mary pass. Roll of the dice. Desperate measures. And or a way out from under it.

[Aussie105]

67. A vaccine prevents you catching it.

Once you have it, a vaccine will do nothing.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

87. OK , I said vaccine and did not clarify the research and experiments going on world wide

here is the point- The decision to give Trump an experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail illustrates how concerned the White House may be about his Covid-19 diagnosis, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN medical analyst and professor at George Washington University, told CNN on Friday.
"The big news there is that he got an experimental drug. He got a drug not approved by the FDA," said Reiner, who has treated former Vice President Dick Cheney.

We shall see where it goes from this point on down those avenues.

[ffr]

62. His getting it and recovering line is one, but that won't win him votes already cast.

I'm thinking he's going to fake his and Melania's deaths to escape to Russia, probably in the next 5 days. Leaving Pence and the GOP holding the bag.

[dchill]

63. Reality finally came to rest atop magical thinking.

In other words, Karma bites.

[muriel_volestrangler]

64. It could be possible he thinks announcing "I never showed symptoms - my body is strong!"

would look good. And this gives him a reason for not doing more debates.

However, I think the clincher that this is indeed real is that he's going to have to stop doing his petri dish rallies for at least 10 days. He loves them, and thinks they're key to him somehow winning. He's lost a minimum of a third of those between now and election day. I can't see he'd give them up for a high-risk lie. He may like fucking things up, but he has to keep his personal situation stable.

[orleans]

65. friend of mine proposed this idea

1. trump knows he's gonna lose the election so he comes down with a case of the "hoax" -- and will end up getting out of show business due to his "health"
2. pence takes over and pardons the asshole
3. thereby allowing the asshole to get away with everything

[dalton99a]

66. He's got it:

[Aussie105]

68. Well, the tests came back positive.

The quick tests available are at best 94% accurate, ie 6% or more of the test gives false positives or false negatives.

Let's see if he actually develops symptoms.

[radius777]

69. Agree, and it shows Trump as weak, he lost to the virus.

It brings the entire argument back onto Trump and the pandemic - and the fact that Joe is correct.

[rb15]

70. well said!

[Sunsky]

72. Same here

No good comes from this for team Trump. He was reckless. He mismanaged COVID and this is the result. The Woodward tapes proved that he knew the seriousness of this virus yet he failed to protect the country and himself. Over 200, 000 people died. Trump is a failure.

The Cleveland Clinic doctors begged his entourage to wear masks at the debate and they refused. He made fun of Biden for wearing a mask (the biggest masks he has ever seen... all the time). His stupidity has lead to his demise and his team has now become super spreaders.

I just hope VP Biden and Dr. Biden are ok. I'm so pissed. VP Biden spent all this time protecting himself and is now in danger because of one super spreader event (the presidential debate). I wish they had debated through zoom. Then, the clown knew that Hope Hicks was positive, yet still attended a campaign event today. This is reckless endangerment/ gross mismanagement.

I believe they are now in the White House plotting how to spin this in their favor BUT we won't let them.

[ucrdem]

73. What if they knew before the debate, and were trying to spread it to Biden?

That wouldn't surprise me one bit, and I thought that was what was probably going on with the sick assistant before I heard that Trump and his wife, who sailed right up on stage not far from Biden and Jill immediately after the debate, are also sick. So that's at least three sick people in close proximity to Biden and his wife, indoors

And we're supposed to believe they didn't know they were spreading the virus until the next day?

[ihas2stinkyfeet]

74. i agree, but if they say he has croaked

i want to see him laying in that casket.
closed casket? imma call bullshit

[bullwinkle428]

76. Nailed. They've been playing with fire for 8 FUCKING MONTHS! Why is this

a shock to people that some of them are ending up in the burn unit?

[Yonnie3]

77. We don't trust that he and his enablers will tell the truth

It's natural to assume that this is all a ploy with the history of lies.

After discussing this here in Yonnie's castle we decided it it likely he is infected.

The initial hiding of the Hicks infection from staff and media seems more 'rump's mode of operation. He doesn't want his opinion of the virus contradicted. He doesn't want to be seen as anything other than invincible, but with the White House leaks he needed to say he was ill to control the narrative.

We also wonder just when he first tested positive on the quick test and if he continued fundraising and campaigning after a positive result. That sure sounds like him.

A report now says he is mildly symptomatic. I suspect it is more than mild or he would insist on continuing the campaign and hiding the positive result.

[Maeve]

78. I don't buy it either, for the reasons you list

It makes him look weak and that is kryptonite to his image

[bigtree]

80. truth a casualty in this mess, as well

...

[mcar]

81. Plus, this could very well tank the stock market

Which is the only thing IMPOTUS has to run on.

[ThoughtCriminal]

82. Disagree - Faking it works for Trump

For the record, I think he probably really has tested positive. This administration and Trump in particular have been careless.

But I do think that he would have considered the politics of lying about this even after a negative result. He has a LONG history - from "bone spurs" to his current health of getting doctors to cover for him.

1. It gets the debate disaster, the FLOTUS tapes, "Proud Boys", polls, and other disasters out of the headlines
2. From his perspective, it does not show weakness to get COVID, it shows weakness to DIE from it. Surviving it proves he is "Strong"
3. This motivates the "Thoughts and Prayers" base. Surviving feeds the whole "Selected by God" narrative
4. Surviving also supports the "COVID is not a big deal" part of the base.
5. And because his base has no problem with contradiction, it also feeds the conspiracy base.
6. It makes attacks him appear cruel - even when unrelated to illness.
7. His supporter will have no difficulty finding examples of "Extremists want Trump to die".
8. They lie about everything. EVERYTHING.

[Squinch]

83. If he turns up in a week or two feeling fresh as a daisy, I won't be gobsmacked.

I think he really has it, but there's no way I would put it past him to lie about it.

And as other posters have said, it gets him out of his most immediate problem, which is the next debate. He doesn't think logically, he thinks like a reptile. What is the next thing he's scared of? The debate. Some of his staff are getting sick. Aha! A way out of the next debate.

Applying logic to him is a mistake we make too often. He is not rational. A rational person would have thrown everything at conquoring Covid, and would have had a measure of success that would have guaranteed him a second term. Instead, Trump put his head under the covers and pretended it wasn't there. Because it scared him and that was the easiest way to avoid it. And, as you say, there are a dozen rational things he could do right now to improve his standing, but that's just not the way he rolls.

I think he has it. But if it turns out he doesn't, I won't be in the least bit surprised.

[Blue Owl]

85. Time will tell

I personally am not going to put any thoughts out there that might downplay the potential impact of the virus...

[Caliman73]

86. Count me in on your bandwagon.

Unfortunately, that these ideas have been so widespread, shows just how much Trump has been able to get people to question logic and reality.

I agree that there really isn't an angle where he looks good. He got the virus that he has been down playing this whole time. WE, the people who have been listening to scientists and experts, know that the death rate is fairly low over all. We know that the vast majority of people who get the virus and who are in relatively good health, will experience mild symptoms and likely recover without too many negative effects. WE also know that 210,000 people have died in only 7 months, so it is worse than the flu. Trump also knows and admitted to that on tape with Woodward.

They will certainly try to spin it into something that might be helpful to Trump, but the reality is that Trump is in the corner and painted the floor around him on this. He is not getting out without getting paint on himself.

[SMC22307]

88. You had me at "slippery bastard." (n/t)