vox--2020-10-04--4 winners and 2 losers from Saturday Night Live’s season premiere

Saturday Night Live made the bold decision to return to studio 8H this fall , following a truncated season that saw the cast sequestered in their individual homes .
Those episodes provided some of the freshest sketches SNL has aired in years , indulging its performers ’ more absurd , even experimental comedic talents .
Going back to the studio didn ’ t necessarily mean going back to “ normal ” for SNL , however : There ’ s still the issue of Covid-19 , its impact on film production , and its continued toll on the society that SNL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing is the norm ; more than 1 million people worldwide have died .
As of this Friday , right before the season premiere , even President Donald Trump has contracted the illness .
Not only did the season premiere suggest that the cast and crew took an abundance of caution in putting on a show , but it also elegantly commented on or winked at the heaps of news events that have dominated the United States over the past month .
Everyone from the onstage band members to the studio audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks as did the cast at the end of the show .
And non-Covid-related events , like the mid-September death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , received heartfelt , considerate shoutouts .
( Kate McKinnon ostensibly retired her RBG impression with a brief appearance at the end of Weekend Update , followed by a “ rest in power ” title card . )
All of this is to say that the show felt satisfyingly normal in the face of abnormality .
SNL is an adaptable creature , even if it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see : the episode ’ s first sketch , which was just a bunch of jokes about silly- and raunchy-sounding names like Edith Puthie and Irma Gerd ) .
The season premiere had its good and its bad , but its successes — to our pleasant surprise — mostly outweighed any missteps .
Saturday Night Live has had a few different cast members play Joe Biden in the past , but none has quite stuck .
Biden ’ s persona is not as immediately defined as Barack Obama ’ s or Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s been a bit of a challenge .
Instead of asking someone like Jason Sudeikis to come back and reprise the role , SNL went with a much bigger name to take a stab at a Biden impression : Jim Carrey .
This may seem like an odd choice to some viewers , considering that Carrey is both one of Hollywood ’ s greatest hams and Canadian .
But Carrey walked on stage all lanky and finger-guns ablaze , his teeth as shiny as the real Biden ’ s .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Biden often does , the sense of coolness that was a large part of his persona during his vice-presidential years .
The show ’ s cold open pitted Alec Baldwin ’ s Trump against Carrey ’ s Biden in a “ replay ” of the chaotic presidential debate that aired this past week .
But where Carrey truly shined was toward the end of the sketch , when his Biden pressed “ pause ” on Trump and really took the time to speak his mind .
“ This November , please get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literally a commuter train to Delaware , ” said a calm Carrey , a frozen Baldwin-Trump beside him .
“ And we can all make America not actively on fire again.
” —Allegra Frank Spare at least half a thought for poor Alec Baldwin , who never in his wildest dreams thought he ’ d be stuck playing Donald Trump this long and who will forever be identified with a person he clearly loathes for many reasons .
( Though he ’ s also definitely making bank and could have handed the role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , so only half a thought is necessary . )
Baldwin ’ s Trump has at times verged on being more exhausting than Trump himself , and this season opener was no exception .
Playing Trump at the first presidential debate , he had to shoehorn in a foreshadowing of the diagnosis to come just a day or two after the debate , and it just was not fun to watch .
His puckered visage remains recognizably Trumpian , and he ’ s certainly nailed the tone of voice , the air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( What was up with that wig , though ?
Is it getting whiter ? )
But there ’ s nothing about Baldwin ’ s Trump that gives any insight into the man or does much of anything interesting .
At this point , he ’ s a stand-in , a foil for Jim Carrey ’ s Biden , sort of a charisma-free hand puppet that fills up space on the screen .
I don ’ t think he thinks he ’ s doing anything else , to be fair .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss in November than Alec Baldwin right now .
—Alissa Wilkinson I heaved a big ol ’ sigh of relief when I remembered Chris Rock was hosting ; if anyone wasn ’ t going to get pushed into doing a non-political monologue for the sake of “ civility , ” it ’ s him .
And on the whole , he delivered .
Rock ’ s hosting was tight , and he only appeared in a few sketches — not surprising , since a number of them were pre-taped — but he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the new season .
And his monologue was what the situation called for .
He could have thrown up his hands and rattled off a “ this week , amirite ?
” -style monologue .
He could have just lobbed a bunch of grenades toward the president , who has not , shall we say , had a good week .
He could have nodded to the news and then talked about the challenges of making a show under Covid-19 protocols .
But instead , Rock took the opportunity to talk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system being broken .
“ I think Joe Biden should be the last president ever , ” he declared .
“ We need a whole new system.
” He touched on term limits for Congress , voter suppression , and requiring presidential candidates to clear a higher bar than being over age 35 and born in the US .
It wasn ’ t uncomfortable , but it was something , and he concluded by quoting James Baldwin : “ Not everything that is faced can be changed .
But nothing can be changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thee Stallion ’ s summer was a mixed bag .
Sure , she had huge hits in her remix of “ Savage ” featuring Beyoncé and “ WAP ” with Cardi B .
But she also suffered gunshot wounds allegedly at the hands of another rapper , Tory Lanez .
( Megan was only lightly injured , thankfully . )
Megan seemed like she ’ d moved beyond that ordeal during her SNL performances , however .
She performed twice , and she also appeared in two separate sketches .
One was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris Redd , and Kenan Thompson asked women what was under their masks — how do we know that they ’ re totally hot if everything from the nose bridge-down is covered ?
Megan appeared to reinforce that , well , some things are better left discovered in the bedroom .
Later , she took part in a sketch about an NBA Draft for participation in the “ bubble , ” the training space the league has set up for several teams so that they may quarantine without losing practice time .
Megan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; the 25-year-old ’ s got several talents , it seems .
But where Megan really stood out was in her musical performances .
Her first song was the “ Savage ” remix , using Beyoncé ’ s vocals to allow Megan and her dancers to show off more choreo .
Megan is an excellent stage presence , with slow and sexy moves demanding attention during this TikTok-favorite jam .
And once our eyes were locked on her , she pivoted to show that her fabulously black-and-white inkblot set actually read “ protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implored all viewers to do .
Using this moment to promote the power of Black Lives Matter and speak out against violence toward Black women felt powerful and appropriate : SNL truly has a lot of catching up to do after a heavy summer , after all .
—AF I love Kenan Thompson .
He just makes me happy .
The man is starting his 18th season on Saturday Night Live , and yet he still shows up and seems to bring his all , no matter how he may be feeling about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many What Up With That sketches alone , which I watch whenever I ’ m having a particularly terrible day , he has my eternal gratitude .
He ’ s now the longest-running member of the cast , which means he is becoming an institution in his own right .
And in the season premiere , the show paid him homage in the “ Future Ghost ” sketch , in which Mikey Day circa 2000 sees into his future ( in 2020 , he ’ s become Beck Bennett ) and discovers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hawk in his mom ’ s basement .
But the twist is that his mom has married Kenan Thompson , and he ’ s on a show called My Mom Married Kenan Thompson .
That ’ s it .
That ’ s the joke .
And somehow it ’ s a very funny punchline .
Someday , Thompson will actually leave SNL , but for now , it ’ s really nice that he ’ s around .
—AW We ’ ve come a long way from 2015 , baby , when Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ d only months earlier completed the 14th season of his reality show on the same TV network as SNL — hosted the show .
At the time , it was seen by many as a massive miscalculation on SNL ’ s part , a way of legitimizing someone who was not as much of a joke as the bigwigs at SNL presumably thought he was .
Members of the cast have talked about it since then , both on and off the air .
For many , it will forever be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history , a mark of how unserious and ill-equipped for this era it is .
But this weekend , if Trump was watching , he was watching from a ( presumably very cushy ) bed at Walter Reed Medical Center , and it ’ s unlikely he was happy with what he saw .
Baldwin ’ s impression of him is listless and annoying , especially next to Carrey ’ s kinetic Biden .
He was the butt of a raft of jokes , some funnier than others , fired off by Colin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( “ I wish him a very lengthy recovery , ” Che said with a smirk . )
And Chris Rock needled him throughout his monologue — “ Like , Donald Trump left a game show to run for president because it was easier ” — and concluded by essentially deeming him irrelevant .
It ’ s been four very long seasons of SNL since Trump was elected and five since he last showed up in person on the show .
By now , he ’ s not even a good punch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make Saturday Night Live right now ?
Especially in New York City , where legal restrictions are so fierce that restaurants only opened indoor dining this week at 25 percent , movie theaters are still closed , and comedy clubs and indoor performance venues are not allowed to open ?
In interviews , SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels has hinted at some it , although the show is obviously making things up on the fly .
The audience for the premiere , made up of first responders , was notably smaller and masked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the studio ) .
The traditional between-sketch shots showed the crew in masks and face shields , scurrying around as usual to prepare sets but also disinfecting them .
Plexiglass separated the band members from one another , allowing them to sit in their usual perch on the stage .
More sketches were pre-recorded than usual ; at one point , I wondered if the whole cast was even there , though they came out , wearing masks , at the end of the show .
Even the opening credits — still shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always — featured a number of the cast members sporting masks , clearly signaling to the audience that this is the new normal , and it ’ s okay , we ’ ll deal with it .
Was the whole thing ... legal ?
Presumably , the answer is yes , but I still wondered how SNL got around some restrictions .
And more importantly : Was it safe ?
There ’ s no such thing as a risk-free activity these days , but you still have to wonder .
Even masked in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still inside , with performers removing masks for sketches or for musical numbers .
Yes , presumably the airflow has been checked and double-checked , and experts have been consulted , and people have been tested for Covid-19 , and everyone ’ s just doing the best they can .
Nobody wants an episode of SNL to become a super-spreader event .
But it seems impossible to say whether the precautions worked , for now .
This season premiere was a good faith effort to make live entertainment feel as normal as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all you can ask from a show like Saturday Night Live .
Still , I think I won ’ t be the only one crossing my fingers for everyone in that room for a few weeks .
—AW

Saturday Night Live made the bold decision to return to studio 8H this fall, following a truncated season that saw the cast sequestered in their individual homes. Those episodes provided some of the freshest sketches SNL has aired in years, indulging its performers’ more absurd, even experimental comedic talents.
Going back to the studio didn’t necessarily mean going back to “normal” for SNL, however: There’s still the issue of Covid-19, its impact on film production, and its continued toll on the society that SNL comments on. Masks are commonplace; social distancing is the norm; more than 1 million people worldwide have died. As of this Friday, right before the season premiere, even President Donald Trump has contracted the illness.
Not only did the season premiere suggest that the cast and crew took an abundance of caution in putting on a show, but it also elegantly commented on or winked at the heaps of news events that have dominated the United States over the past month. Everyone from the onstage band members to the studio audience (composed of first responders) wore masks, as did the cast at the end of the show. And non-Covid-related events, like the mid-September death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, received heartfelt, considerate shoutouts. (Kate McKinnon ostensibly retired her RBG impression with a brief appearance at the end of Weekend Update, followed by a “rest in power” title card.)
All of this is to say that the show felt satisfyingly normal in the face of abnormality. SNL is an adaptable creature, even if it is not always a deeply considered one (see: the episode’s first sketch, which was just a bunch of jokes about silly- and raunchy-sounding names like Edith Puthie and Irma Gerd). The season premiere had its good and its bad, but its successes — to our pleasant surprise — mostly outweighed any missteps.
Winner: Jim Carrey as Joe Biden
Saturday Night Live has had a few different cast members play Joe Biden in the past, but none has quite stuck. Biden’s persona is not as immediately defined as Barack Obama’s or Donald Trump’s, which may be why he’s been a bit of a challenge. Instead of asking someone like Jason Sudeikis to come back and reprise the role, SNL went with a much bigger name to take a stab at a Biden impression: Jim Carrey.
This may seem like an odd choice to some viewers, considering that Carrey is both one of Hollywood’s greatest hams and Canadian. But Carrey walked onstage all lanky and finger-guns ablaze, his teeth as shiny as the real Biden’s. He exuded the same kind of intrinsic chill that Biden often does, the sense of coolness that was a large part of his persona during his vice-presidential years.
The show’s cold open pitted Alec Baldwin’s Trump against Carrey’s Biden in a “replay” of the chaotic presidential debate that aired this past week. But where Carrey truly shined was toward the end of the sketch, when his Biden pressed “pause” on Trump and really took the time to speak his mind. “This November, please get on the Biden train, which is literally a commuter train to Delaware,” said a calm Carrey, a frozen Baldwin-Trump beside him. “And we can all make America not actively on fire again.” —Allegra Frank
Loser: Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
Spare at least half a thought for poor Alec Baldwin, who never in his wildest dreams thought he’d be stuck playing Donald Trump this long and who will forever be identified with a person he clearly loathes for many reasons. (Though he’s also definitely making bank and could have handed the role over to anyone in the cast by now, so only half a thought is necessary.) Baldwin’s Trump has at times verged on being more exhausting than Trump himself, and this season opener was no exception. Playing Trump at the first presidential debate, he had to shoehorn in a foreshadowing of the diagnosis to come just a day or two after the debate, and it just was not fun to watch.
His puckered visage remains recognizably Trumpian, and he’s certainly nailed the tone of voice, the air of entitled disdain, and the bronzer. (What was up with that wig, though? Is it getting whiter?) But there’s nothing about Baldwin’s Trump that gives any insight into the man or does much of anything interesting. At this point, he’s a stand-in, a foil for Jim Carrey’s Biden, sort of a charisma-free hand puppet that fills up space on the screen. I don’t think he thinks he’s doing anything else, to be fair. But nobody may hope harder for a Trump loss in November than Alec Baldwin right now. —Alissa Wilkinson
Winner: Chris Rock
I heaved a big ol’ sigh of relief when I remembered Chris Rock was hosting; if anyone wasn’t going to get pushed into doing a non-political monologue for the sake of “civility,” it’s him. And on the whole, he delivered. Rock’s hosting was tight, and he only appeared in a few sketches — not surprising, since a number of them were pre-taped — but he was exactly the face SNL needed to kick off the new season.
And his monologue was what the situation called for. He could have thrown up his hands and rattled off a “this week, amirite?”-style monologue. He could have just lobbed a bunch of grenades toward the president, who has not, shall we say, had a good week. He could have nodded to the news and then talked about the challenges of making a show under Covid-19 protocols.
But instead, Rock took the opportunity to talk, albeit briefly and vaguely, about the system being broken. “I think Joe Biden should be the last president ever,” he declared. “We need a whole new system.” He touched on term limits for Congress, voter suppression, and requiring presidential candidates to clear a higher bar than being over age 35 and born in the US. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was something, and he concluded by quoting James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” —AW
Winner: Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion’s summer was a mixed bag. Sure, she had huge hits in her remix of “Savage” featuring Beyoncé and “WAP” with Cardi B. But she also suffered gunshot wounds allegedly at the hands of another rapper, Tory Lanez. (Megan was only lightly injured, thankfully.)
Megan seemed like she’d moved beyond that ordeal during her SNL performances, however. She performed twice, and she also appeared in two separate sketches. One was a pre-taped song in which Pete Davidson, Chris Redd, and Kenan Thompson asked women what was under their masks — how do we know that they’re totally hot if everything from the nose bridge-down is covered? Megan appeared to reinforce that, well, some things are better left discovered in the bedroom. Later, she took part in a sketch about an NBA Draft for participation in the “bubble,” the training space the league has set up for several teams so that they may quarantine without losing practice time. Megan played a flirtatious basketball girlfriend with aplomb; the 25-year-old’s got several talents, it seems.
But where Megan really stood out was in her musical performances. Her first song was the “Savage” remix, using Beyoncé’s vocals to allow Megan and her dancers to show off more choreo. Megan is an excellent stage presence, with slow and sexy moves demanding attention during this TikTok-favorite jam. And once our eyes were locked on her, she pivoted to show that her fabulously black-and-white inkblot set actually read “protect Black women” — which she then implored all viewers to do. Using this moment to promote the power of Black Lives Matter and speak out against violence toward Black women felt powerful and appropriate: SNL truly has a lot of catching up to do after a heavy summer, after all. —AF
Winner: Kenan Thompson
I love Kenan Thompson. He just makes me happy. The man is starting his 18th season on Saturday Night Live, and yet he still shows up and seems to bring his all, no matter how he may be feeling about the whole situation privately. For his many What Up With That sketches alone, which I watch whenever I’m having a particularly terrible day, he has my eternal gratitude.
He’s now the longest-running member of the cast, which means he is becoming an institution in his own right. And in the season premiere, the show paid him homage in the “Future Ghost” sketch, in which Kyle Mooney circa 2000 sees into his future (in 2020, he’s become Beck Bennett) and discovers that he’ll still be playing Tony Hawk in his mom’s basement. But the twist is that his mom has married Kenan Thompson, and he’s on a show called My Mom Married Kenan Thompson.
That’s it. That’s the joke. And somehow it’s a very funny punchline. Someday, Thompson will actually leave SNL, but for now, it’s really nice that he’s around. —AW
Loser: Donald Trump
We’ve come a long way from 2015, baby, when Donald Trump himself — then a presidential hopeful who’d only months earlier completed the 14th season of his reality show on the same TV network as SNL — hosted the show. At the time, it was seen by many as a massive miscalculation on SNL’s part, a way of legitimizing someone who was not as much of a joke as the bigwigs at SNL presumably thought he was. Members of the cast have talked about it since then, both on and off the air. For many, it will forever be a stain on the show’s history, a mark of how unserious and ill-equipped for this era it is.
Related Saturday Night Live will not save you
But this weekend, if Trump was watching, he was watching from a (presumably very cushy) bed at Walter Reed medical center, and it’s unlikely he was happy with what he saw. Baldwin’s impression of him is listless and annoying, especially next to Carrey’s kinetic Biden. He was the butt of a raft of jokes, some funnier than others, fired off by Colin Jost and Michael Che during Weekend Update. (“I wish him a very lengthy recovery,” Che said with a smirk.) And Chris Rock needled him throughout his monologue — “Like, Donald Trump left a game show to run for president because it was easier” — and concluded by essentially deeming him irrelevant. It’s been four very long seasons of SNL since Trump was elected and five since he last showed up in person on the show. By now, he’s not even a good punch line. —AW
Jury’s Still Out: Covid-19 precautions
How exactly do you make Saturday Night Live right now? Especially in New York City, where legal restrictions are so fierce that restaurants only opened indoor dining this week at 25 percent, movie theaters are still closed, and comedy clubs and indoor performance venues are not allowed to open?
In interviews, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels has hinted at some of it, although the show is obviously making things up on the fly. The audience for the premiere, made up of first responders, was notably smaller and masked (though seated in non-distanced clumps around the studio). The traditional between-sketch shots showed the crew in masks and face shields, scurrying around as usual to prepare sets but also disinfecting them. Plexiglass separated the band members from one another, allowing them to sit in their usual perch on the stage. More sketches were pre-recorded than usual; at one point, I wondered if the whole cast was even there, though they came out, wearing masks, at the end of the show. Even the opening credits — still shot all around New York City, as always — featured a number of the cast members sporting masks, clearly signaling to the audience that this is the new normal, and it’s okay, we’ll deal with it.
Was the whole thing ... legal? Presumably, the answer is yes, but I still wondered how SNL got around some restrictions. And more importantly: Was it safe? There’s no such thing as a risk-free activity these days, but you still have to wonder. Even masked in the studio audience, you’re still inside, with performers removing masks for sketches or for musical numbers. Yes, presumably the airflow has been checked and double-checked, and experts have been consulted, and people have been tested for Covid-19, and everyone’s just doing the best they can. Nobody wants an episode of SNL to become a superspreader event.
But it seems impossible to say whether the precautions worked, for now. This season premiere was a good-faith effort to make live entertainment feel as normal as possible, and that’s pretty much all you can ask from a show like Saturday Night Live. Still, I think I won’t be the only one crossing my fingers for everyone in that room for a few weeks. —AW


vox--2020-10-04--If Trump has learned anything from getting Covid-19, he’s not showing it

If President Donald Trump has learned anything from getting sick with Covid-19 , he ’ s not showing it .
Since Trump ’ s diagnosis last Thursday , he and his administration have worked diligently to cover up the president ’ s disease .
They ’ ve downplayed his symptoms .
They ’ ve suggested he needed to be hospitalized not due to his apparently high fever and low oxygen levels but out of an abundance of caution .
They ’ ve posted videos and photos of the president doing normal things .
Even the president ’ s own doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they were trying to be “ upbeat ” as they refused to fully and truthfully answer questions about Trump ’ s health .
On Sunday , it culminated in a photo-op in which Trump was driven outside Walter Reed hospital as he waved at supporters — exposing at least a driver and passenger in Trump ’ s car to his infection .
As James Phillips , attending physician at Walter Reed , tweeted , “ That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof , but hermetically sealed against chemical attack .
The risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it gets outside of medical procedures .
The irresponsibility is astounding .
My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.
” This is all out of the same playbook Trump has used for Covid-19 from day one .
It ’ s an attempt to make everything seem normal , as if the coronavirus isn ’ t wrecking lives , in a desperate attempt to go back to a better world that could help ensure Trump ’ s reelection .
As Trump told journalist Bob Woodward , “ I wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump has stuck to this even as it ’ s put people in danger again and again , now even after he ’ s gotten sick himself .
He ’ s called for states to reopen — to “ LIBERATE ” them — even as experts warned that opening too soon would lead to new cases ( and , sure enough , cases spiked over the summer as states opened prematurely ) .
He ’ s pushed for less testing , arguing more tests pick up more cases and therefore make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said more testing , along with contact tracing , is still needed to slow the outbreak .
He ’ s mocked masks and frequently refused to wear one himself , even as experts and a growing body of research show masks are key to stopping Covid-19 .
This obsession with creating a false sense of normalcy seemingly extended to the moment that Trump received a positive coronavirus test .
As the Washington Post initially reported , and White House staff confirmed , Trump attended campaign events on Thursday even after he and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closest aides , Hope Hicks , was showing symptoms .
That continued , based on recent reports , as some staff noticed Trump seemed fatigued and likely sick himself .
In doing this , Trump likely exposed his own staff and supporters to Covid-19 .
A potential silver lining to Trump getting sick was that maybe this would show him how serious this virus is — that it ’ s real , that it can make people very ill and kill them .
Trump alluded to that in a video on Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Covid .
I learned it by really going to school .
This is the real school.
” Despite that , Trump was back out Sunday for the drive-by photo-op that potentially exposed his staff , at least , to the coronavirus .
This is all ridiculous , of course , because we already know Trump is sick and hospitalized .
This is obviously not normal .
And we know the consequences of this act .
It ’ s how the US ended with nearly 210,000 Covid-19 deaths so far — more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s how the US ended up , after accounting for population , at the top 20 percent among developed countries for Covid-19 deaths .
( If the US had the same Covid-19 death rate as Canada , more than 125,000 more Americans would likely be alive today . )
It ’ s why America can ’ t go back to normal , even as countries like Germany , New Zealand , and South Korea open up more , as it faces far too many coronavirus cases — almost 100,000 new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s why Trump himself got sick .
As he lived his denial , going to ill-advised campaign rallies and events , frequently refusing to wear a mask , Trump exposed himself to the coronavirus again and again .
And it ’ s all set to continue — as Trump and his staff ’ s barrage of mistruths and political spin over the weekend proved .

If President Donald Trump has learned anything from getting sick with Covid-19, he’s not showing it. In his latest tweets and comments, Trump has continued to downplay the coronavirus — even after it put him in the hospital.
Since Trump’s diagnosis last Thursday, he and his administration have seemingly tried to cover up the president’s disease. They’ve downplayed his symptoms. They’ve suggested he needed to be hospitalized not because of his apparently high fever and low oxygen levels but “out of an abundance of caution.” They’ve posted videos and photos of Trump in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Even the president’s own doctors have taken to politicized spin, arguing that they were trying to be “upbeat” as they refused to fully and truthfully answer questions about Trump’s health.
On Sunday, that culminated with a photo op as Trump was driven outside Walter Reed hospital so he could wave at supporters — exposing at least the driver and a passenger in the car to infection. As James Phillips, attending physician at Walter Reed, tweeted, “That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.”
Then on Monday, Trump tweeted that he’ll be leaving Walter Reed hospital later in the day. He wrote, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” It was a warning experts immediately admonished, arguing that Americans should continue to follow recommended precautions for the coronavirus.
This is all out of the same playbook Trump has used for Covid-19 from day one. It’s an attempt to make everything seem normal, as if the coronavirus isn’t wrecking millions of lives, in a desperate attempt to go back to a world that could help ensure Trump’s reelection. As Trump told journalist Bob Woodward, “I wanted to always play [the coronavirus] down.”
Trump has stuck to this even as it’s put people in danger again and again. He’s called for states to reopen — to “LIBERATE” them — even as experts warned that opening too soon would lead to new cases (and, sure enough, cases spiked over the summer as states opened prematurely). He’s pushed for less testing, arguing more tests pick up more cases and therefore make the US look bad, even as experts said more testing, along with contact tracing, is still needed to slow the outbreak. He’s mocked masks and frequently refused to wear one himself, even as experts and a growing body of research show masks are key to stopping Covid-19.
This obsession with creating a false sense of normalcy seemingly extended to the moment that Trump received a positive coronavirus test. As the Washington Post initially reported, and White House staff confirmed, Trump attended campaign events on Thursday even after he and his staff learned that one of Trump’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, was showing symptoms. That continued, based on recent reports, as some staff noticed Trump seemed fatigued. In doing this, Trump likely exposed his own staff and supporters to Covid-19.
A potential silver lining to Trump getting sick was that maybe it would show him how serious this virus is — that it’s real, that it can make people very ill and kill them. Trump alluded to that in a video on Sunday, claiming, “I learned a lot about Covid. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school.” Despite that, Trump was back out Sunday for the drive-by photo op, and then posted a tweet on Monday downplaying the risk of Covid-19.
This is all ridiculous, of course. We already know Trump is sick and hospitalized, being treated with multiple experimental drugs, including steroids, and supplemental oxygen. This is obviously not normal.
And we know the consequences of this action. It’s how the US ended with nearly 210,000 Covid-19 deaths so far — more than any other country in the world. It’s how the US ended up, after accounting for population, at the top 20 percent among developed countries for Covid-19 deaths. (If the US had the same Covid-19 death rate as Canada, more than 125,000 more Americans would likely be alive today.) It’s why America can’t go back to normal, even as countries like Germany, New Zealand, and South Korea open up more, as it faces far too many coronavirus cases — more than 130,000 since Trump announced he tested positive.
It’s why Trump himself got sick. As he lived his denial, going to ill-advised campaign rallies and events, frequently refusing to wear a mask, Trump exposed himself to the coronavirus again and again.
And it’s all set to continue — as Trump and his staff’s barrage of mistruths and political spin since his diagnosis on Thursday have proved.


vox--2020-10-04--Polls: Biden has a double digit lead on Trump nationally

New national polls , taken both before and after President Donald Trump began treatment for Covid-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center , show Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a significant advantage over the president one month out from Election Day .
One of those polls , conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal , found Biden to have the largest lead of the campaign thus far , leading his rival by 14 percentage points .
It ’ s a result in line with some recent polls — including a CNBC poll taken the day after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a 13 percentage point lead — and reflects that Biden has been leading in the polls for some time .
However , it does register about 6 percentage points higher than the average gap has been between Trump and Biden .
The NBC/WSJ poll found the debate did have an impact on registered voters , recording a 6 percentage point increase in preference for Biden compared to a survey they concluded ahead of the debate .
The increase in Biden ’ s support in the poll can be attributed in part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to back him by a 27 percentage point margin ( 62 percent to 35 percent ) , and suburban women , who back him by a 15 point margin ( 58 percent to 33 percent ) .
Both demographics are considered key voters to turn out .
Notably , too , men over the age of 50 — a key part of Trump ’ s base in 2016 — show some signs of shifting their support .
Following the debate , that group went from supporting Trump by a 13 point margin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a swing of at least 10 points in just a few days .
Perhaps overshadowing the debate is the fact that the president now has Covid-19 .
Pollsters are still determining how that may affect the race , but a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken from October 2 to 3 , after the news of Trump ’ s diagnosis , found likely voters favoring Biden by 10 percentage points .
Other national polling trackers show Biden with a consistent lead , but have that lead still under double digit figures .
The NBC News national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points over Trump , and FiveThirtyEight ’ s national polling average shows Biden up by 8 points .
Even this smaller gap is a significant one ; however , Jason Miller , a Trump campaign senior adviser , responded to the new polls by pointing out many polls in 2016 suggested then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was leading with voters , “ and now President Trump is in the White House.
” Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus is on voters ’ minds The usual disclaimers apply when it comes to reading this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not predict the future , but rather reflect a snapshot of a moment in time , as Vox ’ s Li Zhou has explained .
Moreover , national polls — while a good indicator of sentiment — may miss some peculiarities in various swing states .
And because it is the Electoral College , not the popular vote , that decides the presidency , the 2020 election is likely to be decided by a handful of swing states — or even swing counties .
State polls ( which , again , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) indicate that , in the key battleground states , the race is much closer .
A CBS News poll of Ohio taken September 30 to October 2 , for instance , found Biden and Trump to be tied .
And , of course , there could be radical changes in polling in the four weeks between now and the election .
Nothing about this year ’ s campaign cycle has been ordinary , and the coronavirus pandemic — as well as its personal effect on the president — could change the shape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do show about the pandemic , however , is that most Americans don ’ t approve of how Trump handled the coronavirus .
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found only about a third of voters believe Trump has been telling the truth about the coronavirus , with 55 percent saying he has not , and 11 percent unsure — and more than half of Americans , 57 percent , disapproved of his overall response .
That poll also found that 65 percent of Americans agreed with the statement : “ If President Trump had taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have been infected.
” That number included 9 in 10 registered Democrats , and 5 in 10 registered Republicans , according to the poll .
As questions swirl about Trump ’ s medical condition , the question of how he handled the coronavirus — both personally , and as the nation ’ s leader — will most certainly play a role in voters ’ decisions .
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New national polls, taken both before and after President Donald Trump began treatment for Covid-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, show Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a significant advantage over the president one month out from Election Day.
One of those polls, conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, found Biden to have the largest lead of the campaign thus far, leading his rival by 14 percentage points.
It’s a result in line with some recent polls — including a CNBC poll taken the day after the first presidential debate that found Biden to have a 13 percentage point lead — and reflects that Biden has been leading in the polls for some time. However, it does register about 6 percentage points higher than the average gap has been between Trump and Biden.
The NBC/WSJ poll found the debate did have an impact on registered voters, recording a 6 percentage point increase in preference for Biden compared to a survey they concluded ahead of the debate.
The increase in Biden’s support in the poll can be attributed in part to senior voters, who were found to back him by a 27 percentage point margin (62 percent to 35 percent), and suburban women, who back him by a 15 point margin (58 percent to 33 percent). Both demographics are considered key voters to turn out.
Notably, too, men over the age of 50 — a key part of Trump’s base in 2016 — show some signs of shifting their support. Following the debate, that group went from supporting Trump by a 13 point margin to supporting Biden by 1 point, representing a swing of at least 10 points in just a few days.
Perhaps overshadowing the debate is the fact that the president now has Covid-19. Pollsters are still determining how that may affect the race, but a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken from October 2 to 3, after the news of Trump’s diagnosis, found likely voters favoring Biden by 10 percentage points.
Other national polling trackers show Biden with a consistent lead but have that lead still under double-digit figures. The NBC News national polling average has Biden up 8.7 percentage points over Trump, and FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average shows Biden up by 8 points.
Even this smaller gap is a significant one; however, Jason Miller, a Trump campaign senior adviser, responded to the new polls by pointing out many polls in 2016 suggested then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was leading with voters, “and now President Trump is in the White House.”
“How can you come back from that kind of a deficit?” @GStephanopoulos asks Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, pointing to new poll showing Biden with a double digit national lead.
“Well, we did in 2016,” Miller says, pointing to 2016 polling. https://t.co/iJpXFwk0u6 pic.twitter.com/V788XydSGU — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 4, 2020
Trump’s handling of the coronavirus is on voters’ minds
The usual disclaimers apply when it comes to reading this week’s polling numbers: Polls do not predict the future, but rather reflect a snapshot of a moment in time, as Vox’s Li Zhou has explained.
Moreover, national polls — while a good indicator of sentiment — may miss some peculiarities in various swing states. And because it is the Electoral College, not the popular vote, that decides the presidency, the 2020 election is likely to be decided by a handful of swing states — or even swing counties. State polls (which, again, as Zhou has explained, have their limitations) indicate that, in the key battleground states, the race is much closer. A CBS News poll of Ohio taken September 30 to October 2, for instance, found Biden and Trump to be tied.
And, of course, there could be radical changes in polling in the four weeks between now and the election. Nothing about this year’s campaign cycle has been ordinary, and the coronavirus pandemic — as well as its personal effect on the president — could change the shape of the race.
What recent polls do show about the pandemic, however, is that most Americans don’t approve of how Trump handled the coronavirus. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found only about a third of voters believe Trump has been telling the truth about the coronavirus, with 55 percent saying he has not, and 11 percent unsure — and more than half of Americans, 57 percent, disapproved of his overall response.
That poll also found that 65 percent of Americans agreed with the statement: “If President Trump had taken coronavirus more seriously, he probably would not have been infected.”
That number included 9 in 10 registered Democrats, and 5 in 10 registered Republicans, according to the poll.
As questions swirl about Trump’s medical condition, the question of how he handled the coronavirus — both personally and as the nation’s leader — will most certainly play a role in voters’ decisions.


vox--2020-10-04--Is Trump sicker than his doctors are saying? His treatment regimen raises questions.

Sunday ’ s press conference on President Donald Trump ’ s status as a Covid-19 patient raised just as many new questions as answers , leaving many medical experts concerned that the public still isn ’ t getting a complete or accurate picture of the commander-in-chief ’ s health .
At the briefing at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center , where Trump is being treated , his physician , Sean Conley , said Trump was “ doing very well ” and had improved so much he could be discharged as soon as Monday .
Yet the optimistic report on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the admission that Trump had needed supplemental oxygen on Friday for a short period because his blood oxygen saturation had dropped to worrisome levels .
Conley said he ’ d withheld that fact on Saturday because he wanted to “ reflect the upbeat attitude that the team , the president ” has had about the course of Trump ’ s illness .
The president ’ s medical team also reported that Trump on Saturday was started on yet another drug to fight Covid-19 : dexamethasone .
The steroid has been shown in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is only recommended for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 .
It ’ s also the third Covid-19 drug to be administered to the president , following an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment given Friday and an ongoing , five-day course of the antiviral remdesivir .
But dexamethasone can also have serious psychiatric side effects , and the decision to use it so early in the president ’ s infection sparked a new round of speculation about the severity of his illness .
Vox spoke to four infectious disease and intensive care doctors about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it .
Their opinions were mixed : Some believe Trump might be sicker than the White House is saying , while others say the treatment decisions are not unreasonable given that the patient is a high-risk , 74-year-old VIP .
One thing everyone agreed on : Trump ’ s health status today , whatever it is , doesn ’ t say anything about how he ’ ll be doing a week from now , given the unpredictability of this disease .
What we know about Trump ’ s health If we go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House , Trump has been improving and was doing just fine as of Sunday morning — but he had a bad Friday .
That was when he experienced a fever and his oxygen levels dropped .
Conley said Trump ’ s “ oxygen saturation transiently dipped below 94 percent .
... And after about a minute with only two liters , [ it was ] back over 95 percent.
” After an hour , Trump was off the oxygen , Conley added .
On Saturday , Trump ’ s blood oxygen saturation level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short time — but Conley couldn ’ t confirm whether the president required oxygen then .
Instead , since then , Trump ’ s health has improved so much , his doctors said , he may head back to the White House as soon as Monday .
His doctors also said he hasn ’ t had a fever since Friday morning , his vitals are stable , and he ’ s not experiencing any shortness of breath any longer .
Conley did not provide details about the results of the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco , to wonder if they ’ d found signs of pneumonia , other manifestations of Covid lung involvement , or inflammation .
Meanwhile , Trump has been given at least three new drugs — that are still being tested — to treat Covid-19 and its symptoms .
On Friday , Trump ’ s doctors say they started administering the intravenous antiviral remdesivir and a cocktail of experimental monoclonal antibodies — medicines that are supposed to stop the virus from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned Sunday he had also started taking dexamethasone — a steroid that reduces inflammation associated with Covid-19 .
( He had also been on zinc , vitamin D , famotidine , melatonin , and daily aspirin — though it ’ s not clear whether those drugs are for Covid-19 specifically , since there ’ s no conclusive evidence to back their use for the new coronavirus . )
Of the three drugs , dexamethasone has the strongest evidence behind it .
“ It ’ s the only drug to show improvement — overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joshua Barocas , an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University and infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center .
Barocas referred to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine .
It showed randomly chosen patients who received dexamethasone experienced a reduced risk of death versus those who didn ’ t , but only when they were either intubated or receiving supplemental oxygen .
In patients who aren ’ t on oxygen , the risks associated with the drug ’ s use may outweigh the harms .
“ I wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is not on oxygen , ” Boston-area ICU doctor Lakshman Swamy said , since it can cause confusion , delirium , or even complicate a patient ’ s recovery by suppressing the immune system ’ s virus-fighting response .
That ’ s why Covid-19 treatment guidelines only call for its use in seriously ill patients .
“ It ’ s not a completely benign choice of medication , ” Jen Manne-Goehler , an infectious disease doctor at Brigham and Women ’ s and Massachusetts General hospitals , added .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors questioned the idea Trump might be discharged as soon as Monday .
Another drug Trump ’ s doctors are using to try to stop the virus is an experimental cocktail of monoclonal antibodies from the drug company Regeneron .
In theory , the antibodies are supposed to work by neutralizing the coronavirus .
He ’ s also on a five-day course of remdesivir — an antiviral developed by Gilead Sciences that ’ s supposed to stop the virus from replicating .
There is published evidence for the use of remdesivir — in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time compared to the placebo group — but no one knows what happens when patients get the two drugs together .
The monoclonal antibodies for Covid-19 have also not been fully tested in humans .
( We ’ ve only got published studies on hamsters and monkeys , and unpublished efficacy data from an ongoing human trial , according to Science magazine . )
“ What ’ s confusing or surprising is [ why ] you would use something so early ... with no efficacy data out there , ” said Manne-Goehler of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standpoint , she reasoned , starting on the drug early might make sense if you ’ re trying to prevent the virus from entering cells .
“ But what ’ s odd is as a clinical doctor , I don ’ t jump to [ prescribing ] things I have little real-life efficacy data [ on ] in a person who is not super sick.
” Even if the experimental drug looks promising in early research , Swamy said , “ people said the same thing about hydroxychloroquine , ” a drug now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He added : “ We don ’ t know enough about it.
” So one could read the use of unapproved drugs typically given in severe cases as a sign that Trump is sicker than the White House is acknowledging .
Or maybe it ’ s just because the patient is the president , said Peter Hotez , dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine .
“ You know he ’ s got risk factors .
He ’ s starting to get sick .
Has had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question is what do you do ?
” Hotez said .
“ If something were to happen to the president — whether he becomes incapacitated or worse — that ’ s a huge national security threat.
” So even if the drugs haven ’ t been fully tested , it might make sense to try them anyway .
The bottom line : It ’ s too soon to tell if Trump is on the road to recovery Trump ’ s health status now — even if he ’ s discharged from Walter Reed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ ll fare over the next week .
Patients “ can be doing fine , requiring a little bit of supplemental oxygen , and then very rapidly deteriorate to mechanical ventilation — that ’ s one of the scariest things about this virus , ” Barocas said .
Manne-Goehler agreed : “ What makes Covid scary is that who falls off a cliff — and who doesn ’ t — still can be difficult to predict.
” She said the public will have to wait until at least 10 days after his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll do .
“ I had a patient who came in not that different from Trump ” in terms of his age and underlying health risks , Manne-Goehler said .
“ He looked pretty bad , he got to the edge of the cliff and got better .
But there are people who just blow through anything we try to do [ for them ] and do terribly .
That script — even with what we understand about risk factors — is part of what scares the medical community .
I ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he started to get sick.
” Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Sunday’s press conference on President Donald Trump’s status as a Covid-19 patient raised as many new questions as answers, leaving many medical experts concerned that the public still isn’t getting a complete or accurate picture of the commander in chief’s health.
At the briefing at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president is being treated, his doctors said Trump is “doing very well” and had improved so much he could be discharged as soon as Monday.
Yet the optimistic report on the president’s prognosis also came with an admission by his physician, Sean Conley, that Trump had needed supplemental oxygen on Friday and that his blood oxygen saturation had dropped to worrisome levels twice in the past three days. Conley said he’d withheld details about this at Saturday’s press briefing because he wanted to “reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president” has had about the course of Trump’s illness.
The president’s medical team also reported that Trump on Saturday started yet another drug to fight Covid-19: dexamethasone. The steroid has been shown in clinical trials to improve outcomes — but is only recommended for patients with severe or critical Covid-19. It’s also the third Covid-19 drug to be administered to the president, following an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment given Friday and an ongoing, five-day course of the antiviral remdesivir.
But dexamethasone can also have serious psychiatric side effects, and the decision to use it so early in the president’s infection sparked a new round of speculation about the severity of his illness.
Vox spoke to five infectious disease and intensive care doctors about the news to try to make sense of it. They said either Trump is sicker than the White House is saying or his doctors are overtreating their high-risk, 74-year-old VIP patient.
“I can tell you how I would approach the treatment of a patient or family member — it would be different,” said intensive care doctor Lakshman Swamy, who works with the Cambridge Health Alliance. “The challenge is that when you are a VIP patient, it doesn’t always mean you mean you get better care — it just means you get more care.”
One thing everyone agreed on: Trump’s health status today, whatever it is, doesn’t say anything about how he’ll be doing a week from now, given the unpredictability of this disease.
What we know about Trump’s health
If we go by the official reports from the White House, Trump has been improving and was doing just fine as of Sunday morning — but he had a bad Friday. That was when he experienced a fever and his oxygen levels dropped for the first time.
Conley said Trump’s “oxygen saturation transiently dipped below 94 percent. ... And after about a minute with only two liters, [it was] back over 95 percent.” After an hour, Trump was off the oxygen, Conley added. On Saturday, Trump’s blood oxygen saturation level again dropped to 93 percent for a short period — but Conley wouldn’t confirm whether the president required oxygen then, too.
Instead, since then, Trump’s health has improved so much, his doctors said, he may head back to the White House as soon as Monday. His doctors also said he hasn’t had a fever since Friday morning, his vitals are stable, and he’s no longer experiencing any shortness of breath.
Conley did not provide details about the results of the president’s chest CT scan, prompting Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, to wonder if they’d found signs of pneumonia, other manifestations of Covid-19 lung involvement, or inflammation.
... But it seems far likelier that they found evidence of pneumonia or other manifestations of Covid lung involvement or inflammation, which is serious and raises the level of concern and risk. (4/8) — Bob Wachter (@Bob_Wachter) October 4, 2020
Meanwhile, Trump has been given at least three new drugs — that are all still being tested — to treat Covid-19 and its symptoms.
Trump’s treatment protocol, explained
On Friday, Trump’s doctors say they started administering the intravenous antiviral remdesivir and a cocktail of experimental monoclonal antibodies — medicines that are supposed to stop the virus from replicating and progressing into cells.
We learned Sunday he also started taking dexamethasone, a steroid that reduces inflammation associated with Covid-19. (He had also been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and daily aspirin — though it’s not clear whether those drugs are for Covid-19 specifically, since there’s no conclusive evidence to back their use against the novel coronavirus.)
Of the three Covid-19 drugs, dexamethasone has the strongest evidence behind it. “It’s the only drug to show improvement — overall improvement — in Covid-19,” said Joshua Barocas, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University and infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center.
Barocas referred to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It showed randomly chosen patients who received dexamethasone experienced a reduced risk of death versus those who didn’t get the drug — but only when they were either intubated or receiving supplemental oxygen.
In patients who aren’t on oxygen, the risks associated with the drug’s use may outweigh the harms. Among the particularly worrisome side effects: confusion, delirium, mania, and a higher risk of other infections. The drug can even complicate a patient’s recovery by suppressing the immune system’s virus-fighting response. The Covid-19 treatment guidelines only call for dexamethasone in seriously ill patients.
“I wouldn’t be giving it to someone who is not on oxygen,” Swamy said.
Dexamethasone can cause frank mania, or more severe depressive states. Added to the risk of COVID related neuropsychiatric symptoms/severe delirium the press ought to be asking the medical team how they are formally monitoring his mental status @maggieNYT @jonathanvswan — Paul Summergrad (@paulsummergrad) October 4, 2020
“It’s not a completely benign choice of medication,” Jen Manne-Goehler, an infectious disease doctor at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General hospitals, added.
“It’s either overtreatment or he’s much more ill that [the White House] said,” said Clemens Wendtner, a professor of medicine in Munich, Germany, who treated the country’s first Covid-19 patients.
Trump is also on a five-day course of remdesivir, an antiviral developed by Gilead Sciences that’s supposed to stop the virus from replicating.
There is published evidence for the use of remdesivir — in hospitalized patients, it shortened their recovery time compared to the placebo group — but it’s not yet fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration and no one knows what happens when patients get the medication in conjunction with the others Trump is taking.
While we don’t know all the details here, I’ll say this— if you’re having dropping oxygen levels and being started on #dexamethasone, your discharge day shouldn’t be tomorrow. #covid19 — Dr. Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) October 4, 2020
As for the experimental cocktail of monoclonal antibodies: In theory, the treatment is supposed to work by neutralizing the coronavirus. But monoclonal antibodies for Covid-19 have not even been fully tested in humans. (We’ve only got published studies on hamsters and monkeys, and unpublished efficacy data from an ongoing human trial, according to Science magazine.)
“What’s confusing or surprising is [why] you would use something so early ... with no efficacy data out there,” said Manne-Goehler of the monoclonal antibodies. From a scientific standpoint, she reasoned, starting on the drug early might make sense if you’re trying to prevent the virus from entering cells. “But what’s odd is as a clinical doctor, I don’t jump to [prescribing] things I have little real-life efficacy data [on] in a person who is not super sick.”
Even if the experimental drug looks promising in early research, Swamy noted, “people said the same thing about hydroxychloroquine,” a drug now known to be ineffective for Covid-19. He added: “We don’t know enough about it.”
So one could read the use of unapproved drugs typically given in severe cases as a sign that Trump is sicker than the White House is acknowledging. Or maybe it’s just because the patient is the president, said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
“You know he’s got risk factors. He’s starting to get sick. Has had a fever and an oxygen requirement. The question is what do you do?” Hotez said. “If something were to happen to the president — whether he becomes incapacitated or worse — that’s a huge national security threat.”
All the doctors said it was difficult from the limited information being released from the White House to know what’s truly going on. What is clear: Trump’s doctors were veering far from the Covid-19 guidelines, with the multiple therapies — some unproven — being administered in combination.
The bottom line: It’s too soon to tell if Trump is on the road to recovery
Trump’s health status now — even if he’s discharged from Walter Reed medical center on Monday — tells us little about how he’ll fare over the next week.
Patients “can be doing fine, requiring a little bit of supplemental oxygen, and then very rapidly deteriorate to mechanical ventilation — that’s one of the scariest things about this virus,” Barocas said.
Manne-Goehler agreed: “What makes Covid scary is that who falls off a cliff, and who doesn’t, still can be difficult to predict.”
She recently cared for a patient who was similar to Trump in terms of age and underlying health risks, Manne-Goehler said. “He looked pretty bad, he got to the edge of the cliff and got better. But there are people who just blow through anything we try to do [for them] and do terribly. That script — even with what we understand about risk factors — is part of what scares the medical community.”
Trump’s doctors have also gone off script for his treatments, which makes applying what we know about how patients fare to the president even more challenging.
Overall, though, people with Covid-19 are generally doing better now than they did mere months ago because doctors have refined their approach to treating the disease. And while Trump has an elevated risk of complications and death — because of his age, gender, and underlying medical conditions — the odds of survival are in his favor.
But the public will have to wait until at least 10 days after his symptoms began for a clearer picture. That’s when patients, if they are doing well, are usually thought to be in the clear. If we assume the White House’s timeline is accurate, that brings us to October 10 or 11. Until then, Manne-Goehler said, the disease is “a roller coaster.”


vox--2020-10-04--The US has reported more than 97,000 new Covid-19 cases since the news of Trump’s positive test

Evidence-based explanations of the coronavirus crisis , from how it started to how it might end to how to protect yourself and others .
Since the world learned shortly after midnight on Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for the novel coronavirus , more than 97,000 other Americans have been confirmed to have the virus .
And the Covid-19 deaths of 1,575 people in the US have been reported , according to the Covid Tracking Project .
The health of the president of the United States , after he contracted the virus that has plagued the country since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest news story for the foreseeable future .
People want to know how the nation ’ s leader is faring , and the White House ’ s attempts to obfuscate Trump ’ s health status will drive reporters to try to find out what the public isn ’ t being told .
But Trump , it must be remembered , is not the only Covid-19 patient in the US right now .
He is one of more than 30,000 Americans currently hospitalized with the disease .
The country he leads is reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new cases every day and more than 700 daily deaths .
From February to early October , nearly 7.4 million Americans have had a confirmed case of Covid-19 and more than 209,000 have died , according to Johns Hopkins University .
The actual numbers of infections and deaths are almost certainly higher , but inadequate testing in the US has made it impossible to count every case and every death .
And it may still get worse .
Cases are now starting to rise again , with the 7-day average of daily new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 42,328 as of October 3 .
And as Vox ’ s German Lopez reported , experts worry what the fall and winter months will bring : Part of the problem is America never really suppressed its Covid-19 cases to begin with .
Think of a disease epidemic like a forest fire : It ’ s going to be really difficult to contain the virus when there are still flames raging in parts of the forest and small embers practically everywhere .
The country always risks a full blaze with each step toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precautions seriously .
Consider Florida .
This month , the state reopened bars and , more recently , restaurants , despite the high risk of these indoor spaces .
The last time Florida opened bars , in June , experts said the establishments were largely to blame for the state ’ s massive Covid-19 outbreak in the summer .
As Florida reopens now , it has roughly two to three times the number of Covid-19 cases that it had in early June , and its test positivity rate suggests it ’ s still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The state is fanning its flames while its most recent fire is nowhere near extinguished .
This is , in effect , what much of the country is doing now as it rushes to reopens schools , particularly colleges and universities , and risky indoor spaces .
Coupled with recent Labor Day celebrations , experts worry that ’ s already leading to a new surge in Covid-19 cases .
President Donald Trump , for his part , has encouraged rapid reopenings .
Americans hold Trump responsible for the state of the Covid-19 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst in the world .
The US has one of the highest number of confirmed cases per million people and one of the highest numbers of confirmed deaths per million people .
If the US had a death rate similar to Canada ’ s , more than 120,000 people would still be alive .
According to a new Ipsos/ABC News poll , 35 percent of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the coronavirus crisis and 64 percent disapprove .
Just 27 percent thought the president had taken his own risk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 72 percent thought he had not .
Now the president has been diagnosed with Covid-19 , and he is staying at Walter Reed Medical Center for the time being .
Senior Republicans who were at a White House event last weekend honoring Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett , where masks and social distancing were eschewed , keep testing positive for the coronavirus .
By all appearances , the president is at the center of a Covid-19 cluster that ’ s infected many of his party ’ s elites a month before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House staff and others in contact with the cluster .
Trump is , in the end , one patient among many .
But America remains a deeply unequal country , one where race and income can determine whether one is more likely to live or die from Covid-19 .
The president is getting the best medical care available .
He ’ s staying , for now , in Walter Reed ’ s six-room presidential hospital suite .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Since the world learned shortly after midnight on Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, more than 97,000 other Americans have been confirmed to have the virus. And the Covid-19 deaths of 1,575 people in the US have been reported, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
The health of the president of the United States, after he contracted the virus that has plagued the country since February, is inevitably going to be the biggest news story for the foreseeable future. People want to know how the nation’s leader is faring, and the White House’s attempts to obfuscate Trump’s health status will drive reporters to try to find out what the public isn’t being told.
Related Everyone in the White House cluster who has said they tested positive for the coronavirus
But Trump, it must be remembered, is not the only Covid-19 patient in the US right now. He is one of more than 30,000 Americans currently hospitalized with the disease. The country he leads is reporting, on average, more than 42,000 new cases every day and more than 700 daily deaths.
From February to early October, nearly 7.4 million Americans have had a confirmed case of Covid-19 and more than 209,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers of infections and deaths are almost certainly higher, but inadequate testing in the US has made it impossible to count every case and every death.
And it may still get worse. Cases are now starting to rise again, with the seven-day average of daily new cases up from about 34,000 in mid-September to 42,328 as of October 3. And as Vox’s German Lopez reported, experts worry what the fall and winter months will bring:
Part of the problem is America never really suppressed its Covid-19 cases to begin with. Think of a disease epidemic like a forest fire: It’s going to be really difficult to contain the virus when there are still flames raging in parts of the forest and small embers practically everywhere. The country always risks a full blaze with each step toward reopening and with each failure to take precautions seriously. Consider Florida. This month, the state reopened bars and, more recently, restaurants, despite the high risk of these indoor spaces. The last time Florida opened bars, in June, experts said the establishments were largely to blame for the state’s massive Covid-19 outbreak in the summer. As Florida reopens now, it has roughly two to three times the number of Covid-19 cases that it had in early June, and its test positivity rate suggests it’s still likely missing a lot of cases. The state is fanning its flames while its most recent fire is nowhere near extinguished. This is, in effect, what much of the country is doing now as it rushes to reopens schools, particularly colleges and universities, and risky indoor spaces. Coupled with recent Labor Day celebrations, experts worry that’s already leading to a new surge in Covid-19 cases. President Donald Trump, for his part, has encouraged rapid reopenings.
Americans hold Trump responsible for the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, which is among the worst in the world. The US has one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases per million people and one of the highest numbers of confirmed deaths per million people. If the US had a death rate similar to Canada’s, more than 120,000 people would still be alive.
According to a new Ipsos/ABC News poll, 35 percent of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the coronavirus crisis and 64 percent disapprove. Just 27 percent thought the president had taken his own risk of contracting the virus seriously enough, while 72 percent thought he had not.
Now the president has been diagnosed with Covid-19, and he is staying at Walter Reed medical center for the time being. Senior Republicans who were at a White House event last weekend honoring Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, where masks and social distancing were eschewed, keep testing positive for the coronavirus. By all appearances, the president is at the center of a Covid-19 cluster that’s infected many of his party’s elites a month before the presidential election — and potentially White House staff and others in contact with the cluster.
Trump is, in the end, one patient among many. But America remains a deeply unequal country, one where race and income can determine whether one is more likely to survive or die from Covid-19.
The president is getting the best medical care available. He’s staying, for now, in Walter Reed’s six-room presidential hospital suite.


vox--2020-10-04--The White House released photos of Trump at work, raising more questions about his health

President Donald Trump , who has been receiving treatment for the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Friday , released two photographs late Saturday meant to suggest that he is recuperating rapidly , but those images — which came following a peculiar press conference and mixed health assessments from White House staff — have been met with scrutiny , undercutting the message the president hoped to send .
In the first photo , Trump is dressed in a suit , seated at a round table inside the hospital ’ s designated presidential suite , appearing to review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is dressed in a crisp white shirt , seated at the end of a long table inside a conference room , looking over folders of documents .
Both photos were taken by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian .
The photos began to draw criticism on social media shortly after their release , with many users pointing out that it is unclear what Trump is actually doing in the images .
In the first , he appears to simply sign his name in the center of an otherwise blank piece of paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a black binder appear to be empty .
Journalist Jon Ostrower seemed to suggest the photos were staged , reporting that data embedded in the image files showed they were taken just 10 minutes apart : Questions over the images came amid confusion over the state of Trump ’ s health .
The president delivered a brief address Saturday evening on Twitter , in which he spoke about his eagerness to get back to the campaign trail and his normal work schedule , telling the public , “ I ’ ll be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be back soon.
” And in brief remarks in front of Walter Reed on Saturday , White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said Trump ’ s medical team was “ extremely happy ” with Trump ’ s progression , while Trump surrogates on Sunday morning talk shows said the president is “ doing well ” and “ feels very well.
” Also on Sunday , Trump ’ s medical team said he may be discharged from Walter Reed as early as Monday .
But these positive assessments have been directly undercut by members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Saturday night on Fox News that both he and Conley had been “ very concerned ” by Trump ’ s condition Friday morning .
Following Saturday ’ s press conference , an anonymous source widely reported to be Meadows told reporters Trump ’ s status remained “ very concerning.
” “ The next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care , ” the source said .
“ We ’ re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president was “ not yet out of the woods , ” adding on Sunday at a press conference at Walter Reed that Trump ’ s blood oxygen levels dropped for a time on Saturday before eventually returning to normal .
Conley declined to elaborate as to whether Trump needed supplemental oxygen to return his levels to normal , but did say that the president had been given dexamethasone , a steroid typically recommended for use in severe Covid-19 cases .
These statements would suggest that Trump may not be doing quite as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team have said .
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Conley himself presented a new , contradictory timeline of Trump ’ s illness on Saturday , indicating he was diagnosed with the coronavirus a day and a half earlier than first reported and refusing to directly answer questions about whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen .
Walter Reed physician Dr. Brian Garibaldi also suggested Trump had begun treatment for Covid-19 earlier than had been reported .
The White House said later on Saturday that Conley misspoke , but the incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veracity of statements made by a White House known for lying .
These images were meant to provide evidence that despite the mixed messages , positive assessments could be trusted and the president was on the mend .
But the missteps ultimately made them appear questionable , if not deceptive .
Trump has portrayed himself as a strong leader Like all public figures , Trump has historically been image conscious .
And his brand of leadership and campaigning tends to focus on projecting a sense of strength and forcefulness .
This was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as exemplified by one advertisement in which the Trump campaign portrayed then-opponent Hillary Clinton as sick and weak .
Following footage of ISIS fighters and North Korean tanks , Clinton is shown coughing and tripping .
“ Hillary Clinton doesn ’ t have the fortitude , strength , or stamina to lead in our world , ” a narrator intones .
The tagline of that ad : “ Donald Trump will protect you .
He is the only one who can.
” Throughout the 2020 campaign , the Trump team has turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portray opponent Joe Biden — who is three years older than the president — as old and feeble .
It may be for this reason that , since news about Trump ’ s confirmed Covid-19 case became public Thursday night , the president and his team have worked to continue promoting a vision of him as robust and healthy , rather than succumbing to an illness that can significantly weaken a person and cause them to struggle to breathe , stand , and walk .
For example , Ivanka Trump shared one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the caption , “ Nothing can stop him from working for the American people .
RELENTLESS !
” Other members of Trump ’ s team are promoting a rosy vision of his health , too .
On Fox News Sunday , Steve Cortes , a senior adviser on Trump ’ s reelection campaign , said Trump was “ doing well ” and is “ upbeat.
” Trump has also shared messages on optimism on his Twitter account , writing on Saturday afternoon that he was “ feeling well !
” He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of strength to his personal attorney and friend , former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani , who said the president told him he was “ going to beat this ” and that he felt well enough to “ go out and do a rally.
” Giuliani said Trump also told him that he has continued life as normal the last six months — — during a time when more than 209,000 Americans died of Covid-19 , and lawmakers and citizens have continued to fight over taking basic precautionary measures — in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am the president of the United States .
I can ’ t lock myself in a room , ” Giuliani said Trump told him .
“ I had to confront [ the virus ] so the American people stopped being afraid of it so we could deal with it responsibly , ” he said .
On Saturday , Conley highlighted the fact that Trump is in a high-risk category for a more severe Covid-19 reaction : He is above the age of 70 , male ( men appear to be more at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the face of this risk , posed by an illness that has killed more than 1 million people worldwide in less than 10 months , Trump is unable to maintain complete control over his image .
But as with so many things about this presidency , people looking at the photos and videos of his hospital stay will largely continue to see what they wish to see .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
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President Donald Trump, who has been receiving treatment for the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Friday, released two photographs late Saturday meant to suggest that he is recuperating rapidly, but those images — which came following a peculiar press conference and mixed health assessments from White House staff — have been met with scrutiny, undercutting the message the president hoped to send.
In the first photo, Trump is dressed in a suit, seated at a round table inside the hospital’s designated presidential suite, appearing to review a document. In the other, he is dressed in a crisp white shirt, seated at the end of a long table inside a conference room, looking over folders of documents.
Both photos were taken by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian.
The photos began to draw criticism on social media shortly after their release, with many users pointing out that it is unclear what Trump is actually doing in the images. In the first, he appears to simply sign his name in the center of an otherwise blank piece of paper. In the second, the folders and a black binder appear to be empty.
Journalist Jon Ostrower seemed to suggest the photos were staged, reporting that data embedded in the image files showed they were taken just 10 minutes apart:
The photos released by the WH tonight of the president working at Walter Reed were taken 10 minutes apart at 5:25:59 pm and 5:35:40 pm ET Saturday, according to the EXIF data embedded in both @AP wire postings that were shared by the White House this evening. pic.twitter.com/EzeqIkGdf7 — Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) October 4, 2020
Questions over the images came amid confusion over the state of Trump’s health. The president delivered a brief address Saturday evening on Twitter, in which he spoke about his eagerness to get back to the campaign trail and his normal work schedule, telling the public, “I’ll be back, I think I’ll be back soon.”
And in brief remarks in front of Walter Reed on Saturday, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said Trump’s medical team was “extremely happy” with Trump’s progression, while Trump surrogates on Sunday morning talk shows said the president is “doing well” and “feels very well.” Also on Sunday, Trump’s medical team said he may be discharged from Walter Reed as early as Monday.
But these positive assessments have been directly undercut by members of the president’s own staff.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Saturday night on Fox News that both he and Conley had been “very concerned” by Trump’s condition Friday morning. Following Saturday’s press conference, an anonymous source widely reported to be Meadows told reporters Trump’s status remained “very concerning.”
“The next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,” the source said. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
Also on Saturday night, Conley said the president was “not yet out of the woods,” adding on Sunday at a press conference at Walter Reed that Trump’s blood oxygen levels dropped for a time on Saturday before eventually returning to normal. Conley declined to elaborate as to whether Trump needed supplemental oxygen to return his levels to normal, but did say that the president had been given dexamethasone, a steroid typically recommended for use in severe Covid-19 cases.
These statements would suggest that Trump may not be doing quite as well as he and some members of his team have said.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Conley himself presented a new, contradictory timeline of Trump’s illness on Saturday, indicating he was diagnosed with the coronavirus a day and a half earlier than first reported and refusing to directly answer questions about whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen. Walter Reed physician Dr. Brian Garibaldi also suggested Trump had begun treatment for Covid-19 earlier than had been reported. The White House said later on Saturday that Conley misspoke, but the incident had already cast more doubt on the veracity of statements made by a White House known for lying.
These images were meant to provide evidence that despite the mixed messages, positive assessments could be trusted and the president was on the mend. But the missteps ultimately made them appear questionable, if not deceptive.
Trump has portrayed himself as a strong leader
Like all public figures, Trump has historically been image conscious. And his brand of leadership and campaigning tends to focus on projecting a sense of strength and forcefulness.
This was a central focus of his 2016 election campaign, as exemplified by one advertisement in which the Trump campaign portrayed then-opponent Hillary Clinton as sick and weak. Following footage of ISIS fighters and North Korean tanks, Clinton is shown coughing and tripping.
“Hillary Clinton doesn’t have the fortitude, strength, or stamina to lead in our world,” a narrator intones.
The tagline of that ad: “Donald Trump will protect you. He is the only one who can.”
Throughout the 2020 campaign, the Trump team has turned to this playbook again, attempting to portray opponent Joe Biden — who is three years older than the president — as old and feeble.
It may be for this reason that, since news about Trump’s confirmed Covid-19 case became public Thursday night, the president and his team have worked to continue promoting a vision of him as robust and healthy, rather than succumbing to an illness that can significantly weaken a person and cause them to struggle to breathe, stand, and walk.
For example, Ivanka Trump shared one of the disputed White House images on Twitter with the caption, “Nothing can stop him from working for the American people. RELENTLESS!”
Other members of Trump’s team are promoting a rosy vision of his health, too. On Fox News Sunday, Steve Cortes, a senior adviser on Trump’s reelection campaign, said Trump was “doing well” and is “upbeat.”
Trump has also shared messages on optimism on his Twitter account, writing on Saturday afternoon that he was “feeling well!”
He also expressed the importance of portraying an image of strength to his personal attorney and friend, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said the president told him he was “going to beat this” and that he felt well enough to “go out and do a rally.”
Giuliani said Trump also told him that he has continued life as normal the last six months — — during a time when more than 209,000 Americans died of Covid-19, and lawmakers and citizens have continued to fight over taking basic precautionary measures — in order to be a model of fearlessness.
“I am the president of the United States. I can’t lock myself in a room,” Giuliani said Trump told him. “I had to confront [the virus] so the American people stopped being afraid of it so we could deal with it responsibly,” he said.
On Saturday, Conley highlighted the fact that Trump is in a high-risk category for a more severe Covid-19 reaction: He is above the age of 70, male (men appear to be more at risk than women), and overweight.
In the face of this risk, posed by an illness that has killed more than 1 million people worldwide in less than 10 months, Trump is unable to maintain complete control over his image. But as with so many things about this presidency, people looking at the photos and videos of his hospital stay will largely continue to see what they wish to see.
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