Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

[Secular Sanity]

"Tonight, Melania and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

[Zinjanthropos]

Will those who reject false news claims and are anti-Trump have an about-face? 

Hard to believe some little Pangolin handler in China could severely affect world politics.

Hope Trumps get thru it ok.

[Syne]

I expect the ghouls will be out in force.

[C C]

"Tonight, Melania and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

"What if Trump dies or becomes incapacitated?" has of course become one of the rage media trends. Pence won't automatically be the replacement [as the GOP candidate in the election{*}], and ballots are already circulating out there and have been sent in -- printing new ones is unlikely with circa only a month to go.

Either way, Biden has been handed an extra blessing. If he wins by an overwhelming landslide, then it's possible that this voting mess won't turn into an extended ordeal of challenges and obstinancy over months. (Vice-versa, too, but that's arguably become a remoter prospect now due to that percentage of capricious independents being rattled every which way by circumstances.)

But if resembling anything in the neighborhood of exaggerated closeness, then a surviving Trump or the widowed GOP will dig in (the latter at least with respect to noise-making, anyway). Why the media circus only focuses on orchestrated "fraud" rather than all the mishaps, errors, and contingent dupery that can ensue from a raucous mail-in process on this scale (that could be muddled even more so if there's a substitute candidate) has been a bewildering spectacle.

- - - footnote - - -

{*} "Let’s say that Trump died somewhere between now and the election, and the ballots still list Trump–Pence. What would Republicans do, and are there legal complications that would limit their options? [...] As Professor Pildes notes, both parties have party rules that permit them to substitute a new nominee. The RNC’s 168 members have a process to do that. If Republicans wanted to select someone other than Mike Pence, this would be fairly straightforward [...] Election-law professor Rick Hasen likewise concludes that the death of a candidate between now and the election could be 'a mess' without clear legal rules."
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/wh...anuary-20/

[Yazata]

The most obvious impact that I see is that it will greatly impact President Trump's in person campaigning. Given that Biden has basically been hiding in his basement without any campaign events most days, anything that gets Trump off the campaign trail will be a positive to Biden. Though frankly, I'm skeptical about how much campaigning influences votes.

Hard to tell what other impacts there might be.

[Zinjanthropos]

Hard to tell what other impacts there might be.

North American stock markets barely blinked. Toronto up .25 of one percent and Dow down about the same.

[Magical Realist]

Hard to tell what other impacts there might be.

A maddening wave of cognitive dissonance among Trump's covid-denying followers?

[Syne]

"What if Trump dies or becomes incapacitated?" has of course become one of the rage  media trends. Pence won't automatically be the replacement, and ballots are already circulating out there and have been sent in -- printing new ones is unlikely with circa only a month to go.

Either way, Biden has been handed an extra blessing. If he wins by an overwhelming landslide, then it's possible that this voting mess won't turn into an extended ordeal of challenges and obstinancy over months. (Vice-versa, too, but that's arguably become a remoter prospect now due to that percentage of capricious independents being rattled every which way by circumstances.)

But if resembling anything in the neighborhood of exaggerated closeness, then a surviving Trump or the widowed GOP will dig in (the latter at least with respect to noise-making, anyway). Why the media circus only focuses on orchestrated "fraud" rather than all the mishaps, errors, and contingent dupery  that can ensue from a raucous mail-in process on this scale (that could be muddled even more so if there's a substitute candidate) has been a bewildering spectacle.

Pence would be the automatic replacement in the election. Just as if Trump had died months ago, Pence would become President and be running as the incumbent. Doesn't matter if the ballots are updated.

And don't fall for the unfounded lie that Trump would be the one to be obstinate about the results, when the Dems are doing everything to make the election less secure and longer to get results, Hillary has told Biden to never concede, and social media is going to ban any posts that try to call the race before the Dems agree. If anything, Trump off the ballot would vastly drop Dem turnout, as they don't really like Biden.

And the only reason the mainstream media has focused on voter fraud is that they can claim it's very limited and not an issue, distracting your average Dem from looking any further.

Hard to tell what other impacts there might be.

A maddening wave of cognitive dissonance among Trump's covid-denying followers?

Except that Covid denial is a myth. Trump, nor any other Republican, ever called it a hoax. And if you think so, you've been duped by outright and oft-repeated lies.

[confused2]

To me it looks like we're back to the point where Trump wins the election unless he's caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl.

[Zinjanthropos]

To me it looks like we're back to the point where Trump wins the election unless he's caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl.

Have to admit that Melania is probably, if not the most attractive First Lady in my lifetime, live or dead. At least I think she’s really a woman.

Sounds to me like no matter who wins the voters will have believed lies. Nothing unusual there.