How Trump’s Covid diagnosis turned into a joke
It could be a case of poetic justice as the worst case scenario analysts and experts have grappled with for months has just unfolded in the US.
President Donald Trump on Friday morning announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus, a couple of days after announcing that his senior aide Hope Hicks had contracted the virus after she flew back on Air Force One with the president’s team from Cleveland, Ohio following the presidential candidates’ debate on Tuesday last week.
The US Constitution is clear on what happens if the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed from office as contained in Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, including the 12th, 20th and 25th Amendments.
If Trump stepped down, power would cascade to the vice president. If similar unfortunate circumstances befell the VP, the powers and duties would move on to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ditto president pro tempore of the Senate, and ultimately to eligible Cabinet Secretaries.
News of Trump contracting coronavirus was definitely expected to catch undivided global attention in a larger magnitude than previous incidents affecting other presidents.
Notable cases include the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who tested positive in March, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who tested positive twice in March and July, and the then outgoing Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza who died on June 9 from coronavirus.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not miss the perfect opportunity and hoped that the president’s diagnosis might be a “learning experience”.
The House’s physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a memo that he expects Trump to “continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering.” That is a tad too confident for an invalid.
Analysts are reading another conspiracy. All through his tenure, and not withstanding past revelations about his past, Trump has done and said things that would lead to the immediate and unequivocal impeachment of an incumbent.
The former’s announcement immediately became the butt of jokes, like @Richard_Spoor who wrote, “In this difficult and challenging time, my thoughts are with the virus”.
But he has managed to sidestep the dicey political minefield through a combination of sheer brawn and cunningness.
But can Trump really gamble with the upcoming election by creating such a smokescreen?
The AV CLUB newswire put it aptly in an irreverent article the same day by Patrick Gomez titled “Former reality TV host tests positive for COVID-19”.
With just one Tweet, he has managed to make the electoral field murkier and more unpredictable.
The writer implies that this could be just another of the president’s antics to divert attention from the challenges before him, like his disastrous debate with Biden, which made him totally lose face and confirm his wild temperament.
Biden has also been leading in almost all polls with an average 10-point margin.
On September 18, @JohnCammo predicted, “Trump’s October surprise will be the announcement of “his infection.”
Fake, but quite dramatic. This twist will blow Biden off the screens, the “Trump COVID watch” dominating every minute of every day.
Then, 14 days later, Trump will emerge, 100% cured by hydroxychloroquine.”
Sounds surreal, but this could be closest to the truth of what is happening.
Nairobi based political and media analyst Chuo Ben Dewo gives his verdict that, “If true, (that Trump is lying) it appears like a first world president behaving like a third world politician seeking sympathy votes.
Biden should continue with campaigns even if it means appearing in the remaining presidential debates alone. Mike Pence can represent Trump”. — The writer is a communications expert and public policy analyst [email protected]
