I will not go as far as to say that Donald Trump faked his COVID illness but I am beginning to wonder whether he needed to be hospitalized. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I believe Trump is incapable of feigning an illness. If he thought it would help him in any way, he certainly would. But for him to carry it off, it would mean doctors and other medical professionals would have to go along and I am just not willing to believe they would. That being said, I cannot accept that Trump has been cured in just three days. Either he has been battling COVID for a longer period of time than reported or he got a mild form of the virus.
When COVID appeared on the scene, I thought it provided the president a great opportunity to reset his losing campaign. I am aware that his cultist supporters fervently believe their leader is headed for a landslide victory but the reality is otherwise. Lest we forget, two years ago they were thoroughly convinced that a Red Tsunami was going to wash away the Democrats in the mid-terms.
Cultists aside, Trump is an incumbent whose approval rating has been stuck in the mid to low 40s for his entire presidency at a time of peace and prosperity. COVID is the type of impactful event that could have, if properly managed, reshaped the public’s view of the president. Moreover, the virus gave Trump an opening to reinforce many of the themes that got him elected: controlling borders, bringing manufacturing back home and confronting China. Instead, he and his supporters decided to lose their minds over wearing masks. Deep in their hearts, they either believed the virus was a hoax or no more dangerous than the seasonal flu.
For a brief moment, Trump did rise to the occasion. In March, his daily press briefing and assistance to states won him praise from Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom. Polls showed that American approved of the president’s handling of the pandemic. But it wasn’t long before Trump’s main character flaw kicked in: his complete lack of discipline. Within a few weeks, the press briefings deteriorated into fights with media, culminating with Trump playing M.D. pushing various “exotic” treatments for the virus. Eventually, the briefings were cancelled.
Fast forward to September and the first presidential debate. The Trump campaign bet everything on Joe Biden having a senior moment. It was a stupid and foolish bet. Biden has been in politics for nearly half a century and he knows how to get through a debate. He may not win or dazzle but he won’t meltdown as Trump hoped he would. The president’s constant badgering of his opponent led to the best line of the night: Biden saying “Will you shut up, man?” verbalizing the feeling of all Americans watching except for the MAGA cultists.
The debate was a complete disaster for Trump. Biden proved himself a safe alternative to the Trump chaos while the president reminded voters what they dislike about him. The Trump cultists simply refuse to accept that there are voters who approve of the president’s policies but simply cannot get past his loutish behavior. Within days polls began to show Biden pulling away.
Again, I am not going to suggest that the president faked his COVID diagnosis. However, I can see how a dramatic trip to Walter Reed only to stage a triumphant return to the White House a few days later could be tempting for the consummate showman. The COVID diagnosis had the immediate effect of removing his debate performance from the headlines. Why not fully exploit the situation by creating a narrative that the virus can easily be defeated? Send a clear message to the American people to forget about the virus, forget the president’s mishandling of the pandemic and vote on other issues more favorable to him.
I began to suspect the hospitalization was PR stunt because it’s clear that a lot of effort went into staging Trump’s return to the White House. The president, in heavy makeup and stiffer than usual hair spray, walking out from Walter Reed’s impressive front door to board Marine One. After landing on the South Lawn at the White House, in a show of physical strength, the president then proceeded to climb a staircase to a balcony. Flanked by American flags, Trump defiantly removes his mask and, for some unknown reason, salutes the helicopter. His supporters, no doubt, saw a strong leader defeating the dastardly virus. The rest of us saw one more sign of an empire in decline.
