It is possible that Donald Trump was diagnosed with Covid as early as Wednesday. His doctor, Sean Conley, stated in a press conference, on Saturday, that Trump was 72 hours into his diagnosis. If that is true, Trump would have received his diagnosis on Wednesday. Conley has since tried to clarify (read: walk back) his timeline.
Another doctor, Brian Garibaldi, stated Saturday that Trump had been treated with an experimental therapy “about 48 hours ago.” This would have placed the treatment on Thursday, during the day. This statement was “clarified” as well.
Here is the problem. Donald Trump attended a fundraiser (actually three different events) at his Bedminster golf resort Thursday evening. It is reported that no masks were worn by Trump or any of the donors who attended. Social distancing was also not observed. Hours later, Trump announced his positive diagnosis.
If the above is even close to true, Donald Trump knowingly exposed donors and staff at his resort to Covid. He has always been cavalier in his treatment of the disease, but this would be a willful act. It should be noted that the intentional spread of a deadly disease is a felony in most states. I do not imagine that Trump would ever be charged with a crime, but I do imagine that, if any of his rich donors contract Covid, Donald will have a lot to answer for, including possible litigation.
Of course, Trump is not the only Republican acting badly when it comes to Covid. Minnesota Representatives Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer, and Jim Hagedorn all flew on Air Force One, with Donald Trump, to a rally in Duluth. They then all flew on a public flight on Delta Airlines on Friday night, knowing that they had been exposed to Covid. Delta requires passengers to confirm that they have not knowingly been exposed to Covid for at least 14 days prior to flying. That means these Congressional Representatives made fraudulent statements to board the flight.
It seems Republicans like Delta Airlines. I cannot blame them. Delta is a fantastic airline for customer service. On another Delta flight, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) was photographed flying with his mask basically being worn like a chinstrap. His spokesperson attempted to diffuse the situation by stating that he pulled it down to have a drink and forgot to put it back on. Supposedly, he placed it properly on his mouth after a flight attendant reminded him. However, eye witnesses, including the photographer, stated that his mask was chin strapped for most of the flight.
While it should be noted that the Senator has not attended any White House events recently, there was no statement as to whether he was in contact with other Republican Senators who have been diagnosed with Covid. Republican Senators frequently meet for lunch as a group, where no masks are worn and social distancing is not practiced.
Of course, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) didn’t seem to care either. On Friday, he was tested for Covid. While awaiting those results, he attended an Oktoberfest celebration that evening. The next day, his test results showed that he was, in fact, positive for Covid. He tried to justify his actions by stating that he did not expect to be positive for the virus.
This is the party that claims they have your best interests at heart.