Oct 31, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Reading, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Oct 30, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Michigan. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Rochester, Minnesota. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Coronavirus restrictions limited the crowd size to 250 people at the Rochester rally. Trump said the following about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Democrat):
The governor wants to play games. He's a weak governor. He's done a terrible job. He doesn't know what the hell he is doing. You've got thousands of people that are injured by this.
It is a shame what the governor did and that is why they are going to lose Minnesota, just like he did with Minneapolis where they didn't know what they were doing.
This should be a lesson. He wants to silence people. The governor doesn't know what he is doing.
Your far-left Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison and your Democrat governor tried to shut down our rally, silence the people of Minnesota and take away your freedom and your rights.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 30, 2020). "Trump lashes out at state officials over virus restrictions at Minnesota rally". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
Trump tweeted the following about recent Supreme Court decisions allowing extensions past November 3 (election day) for accepting and counting mail-in ballots in North Carolina (November 6) and Pennsylvania (November 12) as long as the ballots are postmarked no later than November 3:
This decision is CRAZY and so bad for our Country. Can you imagine what will happen during that nine day period. The Election should END on November 3rd.
Source:
Olson, Tyler. (October 30, 2020). "Trump rips absentee ballot extensions, says election 'should end on November 3rd'". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
Oct 29, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following about Biden and the U.S. Supreme Court:
Biden will destroy the United States Supreme Court. Don't let this happen!
If Sleepy Joe Biden is actually elected President, the 4 Justices (plus1) that helped make such a ridiculous win possible would be relegated to sitting on not only a heavily PACKED COURT, but probably a REVOLVING COURT as well. At least the many new Justices will be Radical Left!
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 29, 2020). "Trump says Supreme Court will have aided a Biden win". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
Trump held a campaign rally in Tampa, Florida. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Speaking at the Tampa rally, Melania Trump said the following:
In a time when hate, negativity and fear are the messages the media streams into our homes and the large tech companies are protecting political censorship, we need to remember what is really important. My husband's administration is focused on the future.
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (October 29, 2020). "Melania Trump gives rally remarks in rare joint appearance with the president". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
Commentary:
So, here's Trump's wife talking about "hate, negativity and fear", and blaming it on the media. I must say that Donald Trump has taught Melania well. Just like him, she is a gleaming example of the hypocrisy of Trumpism. How much hate, negativity, and fear has trump pumped out over the past 4+ years? And every time Trump opens his mouth at a campaign rally it's just more of the same "blame game", blaming all of America's ills on the media, Obama, Democrats, and the "radical left."
It's astounding, and very, very disconcerting to realize where we're at in America today. I seriously doubt that Trump, anyone in his administration, or any of his supporters for that matter, are even remotely aware of the outrageous hypocrisy. And even if they were, I doubt they would care.
The people that make up Trumpism, including Trump himself, are so caught up in the moment, and the people who support him have been so thoroughly brain-washed, that I think they are all in an altered state of collective consciousness. It's like a cult. It's as if they are on drugs, and addicted to the effects. On March 17, 2019 I posted an article entitled "President Donald Trump | the "New Normal" Drug" which elaborates on this.
Oct 28, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Goodyear, Arizona. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Speaking at the Goodyear rally, Trump said the following about Miles Taylor (an ex-HHS official who wrote an anonymous op-ed in September of 2018 and who recently revealed that he is the author):
It turned out to be a low-level staffer, a sleazebag, who has never worked in the White House. Anonymous was a nobody, a disgruntled employee who was quickly removed from his job a long time ago for, they tell me, incompetence.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 28, 2020). "Trump says ex-staffer who penned 'Anonymous' op-ed should be 'prosecuted'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
Oct 27, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Lansing, Michigan. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in West Salem, Wisconsin. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Commentary:
Since his recovery from COVID-19 earlier this month, Trump has been participating in events and holding campaign rallies at a furious pace.
Of course, he wants to be reelected so he can save the country from the "radical left", and he's behind in most of the traditional polls - both of which might explain his dizzying schedule over the past 2-3 weeks. But Trump doesn't believe in traditional anything, including polls, so one has to ask why is he campaigning SO MUCH.
I think the answer is simple. Trump's ego is so immense and all-encompassing that the idea of losing to Joe Biden is just too much to bear.
At a recent campaign rally in Macon, Georgia Trump said the following about Joe Biden:
I shouldn't joke, because you know what? Running against the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics puts pressure on me. Could you imagine if I lose? My whole life, what am I gonna do? I'm gonna say I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics. I'm not gonna feel so good. Maybe I'll have to leave the country, I don't know.
Source:
Cole, Brendan. (October 17, 2020). "Trump Says Losing to Biden Would Mean 'Maybe I'll Have to Leave the Country'". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
Trump's "larger than life-size" ego is on the line in this election - BIG TIME! To lose to someone like "Sleepy Joe" who is the "worst candidate in the history of presidential politics" is beyond comprehension and would be completely devastating for Trump. So, he keeps churning out campaign rally after campaign rally, saying the same thing over and over, ad nauseam.
One really has to wonder what will happen to Trump if in fact he loses the election. Maybe he will just spontaneously combust into nothing but a small pile of dust!
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the following:
It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November third, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate and I don't believe that that's by our laws.
Source:
Woodward, Calvin. (October 27, 2020). "AP FACT CHECK: Trump sees voting chaos that does not exist". Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
Commentary:
Here he goes again, just a continuation of what he said yesterday, putting out a false narrative, trying to convince Americans that there are "big problems" with mail-in ballot fraud.
There's nothing "very proper" about a winner being declared on election day. This is just Trump propaganda which he's using, yet again, to help legitimize his potential dispute of the final election results.
If you look back at prior elections, sometimes the final results of Senate, House, and gubernatorial races aren't known for several days (or longer) after election day because the races are so tight that every last ballot has to be counted before a winner can be declared.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, it's highly likely that a substantial number of people will vote by mail. And since some states can't begin counting mail-in ballots until election day, it's pretty much a given that we won't have final results on November 3.
Oct 26, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following:
Big problems and discrepancies with Mail In Ballots all over the USA. Must have final total on November 3rd.
Twitter added the following warning to the tweet:
Some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed and might be misleading about how to participate in an election or another civic process.
A Twitter spokesperson said:
With this warning and in line with our Civic Integrity Policy, we will significantly reduce the Tweet's visibility and people will not be able to Like, Reply or Retweet it.
Source:
Pitofsky, Marina. (October 27, 2020). "Twitter adds 'disputed' and 'misleading' label to Trump mail-in ballots tweet'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
Commentary:
Trump is STILL laying more groundwork for a potential dispute of the election results. He's been doing this for the past 2-3 months, and this tweet today is just another "brick on the pile."
Trump held a campaign rally in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Oct 25, 2020:
Read a transcript of the 60 Minutes interview with Trump, hosted by Lesley Stahl, aired today here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 24, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Lumberton, North Carolina. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Circleville, Ohio. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany posted a short video clip of Joe Biden from her personal Twitter account. Along with the clip McEnany said the following:
BIDEN ADMITS TO VOTER FRAUD!
McEnany's tweet takes what Biden said out of context. Here's what Biden said:
We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics. What the President is trying to do is discourage people from voting by implying that their vote won't be counted, it can't be counted, we're going to challenge it...
This statement was part of a broader statement Biden was making about the effort to combat voter suppression and for Democrats to make a plan regarding "how you're going to vote, where you're going to vote, when you're going to vote."
Source:
Yurieff, Kaya. (October 27, 2020). "Kayleigh McEnany posts misleading Biden clip, claims he 'admits to voter fraud'". CNN. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
View more about this on factcheck.org here.
Commentary:
It appears as though McEnany posted this on her personal Twitter account and not her official government account, which is interesting in itself.
But, regardless of which account she used, this is just another glaring example of the ongoing Trump misinformation campaign. Surely, McEnany must know that what she said was taken out of context, and that what she said is categorically false, but she chose to tweet it any way, knowing it would go viral on social media and further "infect" the minds of so many rabid Trump supporters. For someone in her position in the Trump administration to do something like this is abhorrent and pathetic.
EVEN IF Biden were in fact involved in a "master scheme" to commit voter fraud, do you think he, or any other politician, would be dumb enough to state it or admit to it publicly? Perhaps Biden could have chosen his words a bit more carefully, but that's no reason or excuse for McEnany's tweet.
Oct 23, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally at The Villages retirement community in Florida. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
At the rally, Trump said the following:
We're not going to be a socialist nation. We're not going to have a socialist president, especially a female socialist president. We're not going to have it. We're not going to put up with it.
Source:
Axelrod, Tal. (October 24, 2020). "Trump knocks idea of a 'female socialist president'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
Commentary:
Wow, if THAT isn't misogynistic, I don't know what is!
What's interesting, and pathetic, is that I'm sure many of Trump's female supporters will vote for him, despite comments like this.
Oct 22, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following about his recent 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, and about the moderator for tonight's final presidential debate Kristen Welker:
Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS. Tonight's anchor, Kristen Welker, is far worse!
Source:
Samuels, Brett; Chalfant, Morgan. (October 22, 2020). "Trump posts full '60 Minutes' interview showing him walking out". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
The final Trump/Biden presidential debate was held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The debate was moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
During the debate, Trump said the following about Kristen Welker:
By the way so far I respect very much the way you're handling this, I have to say.
Source:
Greenwood, Max. (October 22, 2020). "Trump praises Welker at debate after earlier criticism". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
Oct 21, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Gastonia, North Carolina. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 20, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends", Trump said the following about the scandal surrounding Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden:
This is the laptop from hell. Even if he didn't get all of this money, you can't go to China and have the son walk out with $1.5 billion. ... You can't go to Ukraine with $83,000 a month. ... You can't get $3.5 million from the mayor of Moscow's wife.
And you didn't have a job before your father was vice president. You can't go and go with your father and every stop you make, you pick up $1 billion. The vice president got a kickback, and everybody knows it, and they've known it a long time.
We've got to get the attorney general to act. He's gotta act, and he's gotta act fast, and he's gotta appoint somebody. This is major corruption, and we have to know about this before the election. The attorney general has to act.
Source:
Shaw, Adam; Singman, Brooke. (October 20, 2020). "Trump urges Barr to 'act fast,' 'appoint somebody' to probe Hunter Biden business dealings". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
Oct 19, 2020:
In a staff conference call (with a number of reporters listening in), Trump said the following about Dr. Anthony Fauci:
He's like this wonderful guy, a wonderful sage telling us how he said, do not wear facemasks — that's a number of months ago. He said, do not close it up to China. I have a list of 15 things. And yet we keep him. Every time he goes on television there's always a bomb. But there is a bigger bomb if you fire him. But Fauci is a disaster. I mean, this guy, if I listened to him, we would have 500,000 deaths.
Fauci, if we listened to him, we’d have 700,000 to 800,000 deaths right now. So, with that, I get along with him. If there's a reporter on, you have it just the way I said it. I couldn't care less.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 19, 2020). "Trump labels Fauci a 'disaster' on campaign call". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
Trump held a campaign rally in Prescott, Arizona. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
Speaking at the rally, Trump said:
They're getting tired of the pandemic, aren't they...You turn on CNN, that's all they cover. COVID, COVID, pandemic, COVID, COVID, COVID...You know why? They're trying to talk everybody out of voting. People aren't buying it, CNN. You dumb bastards.
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (October 19, 2020). "Trump calls CNN 'dumb bastards' for covering coronavirus". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
Trump held a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 18, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Carson City, Nevada. Read a transcript on Rev here.
Oct 17, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Janesville, Wisconsin. Watch the full video on C-Span here.
At 6:39 AM Trump tweeted the following about Republican Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse:
The least effective of our 53 Republican Senators, and a person who truly doesn't have what it takes to be great, is Little Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a State which I have gladly done so much to help. @SenSasse was as nice as a RINO can be until he recently won the Republican....
...Nomination to run for a second term. Then he went back to his rather stupid and obnoxious ways. Must feel he can't lose to a Dem. Little Ben is a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy!
At 9:00 AM Trump followed up his earlier tweet about Sasse with the following:
Senator Little Ben Sasse of the Great State of Nebraska seems to be heading down the same inglorious path as former Senators Liddle' Bob Corker, whose approval rating in Tennessee went from 55% to 4%, & Jeff "the Flake" Flake, whose approval rating in Arizona went from 56% to....
....practically nothing. Both Senators became totally unelectable, couldn't come even close to winning their primaries, and decided to drop out of politics and gracefully "RETIRE". @SenSasse could be next, or perhaps the Republicans should find a new and more viable candidate?
Source:
Axelrod, Tal. (October 17, 2020). "Trump excoriates Sasse over leaked audio". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
Oct 16, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Macon, Georgia. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Trump addressed a crowd of senior citizens in Fort Myers, Florida. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 15, 2020:
Trump participated in a town hall hosted by Savannah Guthrie of NBC News. Read a transcript on Rev here.
Trump held a campaign rally in Greenvile, North Carolina. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
At the rally, Trump said the following:
Someone said to me the other day, 'you're the most famous person in the world by far.' I said, 'no, I'm not'... they said, 'who's more famous?' I said, 'Jesus Christ.'...I'm not taking any chances ... I'm not having any arguments — Jesus Christ!...And let me look up and I'll say it's not even close...Masks, no masks, everything, you can do all you want, but you know, you still need help from the boss.
Source:
Deese, Kaelan. (October 15, 2020). "Trump says only Jesus Christ more famous than him". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
Commentary:
Nothing but pure, pathetic pandering to his base evangelical supporters. Odds are, the conversation Trump mentioned never happened. It's more likely he, or someone in his campaign just made it up because they knew it would get an enthusiastic response from the crowd.
Oct 14, 2020:
Trump delivered remarks on the economy to a virtual gathering of the Economic Club of New York. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 13, 2020:
Trump held a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 12, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following regarding the "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage" protests this weekend in Portland, Oregon:
The Radical Left fools in Portland don’t want any help from real Law Enforcement which we will provide instantaneously. Vote!
Put these animals in jail, now. The Radical Left only knows how to take advantage of very dumb "leadership" fools. This is Biden! Law & Order!!
Taking advantage of fools. Law & Order! Portland, call in the Feds!
These are Biden fools. ANTIFA RADICALS. Get them FBI, and get them now!
Source:
Coleman, Justine. (October 12, 2020). "Trump on 'Day of Rage' protests in Portland: 'Put these animals in jail, now'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
Trump held a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida. Watch the full video and read a transcript on C-Span here.
Oct 11, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following:
A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know!!!
Twitter flagged the tweet as "misleading."
Source:
Bowden, John. (October 11, 2020). "Twitter labels Trump tweet on coronavirus immunity as 'misleading'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
Read more here:
Trump claims he is 'immune' from coronavirus, defends federal response | The Hill
Eric Trump falsely calls president's coronavirus treatment a vaccine | The Hill
Oct 10, 2020:
Trump no longer considered a risk to transmit COVID-19, doctor says | The Hill
Oct 9, 2020:
In an interview with Fox News medical contributor Marc Siegel, Trump said the following about his recent illness with the coronavirus:
The biggest thing is that I did do it early [get medical attention]. Now I have such great access to medical … so it's a lot easier for me than somebody who doesn't have access to a doctor so easily. And, you know, I think it would have gotten a lot worse. One of the doctors said he thought it would have gotten a lot worse. I just think that even these medications, they're a lot better if you get them early than if you get them late. I think going in early is a big factor in my case.
Source:
Samuels, Brett. (October 9, 2020). "Trump gives overview of COVID-19 case in first on-camera interview since diagnosis". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
Trump called in to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and spoke with him for two full hours.
Below, are some excerpts from the conversation.
Regarding Iran:
You know why they have no money? Because Iran is bust. Iran is bust because of me, because of sanctions and other things...You don't see the terror the way you used to see the terror. And they know if they do anything against us, they'll pay a thousand fold a problem. They're going to have a thousand fold difference because they know now that we have things that we never had before. We have strength in weapons and things that we never had before. We never had it like we have it now. And Iran knows that. And they've been put on notice: if you fuck around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before. And they understand that.
Regarding Black Lives Matter:
That's such a terrible term because it's such a racist term. It's a term that sews division between Blacks and Whites and everybody else. And it's a very bad term for Blacks. But they were very angry. It's a Marxist organization.
Regarding Joe Biden:
Let me tell you, if he got in, this country is going to hell. This country is going to go to hell like you've never seen. And you'll end up in a depression the likes of which you haven’t seen since 1929.
Source:
(October 9, 2020). "Donald Trump Rush Limbaugh Interview 'Radio Rally' Transcript October 9". Rev. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
Commentary:
Regarding Iran, there goes Trump again, boasting about "things that we never had before" (meaning weapons), saying that if "you fuck around with us" he will do things that have "never been done before." To speak like this is completely unacceptable behavior for the president of the United States. Trump has spoken before like this regarding Iran, and it's just another painful example of how unfit for office he is.
Regarding Black Lives Matter, once again Trump completely misses the point and paints the Blacks Lives Matter movement as the "bad guys." If Black Lives Matter is "such a racist term", why hasn't Trump said the same things about "White Lives Matter", or "Blue Lives Matter"? If you've been paying attention and you heard what Trump said to Bob Woodward in one of his interviews, you know that Trump doesn't understand or "get" what's going on in America with regard to race and police brutality - just one more reason he has absolutely no business in the White House.
Oct 8, 2020:
Trump called into the Fox Business Network program and spoke with host Maria Bartiromo.
Chris Cillizza, a reporter for CNN analyzes the "48 most unhinged" lines from the interview which you can read in his article entitled "The 48 most unhinged lines from Donald Trump's Fox Business interview".
Trump called into Sean Hannity's Fox News program for a 27-minute interview.
Regarding the recent presidential debate:
Chris [Wallace] is not Mike [Wallace] that I can tell you. He's not even close, but Chris was terrible. He was protecting Biden the whole night.
Now you have this Debate Commission. It's a joke. The commission's a joke.
I'm not interested in doing a virtual. I'm not Joe Biden. I'm not going to do a virtual debate, sit behind a computer screen. That gives them the answers, because there'll be handing him the answers just like he gets what he asks. He does news conferences, he does them and they give him the answer and they give him the question and they give him what kind of a news conference. He does them all the time. He was choking like a dog the other night, but Chris Wallace bailed him in. He just bailed him in or bailed him out.
Source:
(October 8, 2020). "Donald Trump Sean Hannity Interview Transcript October 8, Trump Says He’s Ready to Hold Rallies". Rev. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
The FBI announced it foiled a plot by a militia group to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In a livestream address Whitmer called Trump "complicit." Trump responded on Twitter with the following:
Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone, except her husband's boating activities. The Federal Government provided tremendous help to the Great People of Michigan. My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced...
...today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist—while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat run cities...
...I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your President! Governor Whitmer—open up your state, open up your schools, and open up your churches!
Source:
Coleman, Justine. (October 8, 2020). "Trump chastises Whitmer for calling him 'complicit' in extremism associated with kidnapping scheme". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
Oct 7, 2020:
Trump posted a five-minute video on Twitter talking about his recent experience with COVID-19.
Here are a few excerpts:
I know they call them therapeutic [referring to the monoclonal antibody cocktail made by Regeneron that Trump received], but to me it wasn't therapeutic, it just made me better. I call that a cure. So I want to get these things done. So we have to get them done. We have to get them approved, and I want to get them to the hospitals where people are feeling badly. That's much more important to me than the vaccine.
I think we should have it [a vaccine] before the election, but frankly, the politics gets involved and that's okay, they want to play their games. It's going to be right after the election, but we did it. Nobody else, nobody else would have been able to do it.
But they are, in my opinion, remember this, they're going to say that they're, "Therapeutic." And I guess they are therapeutic. Some people don't know how to define therapeutic. I view it different, it's a cure.
So I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise. I caught it. I heard about this drug. I said, "Let me take it." It was my suggestion. I said, "Let me take it," and it was incredible the way it worked. Incredible. I think if I didn't catch it, we'd be looking at that like a number of other drugs, but it really did a fantastic job.
I want to get for you what I got and I'm going to make it free. You're not going to pay for it. It wasn't your fault that this happened. It was China's fault, and China is going to pay a big price for what they've done to this country. China is going to pay a big price for what they've done to the world. This was China's fault, and just remember that.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 7, 2020). "Donald Trump Remarks Transcript, Calls Contracting COVID-19 'Blessing from God” October 7'". Rev. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
At present, the drug Trump received, REGN-COV2, is considered a therapy. REGN-COV2 is currently under study in four late-stage clinical trials with an estimated 11,074 total participants.
Today, Regeneron submitted a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for REGN-COV2 to treat COVID-19.
Read more about Regeneron's REGN-COV2 here.
Commentary:
For Trump to call his Regeneron therapy a "cure" is reckless and dangerous. Have you heard of any health professional, drug manufacturer, or official U.S. agency make this claim? No, of course not, because it's not true. Trump received several other treatments in addition to REGN-COV2. Who is to say which of those treatments, or combinations of treatments "cured" him? Without clinical trials it's impossible to know. And, how much did Trump's own immune system contribute to combating the disease? Trump is "jumping the gun" on this, playing the "stable genius" doctor when he should leave "cure" proclamations to health experts, professionals, and the results of clinical trials.
Of course, Trump just had to unload on China, again. How many times has Trump blamed China for the pandemic over the course of this year? If Trump had spent as much time NOT downplaying the coronavirus threat as he has blaming China our country would be in much, much better shape regarding the pandemic and its consequences.
Trump worked out of the Oval Office in the White House today.
Regarding self-isolation during recovery from COVID-19, here's what it says on the CDC website for people in the "I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms" category:
You can be with others after 1) At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and 2) At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and 3) Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving**Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.
If you had severe illness from COVID-19 (you were admitted to a hospital and needed oxygen), your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after your symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days) and you may need to finish your period of isolation at home. If testing is available in your community, your healthcare provider may recommend that you undergo repeat testing for COVID-19 to end your isolation earlier than would be done according to the criteria above. If so, you can be around others after you receive two negative tests results in a row, from tests done at least 24 hours apart.
Source:
Chalfant, Morgan. (October 7, 2020). "Trump works from Oval Office six days after COVID-19 diagnosis". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
(August 12, 2020). "When you can be around others after you had or likely had COVID-19". cdc.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
National security adviser Robert O'Brien said the United States has less than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan and that the number would be reduced to 2,500 by early next year. Just several hours later Trump tweeted the following:
We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!
Source:
(October 7, 2020). "U.S. troops in Afghanistan should be 'home by Christmas': Trump". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
Oct 6, 2020:
Trump tweeted the following:
Flu season is coming up! Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!
Source:
Sullivan, Peter. (October 6, 2020). "Trump downplays coronavirus by comparing it to flu". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Read more here:
Dr. Fauci contradicts Trump's false claim that Covid-19 is as deadly as flu | NBC News
Facebook, Twitter block Trump post that falsely claims coronavirus is less deadly than flu | CNBC
Medics condemn Trump's 'dangerous' Covid comments | The Guardian
The following chart is a screen shot (taken today) of information posted on the CDC website.
Source:
"Past Seasons Estimated Influenza Disease Burden". cdc.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
As you can see in the chart, total U.S. deaths from Influenza for the past ten seasons range from a low of 12,000 in 2011-2012, to a high of 61,000 in 2017-2018. The overall average deaths for those ten seasons is 35,900.
Commentary:
Once again, Trump is lying, this time about the flu.
According to the chart, the largest single-season death toll from Influenza in the past ten years was the 2017-2018 season, where an estimated 61,000 people died. This is not "sometimes over 100,000" as Trump said in his tweet.
As of yesterday, there were over 210,000 deaths due to COVID-19 reported by Johns Hopkins (see link in yesterday's October 5 update). The average estimated yearly deaths from COVID is 35,900 (using the chart, add up the 10 estimated yearly death tolls and divide by 10).
Trump said that COVID is "far less lethal", qualifying that by saying "in most populations." Obviously, for the American population, COVID IS MUCH MORE LETHAL - almost 6 times more lethal (210,181 divided by 35,900), on average, and we still haven't reached the one year mark. By the time we reach that mark (so we can get an "apples-to-apples" full year comparison with the influenza statistics in the chart), it will probably be 7-10 times more lethal.
Defending his decision to stop negotiating with Democrats about coronavirus relief earlier in the day, Trump tweeted the following:
Crazy Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left Democrats were just playing "games" with the desperately needed Workers Stimulus Payments.They just wanted to take care of Democrat failed, high crime, Cities and States. They were never in it to help the workers, and they never will be!
Source:
Trump, Donald. (October 6, 2020). "Trump defends move to halt relief talks, accuses Democrats of playing 'games' | The Hill". Retrieved 2020-10-23.
Trump tweeted the following:
Nancy Pelosi is asking for $2.4 Trillion Dollars to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States, money that is in no way related to COVID-19. We made a very generous offer of $1.6 Trillion Dollars and, as usual, she is not negotiating in good faith. I am rejecting their...
...request, and looking to the future of our Country. I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business. I have asked...
...@senatemajldr Mitch McConnell not to delay, but to instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. Our Economy is doing very well. The Stock Market is at record levels, JOBS and unemployment...
...also coming back in record numbers. We are leading the World in Economic Recovery, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
Source:
Trump, Donald. (October 6, 2020). "Trump | Tweet". Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Chalfant, Morgan; Lillis, Mike; Wong, Scott. (October 6, 2020). "Trump orders aides to halt talks on COVID-19 relief". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Treene, Alayna; Basu, Zachary. (October 6, 2020). "Trump says he will not negotiate on COVID relief until after election". Axios. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Later in the day Trump tweeted the following:
If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy? @MarkMeadows @senatemajldr @kevinomccarthy @SpeakerPelosi @SenSchumer
Source:
Smith, Allan; Clark, Dartunorro. (October 6, 2020). "Trump reverses course on coronavirus relief talks, dangles new $1,200 stimulus checks". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
Trump tweeted the following:
I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions!
Source:
Castronuovo, Celine. (October 21, 2020). "Judge rules to not release Russia probe documents over Trump tweets". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
Trump tweeted the following:
New FDA Rules make it more difficult for them to speed up vaccines for approval before Election Day. Just another political hit job! @SteveFDA
Source:
Axelrod, Tal. (October 6, 2020). "Trump lashes out at FDA over vaccine guidelines". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
Oct 5, 2020:
Trump left Walter Reed hospital late today and he returned to the White House.
Earlier in the day he tweeted the following:
I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don't be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!
White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said:
The president may not entirely be out of the woods yet...We all remain cautiously optimistic and on guard because we're in a bit of uncharted territory when it comes to a patient who received the therapies he has.
Source:
Singman, Brooke. (October 5, 2020). "White House physician says Trump 'may not entirely be out of the woods yet' in fight against coronavirus". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
Commentary:
For Trump to say "Don't be afraid of Covid." is reckless and irresponsible. Trump's doctor himself said that Trump might not be "out of the woods yet", so why is Trump saying something ridiculous like this?
Obviously, it's just the continuation of Trump downplaying the threat of the coronavirus for political purposes.
According to Johns Hopkins, as of today there have been 210,181 deaths in the United States (7,457,402 confirmed cases) and 1,043,061 deaths globally due to COVID-19. Those numbers do not reflect the countless other people who have become sick due to the coronavirus, nor do they say anything about the economic impacts on those people.
As president, Trump has immediate access to the best, most cutting edge medical treatments available, but for the vast majority of the rest of Americans that's not the case.
Trump was treated with both Remdesivir and a new drug (still in clinical trials) consisting of monoclonal antibodies made by Regeneron. I don't know much about the availability of Remdesivir, but according to an article in Time the Regeneron drug is only available for "compassionate use" outside of existing clinical trials.
And, there is the issue of whether Trump should be back at the White House at all so soon after testing positive. He doesn't wear a mask. Is it possible he's still able to pass the coronavirus on to others?
Oct 4, 2020:
After spending the past two days at Walter Reed Hospital after experiencing mild coronavirus symptoms, in a video posted on Twitter Trump said:
It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't the 'let's read the books' school.
And I get it, and I understand it, and it's a very interesting thing, and I’m going to be letting you know about it.
Source:
Klar, Rebecca. (October 4, 2020). "Trump says he 'learned a lot' about coronavirus during treatment: 'This is the real school'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
Oct 2, 2020:
Speaking with PBS NewsHour host Judy Woodruff, New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks said the following about Trump's performance during the presidential debate held three nights ago on September 30:
Even among Trump supporters who are friends, they were devastated and shocked. Some of them are not on Twitter. They don't see a lot of that Twitter stuff. And, suddenly, they see this.
I think it was one of the most important events of the campaign for this reason. People like me can sermonize about how, when you behave badly, when you destroy every norm of civility and decency, you corrode the world around you. You destroy the norms of standard behavior.
The problem with people — when people like me sermonize about this is, it's an invisible process, and it's a slow corrosion. On debate night, the American people got to see in real time, with their own eyes, the way one man destroyed an American political institution, the presidential debate.
And so that's just a clear example of the centrality of character and the centrality of decency and how what we saw, when you have bad character, frankly, and indecency, it has the explosive force of a howitzer. It just breaks things and makes people suffer.
And that process, in my view, has been going on throughout the Trump presidency. But, here, it happened in real time right in front of everybody's eyes. So, I think it's an extremely significant event in the whole arc of the Trump presidency.
Source:
(October 2, 2020). "Shields and Brooks on Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and the debate". PBS. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
Commentary:
David Brooks really nailed it. He talked about the destruction of "every norm of civility and decency", the "slow corrosion" of the world, "bad character", and how things get broken and people suffer as a result. You can argue all you want about what Trump has done for the economy and so on, but then you absolutely must stop and ask the question, at what cost?
Certainly, everything Trump has done as president is up for debate in terms of how "good" or "bad" all those things are. If you're a conservative, you probably think Trump is the greatest president of all time. If you're a liberal, you most likely think he's the absolute worst president ever.
If you're a staunch Trump supporter, you probably minimize (or possibly ignore altogether) Trump's ongoing indecent and uncivil behavior, internally saying to yourself, "Oh, that's just Trump being Trump." You might validate your support for him by telling yourself that what he's accomplishing far outweighs his behavior, and that the end justifies the means.
Last night, in an interview with Christiane Amanpour about Trump's performance at this week's presidential debate, Trump friend and CEO of Newsmax Media Christopher Ruddy said that Trump is "sort of authentic to himself." This is a prime example of the way some Trump supporters excuse Trump's behavior. Instead of calling Trump out as being indecent, uncivil, and disrespectful, Ruddy puts out the "flowery" message (without explicitly saying it) that it's OK to behave badly as long as you're being "authentic" to yourself.
If you care about America, and you care about the world, I suggest you stop, take a deep breath, and think long and hard about this, because whether you realize it or not, enabling Trump's behavior just allows the "slow corrosion" that Brooks mentions to continue.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION OR EXCUSE FOR TRUMP'S BEHAVIOR, PERIOD, END OF STORY.
Oct 1, 2020:
Speaking with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Trump said:
Let me be clear again: I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys. I don't know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.
During the first presidential debate two days ago, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy.
Source:
Neuman, Scott. (October 1, 2020). "Trump Now Says He Condemns 'All White Supremacists,' After Declining To At Debate". NPR. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
Samuels, Brett. (October 1, 2020). "Trump: 'I condemn all white supremacists'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
Commentary:
Four campaign rallies in Pennsylvania in one day. I have to give Trump an "A" for effort when it comes to finishing strong.
But what might appear as "strong" to me looks and feels more like Trump just trying to build on his previous statements that the only way he can lose is because of mail-in ballot fraud.
I think one of the underlying, maybe even subconscious reasons Trump is campaigning so ridiculously hard (besides his massive ego and the humiliation he will feel if he loses) is that he's building a case to convince not only his supporters and anyone else who's listening, but to HIMSELF as well, that his relentless string of campaign rallies, all in battleground states, are further "evidence" that he can't possibly lose.