Trump claims victory over Covid
Welcome to today’s US election briefing for Australia.
“Don’t let it dominate you.” Only four days after being diagnosed with Covid, president Donald Trump emerged from hospital on Monday, casting himself as a victor over a virus that continues to ravage his country.
The president stepped off his helicopter Marine One, ascended the stairs of the White House and triumphantly ripped off his mask on the balcony in a carefully choreographed display. A long-time fan of professional wrestling and action movies, Trump and his team have quickly absorbed the president’s ongoing illness into his broader political narrative as a strongman uniquely positioned to lead America.
Standing on the balcony, he told Americans not to be afraid. His press secretary, the latest aide to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, praised him for standing “strongly”, while a Republican senator framed his return as a sign he had “once again defeated China”. On Monday, the clear message was: Trump has bodyslammed this virus.
But beyond the theatrics, reality beckons. Trump’s personal physician said that while the president’s condition “continued to improve”, he “may not be entirely out of the woods yet”. His heavy breathing was evident in news footage. And Trump is likely still contagious, raising fears for the scores of staffers who work in the building, many of whom are people of colour and aged over 50, according to the Atlantic.
Across from the White House the day before his return, Covid survivors set up 20,000 empty chairs, a memorial to the virus’ American victims. Each chair represented 10 people who have died so far; people who, in their president’s conception of the world, “let” themselves be “dominated” by Covid. It wasn’t clear whether they ran out of chairs or space first.
The big stories
Trump was sharply rebuked by medical experts after telling Americans in a recorded message on Monday not to be “afraid of it” and that the US had “the best medicines”. Here’s the full report on his return.
Joe Biden countered Trump’s message on Monday, saying wearing a mask is a “patriotic duty”. The candidate addressed Trump’s diagnosis and other issues at an event in Florida.
Trump’s top spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany, is the latest high-profile member of the president’s inner circle to test positive for coronavirus. McEnany has conducted in-person press briefings in recent days, including one on Sunday where she removed her mask.
Trump said in March he “didn’t have a lot of time” to meet the top public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci for a briefing about the coronavirus outbreak that was then gathering pace, according to a new recording released by reporter Bob Woodward.
Democrats are concerned an increasingly desperate Trump is aiming to win re-election not at the ballot box but through voter intimidation, courts and counting rooms. Here’s the latest on what both parties are doing regarding poll watching.
Quote of the day Election views
“No one really thought that Trump would emerge chastened from his brush with the virus,” writes Julian Borger, “but not only was [Trump] unrepentant about the White House’s cavalier approach to masks and social distancing, he has reinforced it”. With his behaviour over the past 24 hours, the president has produced “a toxic workplace to the point of potential lethality”.
“Donald the Super-Spreader is an insult to those Americans who have altered their own lives beyond recognition in order to fight the corona virus ,” writes Moira Don egan. Watching the videos of the rose garden ceremony, where Republicans gathered in close proximity, hugged and shook hands, she couldn’t help but think of the funerals she has attended over the past year over Zoom.
“What happens to the appeal of the strongman politician when he ends up in hospital? ”asks Zoe Williams. To understand what might be in store for Trump, Williams looks at the effects of the virus on Boris Johnson, whose ability to project certainty has faltered. Video of the day
Guardian reporter Kenya Evelyn travels to Florida, where the Democrats’ most loyal bloc, Black women, are also bearing the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak, with its impact accelerating the fight for voting rights. From mailin ballots and early voting to felon disenfranchisement, Black voters are wielding their power to demand more from Democrats ahead of November. Around the web
There is a schism in the Trump family over the president’s behaviour, according to a report in Vanity Fair, with Donald Trump Jnr reportedly deeply concerned about his dad’s behaviour in recent days. The eldest son wants an intervention, but Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner keep telling the president “how great he is doing”.
There will be a plexiglass barrier between vice-president Mike Pence and his Democrat opponent Kamala Harris, the Washington Post reports, when they meet for their debate on Wednesday. Experts told the paper the VP really should be in quarantine, though, due to his potential exposure to the virus.
“After two consecutive video appearances that revealed his Immortan Joe old man pallor, the orangina is back.” Enjoyed this high energy mini-essay from former Jeb Bush communications director Tim Williams in the Bulwark on Trump’s disturbing, absorbing mask-removal moment – “the weirdest 90 seconds in presidential history”.
Meanwhile, some of the most compelling gonzo reporting on Covid continues to come from the TikTok account of Claudia Conway, daughter of Trump aide Kellyanne.
What the numbers say: 20
The number of people – so far – who have tested positive for Covid after spending time at the White House, according to the Washington Post. The White House has refused to confirm the figure.
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