Another short post today….
As of this posting, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump reportedly tested positive for novel coronavirus. Mr. Trump tweeted this diagnosis at 1am, 2 October 2020. His doctors also confirmed the positive test and that the President and First Lady are quarantined and being monitored for symptoms at this time.
Regardless of one’s political opinion or level of support for President Trump, this is a life-threatening virus and I wish the President, the First Lady, and anyone who might be affected by this virus a full and complete recovery.
While it is inevitable that the President’s political opponents will gloat about this diagnosis given the President’s remarks and actions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, I think it is crass and churlish to take delight in the diagnosis.
There is speculation in some social media circles that President Trump is faking this diagnosis for political advantage. Frankly, I do not see how this diagnosis, real or fake, is advantageous to the President.
Any sympathy vote for him is extremely limited at best. Those who already support Mr. Trump do not require any extra motivation to vote for him. Those who oppose him likely view this positive test as karma.
In short, there is little if any political upside for Mr. Trump with this diagnosis, so it is madness to speculate that it is a ploy to garner sympathy or detract from his electoral challenges.
If anything, Mr. Trump has a lot more to worry about than his re-election campaign right now. 80% of the COVID-19 deaths in this country are 65 years old and older with underlying health problems. Mr. Trump falls squarely in that category. While at the time of this post, the President is not exhibiting any symptoms, this disease is a very real threat to his health.
Again, I wish the President and First Lady a complete and speedy recovery from this pernicious disease and hope this diagnosis will serve as a catalyst to make people realize that we are all in this together, regardless of our political beliefs.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 
