White House aides fear Trump’s drugs have triggered manic behavior: report

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A stunning report in the New York Times Thursday night described President Donald Trump lashing out and demanding his own appointees prosecute his enemies, an egregious breach of norms and real and present danger to American democracy. Most shocking of all was the fact that this largely wasn’t some anonymously sourced bombshell — most of the comments the Times’ report was based on Trump made publicly

But far down in the report was a notable nugget about the White House that wasn’t based on publicly available information. According to the Times reporters, Trump’s own aides are worried that his manic and erratic public behavior this week may be a result of his illness and the medications he’s been taking:

White House aides privately expressed concern about whether the president’s animated mood in recent days stemmed from the dexamethasone. Doctors not involved with the president’s care said it could have a significant effect on a patient’s behavior. Continue reading.

Trump to hold first White House event after coronavirus diagnosis

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President Trump plans to hold an in-person event at the White House on Saturday, two officials confirmed to The Hill, his first public engagement since being diagnosed with the coronavirus last week.

One White House official said that Trump will deliver remarks from the Blue Room Balcony to guests on the South Lawn, suggesting he will not be in close proximity to any of those in attendance.

The event is being coordinated with one organized by conservative activist Candace Owens and Trump’s remarks are expected to focus on “law and order,” according to ABC News, which first reported the plans. It is expected to attract hundreds of attendees, despite the pandemic.  Continue reading.

Despite debate talk, Biden virus approach differs from Trump’s

Their plans share some broad similarities but diverge on the role of the federal government

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s plan for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has much in common with what the Trump administration has attempted so far, but Biden’s overall approach would likely differ from Trump’s in important ways, experts say.

Both campaigns emphasize access to testing, developing vaccines and making more medical supplies in the United States. The broad similarities provided Vice President Mike Pence with a stinging attack line in Wednesday night’s debate with Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. 

“When you look at the Biden plan, it reads an awful lot like what President Trump and I and our task force have been doing every step of the way,” Pence said, describing the plan as “plagiarism” and alluding to a 1987 incident when Biden copied a British politician’s speech.  Continue reading.

COVID-19 sparks national security concerns with top brass in quarantine

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The quarantining of most of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, coming on the heels of President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, is raising fears that U.S. adversaries might seek to exploit a perceived weakness.

Few expect any sort of overt military action, but there are other ways to wreak havoc on the United States.

Chief among them is disinformation. Experts have been warning ever since Trump tested positive for the coronavirus last week that disinformation is likely to kick into overdrive. Continue reading.

Here’s why it matters when Trump last tested negative for COVID-19

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White House officials and the president’s physician have refused to disclose when President Trump last tested negative for COVID-19, a key detail that has implications for how long the president could be infectious and who else he might have exposed to the highly contagious virus.

The White House has said Trump’s first positive test result came back Thursday. He is known to have shown symptoms Friday, including fatigue and fever, and required supplemental oxygen. But the timeline remains fuzzy beyond that.

“We’ve addressed this. We’re not asking to go back through a bunch of records and look backwards,” Brian Morgenstern, a deputy press secretary, told reporters Wednesday when asked when the president last tested negative. Continue reading.

DFL Party Criticizes Trump & MN GOP for Infecting Minnesotans with COVID-19 at Trump Rally

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party sharply criticized the state Republican Party and Trump campaign for holding a rally that wound up infecting nine Minnesotans with COVID-19, landing two people in the hospital, and sending one individual to the I.C.U.

The DFL Party has previously criticized the Minnesota GOP for holding maskless political events. The Minnesota GOP Chairwoman, Jennifer Carnahan, responded on Twitter by bragging about not wearing masks at political events

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“From the start of this pandemic, Donald Trump and Minnesota Republicans have ignored public health experts and put their re-elections ahead of the health of Minnesotans. It was only a matter of time until the dangerous, maskless campaign events staged by Donald Trump and Minnesota Republicans landed Minnesotans in the hospital. 

Continue reading “DFL Party Criticizes Trump & MN GOP for Infecting Minnesotans with COVID-19 at Trump Rally”

Republicans frustrated by Trump’s messages on COVID-19

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House Republicans are expressing frustration over President Trump’s order on Tuesday that aides end negotiations with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on a coronavirus stimulus package, a move that some worry will hurt them in the 2020 elections. 

The president’s decision to pull out of negotiations, which was not broadly supported by House Republicans, flipped the narrative the GOP has been hitting Democrats with — that Pelosi was blocking the deal. Instead, multiple GOP lawmakers described the tweet as a “disaster” that served as a self-inflicted wound ahead of Election Day. 

“I disagree with the President,” Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said in a statement. “With lives at stake, we cannot afford to stop negotiations on a relief package.” Continue reading.

Contradictory and confusing White House statements offer an incomplete picture of Trump’s health

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Information about President Trump’s condition has been incomplete, confusing and, at times, contradictory since early Friday morning when the commander in chief announced that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Trump’s medical team, led by White House physician Sean Conley, has been criticized for painting a rosy portrait of Trump’s conditionSaturday, without disclosing that the president had been given supplemental oxygen or put on a steroid that is usually reserved for severely ill coronavirus patients.

“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, over his course of illness, has had,” Conley said. “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true. … The fact of the matter is that he’s doing really well.” Continue reading.

Trump’s words — ‘Don’t be afraid of Covid’ — hurt those sickened, mourning

Trump’s tweet — ‘Don’t be afraid of COVID’ — strikes some as reckless, disrespectful. 

Kara Goucher couldn’t contain her frustration.

Her beloved grandfather lay in a Duluth hospital Monday, gravely ill with COVID-19 when President Donald Trump, returning to the White House from a three-day hospital stay after contracting the virus, tweeted to his followers:

“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!” Continue reading.

White House Has Lied For Months About COVID Testing Of Trump

Questions continue to swirl around the timeline of Donald Trump’s infection with the coronavirus. The White House continues to refuse to respond to questions about when Trump’s last negative coronavirus test was — information that could help with contact tracing and pinpointing the source of the outbreak that is still spreading among members of the Trump administration and other government and military officials.

But even if the White House did release the information, it would be hard to know whether it’s true, as the White House has lied about Trump’s coronavirus testing before.

Back in July, Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s serially lying press secretary, said he was tested “multiple times a day” for the virus. Continue reading.