President Donald Trump says he has tested positive for coronavirus, but the timing may still allow for the two scheduled presidential debates with Joe Biden to proceed.
If that’s so, then he and first lady Melania Trump (who also tested positive, according to the president) may be able to complete their 14-day quarantine around the time of the second scheduled presidential debate, which is currently set for Thursday, October 15. A third and final debate with Biden is scheduled for Thursday, October 22.
It’s also conceivable that the debates could be rescheduled or scrapped.
Early mainstream media reports have focused on the turmoil the positive test result causes for Trump’s re-election campaign. But it also may highlight the difference between testing positive for coronavirus and experiencing symptoms of illness. Much depends on whether the president shows effects of sickness in addition to the positive test result.
The White House has cancelled campaign rallies the president was planning to attend. The daily in-person national intelligence briefing for Friday has also been cancelled.
But a statement from the president’s physician suggests the president can conduct some business as usual at the White House. The president is still (as of early morning Friday) planning to hold a conference call at 12:15 p.m. with at-risk senior citizens.
As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, the Biden campaign had not released a statement on Twitter. The most recent campaign statement, from Thursday night, about five hours before Trump’s announcement, highlighted Biden’s criticism of the way Trump has handled the virus.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
