memeorandum: The COVID Chaos Is a Net Plus for Trump's Campaign (Kurt Schlichter/Townhall)

9:45 AM ET, October 3, 2020

Top Items:

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump campaign manager tests positive for Covid-19 — Donald Trump's campaign manager has tested positive for Covid-19, dealing another blow to his reelection effort on a day that saw the president and the head of the Republican National Committee report contracting the disease as well.

Discussion: NPR, Political Wire, Raw Story, Mediaite, Breitbart, The Hill, Axios, Slate, Twitchy and New York Post

Washington Post:

Invincibility punctured by infection: How the coronavirus spread in Trump's White House — The ceremony in the White House Rose Garden last Saturday was a triumphal flashback to the Before Times — before public health guidelines restricted mass gatherings, before people were urged to wear masks and socially distance.

Discussion: Vox, Raw Story, CNN, Politico, Bloomberg, Bangor Daily News, Washington Times, Twin Cities, Political Wire, Daily Kos, Eschaton and NBC Boston

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

“There Is Zero Reason to Panic”: On Trump's Coronavirus Case and the Shredded Credibility of His White House — A report from Day One after the President's diagnosis. — As Thursday began, it seemed like just another day of Trumpian meltdown in the nation's capital.

Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:

Trump Infects America — “At the best of times, Trumpworld operates with all the strategic direction of a chicken with its head cut off,” a senior Republican official told me. “Right now, they're operating like a chicken with its head cut off, lit on fire, and thrown off a cliff.”

Discussion: OpsLens, Roll Call and Washington Post

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Three White House journalists test positive for coronavirus after closely covering Trump — Journalists who work at the White House have been on high alert about the coronavirus since March, but the issue took on even greater urgency Friday with a mini-outbreak in the press room following …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Hill and Axios

Washington Post:

Trump seemed to defy the laws of science and disease. Then, the coronavirus caught up with him. — President Trump contracted the novel coronavirus after months in which he and people around him — his aides, his children, even his golf-club members — avoided taking basic steps to prevent …

Discussion: One America News Network, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:

What I Saw at the White House — On the White House grounds this morning, senior West Wing aides walked around without masks. They spoke with the press without masks. They huddled privately with one another and didn't wear masks. — When I visited the White House in August …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Vox, Yahoo News and The Week

David K. Li / NBC News:

11 positive coronavirus tests traced to presidential debate, Cleveland officials say — At least 11 positive coronavirus tests can be traced to organizers of this week's presidential debate in Cleveland, city officials said Friday. — The city's announcement came after President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Straight from City Hall, Politico, New York Post, Forbes, Slate, OpsLens and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

Trump's debate guests refused to wear masks, flouting rules — A little more than two days before she reported testing positive for the coronavirus, first lady Melania Trump — as well as the president's sons, daughters and several guests — violated safety protocols at the first presidential debate …

Bloomberg:
The Day Covid-19 Came to Donald Trump's White House

Discussion: Florida Politics, Raw Story and Wired

CNN:
Journalists who work at the White House are testing positive for Covid-19

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, NBC Boston, Wall Street Journal and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
The White House relied on a rapid test, but used it in a way it was not intended.

Discussion: Slate, CNBC and The Week

CNN:
There will be more space between Pence and Harris at next week's debate

Discussion: Bloomberg, Deadline, OpsLens, WCDC-TV and CBS Philly

Politico:
Debate commission accedes to Biden campaign's ‘health and safety’ objections for VP debate

Discussion: Washington Post, Sputnik News, CNN, Breitbart, The Nevada Independent, New York Times, Political Wire and The Daily Beast

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Cliff Sims, who wrote tell-all White House memoir, joins spy office

Discussion: Axios, The Hill and Breitbart

Washington Post:
Supreme Court nominee tested positive for coronavirus this summer, has since recovered

Axios:
The aftermath of Trump's COVID-19 infection

Discussion: Raw Story, Politico, New York Times, The Hill, One America News Network, Breitbart, ABC News, Fox News and New York Times

NBC News:
Trump will go to Walter Reed hospital after Covid-19 diagnosis

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Conservative News Today, Twin Cities, NBC Boston, Essence, OutKick, Reuters, The Daily Beast, The Hill and The Guardian

New York Times:
The Busy Week When the President Met the Virus

Discussion: NPR, Defense One, UPI, Voice of America and The Hill

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:
Cavalier White House approach to COVID catches up to Trump

Discussion: Twin Cities and Political Wire

Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Trump taken to Walter Reed medical center and will be hospitalized ‘for the next few days’

Discussion: Variety, Political Wire, Washington Post, Breitbart, Vox, Fox News, Roll Call, Washington Times, The Guardian, National Review, The Daily Beast, The Hill, The Daily Caller and NBC New York

Del Quentin Wilber / Los Angeles Times:
When Reagan was shot, country rallied around, but he hadn't spent months downplaying assassins

Discussion: Fox News and The Sun

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
Why Has the President Gone Silent?

Discussion: Politico, CNN and Raw Story

WKYC-TV: City of Cleveland announces 11 positive cases of COVID-19 stemming from preparations for presidential debate

The Daily Beast:

'It's Just F*ck-Up After F*ck-up'—Trump's COVID Advisers at Their Breaking Point — With the president infected, the group responsible for combating the virus remains a mess. At the center of the drama is one man: Dr. Scott Atlas. — The announcement that President Donald Trump …

Discussion: ABC7, Bangor Daily News, The Slot, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, Associated Press and The Week

Washington Post:
Coronavirus and Fox News collide, and Chris Wallace is at the center of it

Discussion: New York Post, New York Times, Twin Cities and Real Clear Politics

Ed Yong / The Atlantic:
Could Trump Have Infected Biden?

Discussion: ABC News, Breitbart, IJR, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, POLITICUSUSA, Wired, The Guardian and The Intercept

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Chris Wallace Tells Fox Viewers Not to Listen to Trump COVID Adviser Scott Atlas: ‘He Has No Training’

Discussion: Redstate, Bangor Daily News, Towleroad Gay News, Fox News, The Hill, CNN, New York Times, Mediaite and The Daily Dot

Jerry Holt / Star Tribune:

Minnesota Republicans fly Delta home from D.C. after COVID-19 exposure — U.S. Reps. Stauber, Emmer and Hagedorn appear to have violated the airline's policy, although they tested negative for the virus. — Video (00:29) : Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

USA Today:

2 GOP senators test positive for COVID-19 after Trump; Democrats say it's ‘premature’ to move forward with Barrett confirmation hearings … WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats argued Friday it was “premature” to move forward with confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court …

Discussion: The Hill, Vox, NBC News, The Daily Poster, The Nevada Independent and The Week

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Trump's campaign has an epically bad day — and it's not just the virus

Discussion: Fox News and The Week

James Griffiths / CNN:

Trump has repeatedly blamed China for a virus that now threatens his health. This will make Beijing nervous — See Trump's busy week before his Covid-19 diagnosis — Hong Kong (CNN)In his first presidential debate against Joe Biden, Donald Trump made clear who he blames for the coronavirus pandemic.

Discussion: NPR and The Daily Beast

Jack Beyrer / Washington Free Beacon:
Hickenlooper Calls China a ‘Great Nation’

Discussion: Breitbart

Beth LeBlanc / The Detroit News:

BETH LEBLANC , CRAIG MAUGER , MELISSA NANN BURKE | The Detroit News … The state's high court ruled 4-3 that a state law allowing the governor to declare emergencies and keep them in place without legislative input — the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act — is unconstitutional.

Discussion: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Power Line, Detroit Free Press and CNN

Jacob Ogles / Florida Politics:

Florida Chamber poll shows Joe Biden winning Florida by 5 points — Joe Biden holds a solid lead among likely Florida voters, according to the latest poll from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. — A survey by Cherry Communications for the Chamber shows if the election were held today …

Kurt Schlichter / Townhall:

The COVID Chaos Is a Net Plus for Trump's Campaign — So, Donald Trump has the Wuhan pangolin virus, and of course he does because it's 2020 and how could he not have it? With this year, you take the most random scenario, you multiply it by 10, gobble a handful of the brown acid …

Discussion: The Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC Boston, Instapundit, The Week and Raw Story

Tina Nguyen / Politico:

‘God-tier genetics’: A stunned MAGA world offers blame, adulation after Trump's diagnosis — Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis has stunned MAGA world, but it hasn't changed how it reacts to bad news: blame others, accuse the left of craven behavior and cling tighter to the president.

Molly Beck / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

MOLLY BECK — MADISON - State Rep. Barbara Dittrich of Oconomowoc last week told her constituents there was no longer a danger of COVID-19 causing a large number of deaths. The same day, the U.S. lost its 200,000th person to the virus. — Days later, state Sen. Howard Marklein told …

Qanta Ahmed / Fox News:

Dr. Qanta Ahmed: Trump COVID-19 hospitalization doesn't mean he's seriously ill — I expect his full recovery — The odds are extremely favorable for Trump's full and complete recovery for three reasons — Dr. Qanta Ahmed discusses President Trump testing positive for COVID-19.

Discussion: OpsLens