Get Well, Mr President

America awoke to hearing President Trump and his wife tested positive for COVID-19.  The exposure presumably came from Hope Hicks, a senior adviser close to The President .. but of course, could have been the other way around. Ms Hicks is reportedly having symptoms, but we may also presume that she wasn’t exhibiting symptoms at the time The President was exposed.

I am sincere in my get well wish for all of the affected people in the White House, as well as around the world. This demonstrates the severity and the transmission risks of this virus needs to be respected. One could argue that the White House hasn’t taken the these risks pandemic seriously enough, and may not have been protecting themselves and each other to the necessary scale to ensure a safe environment.

Enough on that.

Here’s where it gets dodgy. The President, his senior adviser and a lot of a staff were in contact over the past few days, .. The Vice President, the debate, rallies, meetings with the Supreme Court nominee .. and the list goes on. We know the Supreme Court nominee (who just tested negative) also met with several members of the Senate.

Outside the White House, we know that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who regularly meets with The President was also meeting with Nancy Pelosi, The Speaker of the House. At this point, ‘everyone’ has been tested .. results will drip out over time, so I’m not even going to try to keep this current.

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution is titled “Presidential Vacancy, Disability and Inability”, and outlines how to arrive at the Line of Succession (Wikipedia link .. I’m sure there’s an official version) should The President fall ill. I am not suggesting The President will invoke this, or that it will be invoked for him .. but we must consult the official list and ensure these individuals are tested and stay safe.

The Line of Succession ensures we make it clear to potential adversaries that our decision infrastructure is in place.

Everyone needs to follow the White House Guidelines for Coronavirus protection .. including the White House. It comes with some irony that the document behind this link is more about re-opening .. and doesn’t reference masks.

Be smart. Be an adult. Do the right thing. Stay home when you can. Wear a mask when you cannot.