News of irony’s death have been greatly exaggerated. You may have heard that Donald and Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19. There were signs that this news could be coming. First, we learned that White House aide Hope Hicks tested positive. Second, we have seen firsthand how the Trumps flout social distancing rules and scorn mask wearing. Third, it was a bad sign when Karma started working out to the Rocky theme song. And fourth, this is 2020. Imagine if you woke up from a twenty minute coma. The world would be unrecognizable. Let’s get the basics out of the way. Of course, I wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery, not just because of the dangers surrounding a chaotic, leaderless White House with an election approaching, but because empathy is an endangered species in America and I’m doing whatever I can to save mine. But let’s not candy coat reality. Trump’s behavior has resulted in Covid-19’s unabated attack on America. His lies put people in danger. His actions put people in danger. That was true before he knew he was exposed to the virus and after. As recently as Tuesday night, the president ridiculed his opponent’s mask-wearing habits during a debate watched across the globe. On that same night, the president’s family, including the First Lady, broke the rules for mask wearing in the debate hall, and waved off Cleveland Clinic staff when they offered to provide them. (Reminder: the reason you wear masks is to protect others in case you might have the virus.) Just last night, Trump used a recorded address to tell an audience “the end of the pandemic is in sight.” This wanton lying and refusal to set a social distancing example has cost countless American lives and now it could cost the president his own. After they learned of Hope Hicks’ test result, the administration tried to keep the news under wraps, and the president maintained his traveling and maskless interaction schedule. “Instead of isolating, he met with people at campaign events; instead of protecting those around him, he knowingly risked spreading the virus further.” This is a story about Trump’s test, but it’s also a story about a reckless disregard for others.

+ Joe Biden Has Tested Negative For The Coronavirus. This is good news, but it’s preliminary, since the virus incubation period can take more time. Mike Pence has also tested negative. (Presidential lesson: Never put your Vice President in charge of controlling a deadly virus.)

+ So far, the president’s symptoms are mild. Or so we’re being told. We don’t know for sure, and that reality complicates an already chaotic situation. WaPo: Years of the White House obscuring health information add instability at a tricky moment.

+ “Trump has all his life posed a moral puzzle: What is due in the way of kindness and sympathy to people who have no kindness and sympathy for anyone else? Should we repay horrifying cruelty in equal measure? Then we reduce ourselves to their level. But if we return indecency with the decency due any other person in need, don’t we encourage appalling behavior?” David Frum in The Altantic: What Did You Expect? (At least with Trump working from home, the Zoom host will be able to mute him.)