President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19 -- sparking a national discussion about transparency, and what this means for the campaign.

THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs

As America learned the news that White House top aide Hope Hicks had tested positive for the coronavirus -- followed soon thereafter by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump -- the initial reporting by Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs was the catalyst for expediting the delivery of this critical information.

Jacobs' report -- not, it must be noted, any communication from the Trump administration -- was how the world learned that 2020's global pandemic had breached the Oval Office. Only after Jacobs broke the news was the White House forced to confirm it, sending the political press corps scurrying in every direction to review public announcements about travel schedules and photos and videos of recent events to determine who might have been exposed.

As late as midnight last night, Trump had tweeted that he and his wife had been tested and were going to "begin our quarantine process," but the campaign travel schedule still had him holding a roundtable with supporters in D.C. before flying to a rally in Florida. It took several hours after Trump's tweet announcing his positive test for these events to be cancelled.

Jacobs continued to be one of the key reporters covering this story into the wee hours of Friday morning, revealing more from the timeline of when Hicks first showed symptoms and then the alarming news that Trump's aides observed him "feeling poorly" and "exhausted" at his rally on Wednesday. Trump then followed that up with a fundraiser in New Jersey, exposing countless more people.

The Trump administration has failed miserably in its moral obligation to inform America about the spread of the virus within the White House and Trump campaign, and Jacobs' journalistic efforts were key to forcing them to admit the truth.

MEDIA LOSER:
White House Staffers

As the story continues to develop about who at the top levels of our government has been exposed to the coronavirus, it is becoming increasingly clear that a number of White House staffers cooperated to suppress the news. The most glaring example of the White House's inexcusable lack of transparency on the matter, is, of course, the fact that they did not announce Hope Hicks' diagnosis but instead were forced to admit it after Bloomberg's Jacobs broke the story.

Subsequent reporting has made it clear that Hicks showed symptoms a full day before the White House acknowledged she was infected, all while Trump and other members of his inner circle who had been in close proximity to Hicks continued to keep to their regular schedule and interact with members of the press and public.

The Biden campaign was never contacted and learned the news from the media reports.

Several members of the White House press corps expressed their frustration at how they had been unknowingly put at risk. As Yahoo News' Hunter Walker put it, "I feel bad for my colleagues who are supposed to be on Air Force One and in the pool tomorrow. This has already been scary and is now a confirmed hot spot.”

Even Friday, chief of staff Mark Meadows met with Trump, knowing he had tested positive, and then went outside to talk to reporters -- without wearing a mask. Meadows' excuse that he had tested negative misses the point that his recent contact with Trump could have easily exposed him again but not in a way that would show up on a test. One reporter asked Meadows point blank, "Did you sit on it?" about the news, and the answer was beyond inadequate.

This virus has infected over seven million Americans, killed over 200,000, and now the president who has repeatedly downplayed the virus is infected himself, and his inner circle of staffers cannot be trusted to tell the truth to the American people.

The A-Block

One heckuva October Surprise

The news of first Hicks' diagnosis and then the president and First Lady was a seismic shock in the final weeks of this tumultuous election. It quickly raised public discussions about whether the upcoming debates would be delayed or cancelled, and what might happen if Trump were incapacitated in some way.

Carl Bernstein called the situation "a national security crisis."

Trump's decision to continue with his schedule Thursday -- including an indoor fundraiser where he was in close maskless contact with a number of people -- is being heavily criticized. Not to mention his comments at the Al Smith dinner that the "end of the pandemic is in sight."

Oh yeah, then there's also the Trump family's refusal to wear masks at the debate.

Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris have tested negative. Biden sent well-wishes to Trump Friday.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent well wishes too but also criticized the "brazen invitation" of the White House's behavior.

Here's a full list of other Trump administration and campaign officials and their test results that we know so far.

Doctors are popping up on cable news programs to offer advice and predictions, with varying responses. One on Fox News had a very positive outlook. Dr. Oz was more pessimistic about the risk factors for an obese 74 year old. CNN's Sanjay Gupta thinks Trump has a "much greater than 90 percent" chance of full recovery.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins pondered if Biden should suspend his campaign in light of this news -- an idea Mediate's Tommy Christopher says the Biden camp should "kill with bleach."

Meanwhile, Melania...

Right before the political media world blew up with the coronavirus news, the First Lady was getting some buzz from audio recordings that her former assistant secretly made. Among the revelations were Melania's thoughts about those controversial White House Christmas decorations and that infamous "I Don't Care, Do U?" jacket.

The buried bombshell

Completely drowned out in the insanity of the current news cycle was a report that Kimberly Guilfoyle left Fox News not of her own choice, but after a multimillion dollar settlement with an assistant who alleged that Guilfoyle engaged in some very ugly sexual harassment and mistreatment.

Cable news quarrels

CNN's Jake Tapper kicked an interrupting guest off his show with a quip at Chris Wallace's expense, indirectly mocking Wallace's struggles to keep the dueling presidential candidates in line at Tuesday's debate. Wallace fired back with some snark on Guy Benson's podcast. Listen here.

Mediaite+

Keeping up with the news is more important than ever, and our Mediaite+ subscribers have the inside track.

Joining now gets you an ad-free browsing experience on our website and great exclusive content. Learn more about how to sign up here.

Get Well Soon

There are a lot of snarky (and even downright vile) comments on social media today in response to the news of the president's coronavirus diagnosis. But the news should serve as a reminder to all Americans that this virus does not discriminate and there is no foolproof way to prevent it at this time. We send our thoughts and prayers to President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Hope Hicks, and all others who are battling this virus today. Our best wishes for a full and quick recovery to everyone.

Must See Clips

Why aren't you wearing a mask?

The press gaggle with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had a number of eyebrow raising moments, but one standout is when CNN's Jim Acosta confronted him about not wearing a mask -- despite meeting with the Covid-positive president immediately before.

Meadows also dodged a vital question from another reporter about the timeline of events, being asked "Did you sit on it?" regarding the knowledge of Hicks' diagnosis.

He's justifiably getting called out for the lack of transparency today, as news continues to trickle in about new infections and potential exposures.

Links We Like

Trump Kept Regular Schedule After Learning Close Aide Hope Hicks Had Covid
- Jennifer Jacobs and Josh Wingrove, via Bloomberg
“No One Knows Where This Is Going To Go”: Pandemonium Inside The White House As Trump Contracts Covid-19
- Gabriel Sherman, via Vanity Fair
A President’s Positive Test and the Year That Won’t Let Up
- via New York Times
It's Way Past Time for the Rest of Us to Get the Same Access to COVID-19 Testing that the Trump Family Enjoys
- via Reason

Twitter

Facebook

Visit Mediaite