Opinion by Hal Brown
Update Breaking News: CNN Poll: Biden expands lead over Trump after contentious debate and President's Covid diagnosis
This illustration has my words inserted into a screen shot from “Trump Actually Believes He Can Sell Himself to America as a COVID-Conquering Hero” Daily Beast article with the dandy Elizabeth Brockway cartoon of the COVid-conquering hero with his virus shedding tie trailing out behind him as he forges ahead like a warrior about to do battle with hostile forces.
It is a no-brainer that the the only way Trump can spin his surviving Covid-19 to his advantage is to focus on how he is the Übermensch who can lead America to the greatest glory, Covid be damned.
The only problem with this strategy is that people will continue to die and some of them may have contracted it directly because of him and they may die or come close to death. Some of them may be well known, others may be ordinary people whose relatives will go public and blame Trump.
Trump may not become aware of this even though they may be reflected in a drop in his poll numbers. His advisors may not tell him and if he listens to Trump media he will see himself compared to FDR and Churchill. For example:
Hannity Compares Trump’s COVID Response to Churchill’s Leadership in WWII (Video) — He implied Trump got COVID-19 because he cares too much about the people of America
Here’s another from Fox News on his other favorite host’s show:
Alex Berenson praises Trump's 'Don't be afraid of Covid' tweet — 'We have gone crazy... and Donald Trump walked out of that hospital today and said what needed to be said,' Berenson told Tucker Carlson
Whether Trump sees Fox News interviews like this and how he might reaction to them remains to be seen, although malignant narcissist that he is I think his spokesperson did a fine job:
Fox News host blisters Trump aide over balcony stunt: ‘He tore that mask off knowing he has the coronavirus’
Trump may never learn about people who make the news in swing states who get Covid, but some like this anti-mask Republican running in Wisconsin do make the statewide news and this could influence undecided voters. (Update:) Here’s another example: Arkansas Republican County Chair Dies of COVID-19 Weeks After His Committee Hosted Maskless Gathering.
If Trump wants to know the truth about how it is playing all he has to do look at media which is covering him objectively. For example he could read the articles on the front page of The New York Times (click here to enlarge)...
of The Washington Post (click to enlarge):
I doubt he’ll tune in to MSNBC but if he did this is what he’d see (click to enlarge)
If he isn’t inclined to do much reading he can look at the political cartoons published by The Week.
The real answer to his question if an advisor was to speak in language Trump would understand would be to tell him “Mr. President, you are well and royally fucked.”
Addendum: The Greatest World Leaders in Times of Adversity According to Donald Trump
I don’t think he has ever compared himself to George Washington except to say that he is the only other president to put more judges on the court than him. Perhaps somewhere in his primal brain he knows that this would invite comparing him for honesty to the president who children are taught was known for the cherry tree “I cannot tell a lie” story.