Quote of the Day

The lesson of Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis is not that he deserved it – it is that you cannot ignore reality forever. The basic laws – of science, of medicine, of the economy, of humanity – always eventually express their will, whether we like it or not.

This, of course, is a truism for all of us who live ordinary lives out here in the actual, real world – but it is a revelation for a Republican Party whose entire political identity is defined by scoffing at and mocking what GOP Karl Rove infamously called “the reality-based community.” Indeed, for decades, Republican leaders have operated as if you are a fool to think reality even matters – because in their view, nothing matters and new realities can just be manufactured.

Trump is the avatar of that attitude – he has spent the last seven months trying to defy the basic axioms of biology: during the pandemic, he downplayed the disease, refused to wear a mask, insisted on holding crowded campaign rallies, and demanded the economy open back up as the virus spread. He ignored science, but ultimately science caught up with his reckless behavior – and he became one of the millions who have been infected.

Trump suggested to Bob Woodward that he tried to downplay the virus because he wanted to avoid creating panic. But there’s been something deeper than political calculation at work – something more innate. Trump is a guy who has been taught his entire life that he does not have to play by the rules – and that gravity will never bring him back down to earth.

. . . [T]he virus is the polar opposite of Trump. As much as he personifies the belief that reality doesn’t matter, a virus is the embodiment of the idea that reality will always have the last word – because a virus can’t be spun or lied to or negotiated with or emotionally manipulated. It is a ruthless biological machine that abides by ironclad scientific laws that perhaps you can get away with defying for a while – but not over the long run.

Obviously, we shouldn’t celebrate Trump (or anyone else) getting sick – the disease is horrible and shouldn’t be wished upon anyone. But we can learn from this important parable.

If anything good comes out of all the disasters in this terrible year, maybe it is that our society will finally stop pretending we can ignore reality.

Maybe we can start rejecting the fantasies that have led us to this awful moment.

Maybe we can create a new reality-based community – before more unfolding cataclysms make things even worse.

– David Sirota
Excerpted from “Trump Could Only Ignore
the Reality of Coronavirus for So Long”
Jacobin
October 2, 2020

Related Off-site Links:
Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus – Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman (The New York Times, October 2, 2020).
Trump to Stay at Walter Reed Hospital Following Positive Coronavirus Test – Alana Wise and Scott Hensley (NPR News, October 2, 2020).
Election Season Upended: Trump’s COVID Diagnosis Could Reshape Race, Debates, and Supreme Court Fight – Democracy Now! October 2, 2020).
How Donald Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis Could Change the Presidential Race – Charlotte Alter (TIME, October 2, 2020).
“Not a Tragic Accident – A Crime Scene”: Critics Say Trump COVID Diagnosis a “Culmination” of His Deadly Pandemic Response – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, October 2, 2020).
Naomi Klein: I Fear Trump Will Exploit His COVID Infection to Further Destabilize the Election – Democracy Now! October 2, 2020).
It's Not Karma. It's Not Justice. Trump Got COVID-19 Because of His Own Lies, But He's Not Alone – Mark Sumner (Daily Kos, October 2, 2020).
Trumpworld Delighted in Cruelty. Now That Trump has COVID, It Demands Empathy – Anthony L. Fisher (Business Insider, October 2, 2020).

UPDATES: Reality Bursts the Trumpworld Bubble – Maureen Dowd (The New York Times, October 3, 2020).
The White House Is Spreading Virus and Lies – Olivia Nuzzi and Ben Jacobs (New York Magazine, October 3, 2020).
Trump’s Chief of Staff: Next 48 Hours Are “Critical” – Paper ) October 3, 2020).
Donald Trump Is Facing a "Critical" Few Days As He Approaches His Second Week With Coronavirus – Here's Why – ABC News (October 3, 2020).
“This Is Spiraling Out of Control”: Allies Panic About Trump’s Hospital Stay As White House Deflects – Gabriel Sherman (Vanity Fair, October 3, 2020).
Panic and Confusion Permeate White House After Trump's COVID Diagnosis – David Smith (The Guardian, October 4, 2020).
Another Member of Team Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Flouting Public Health Guidelines – Laura Clawson (Daily Kos, October 5, 2020).
We Can’t Trust Anyone on Trump’s Health – Mary Harris (Slate, October 5, 2020).
The Weirdest 90 Seconds in Presidential History – Tim Miller (The Bulwark, October 5, 2020).
Infectious Conspiracies: Donald Trump, Coronavirus and Reality – Binoy Kampmark (Australian Independent Media Network, October 6, 2020).
White House Staff and Secret Service Eye Virus With Fear and Anger – Jill Colvin, Deb Riechmann and Colleen Long (AP News, October 6, 2020).
Getting COVID-19 Didn't Help Trump Evolve His Thinking – Thomas Ken Lew (USA Today, October 6, 2020).
“What An Anti-Everybody Agenda Looks Like”: Trump Excoriated for Walking Away From Covid-19 Relief Talks – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, October 6, 2020).
Study: Counties Without Mask Mandates Have Much Higher Hospitalizations – Peter Sullivan (The Hill, October 28, 2020).
Why Many White Men Love Trump’s Coronavirus Response – Olga Khazan (The Atlantic, October 29, 2020).
America Is About to Choose How Bad the Pandemic Will Get – Ed Yong (The Atlantic, October 28, 2020).
U.S. Tops 88,000 COVID-19 Cases, Setting New Single-Day Record – Jacob Knutson (Axios, October 29, 2020).
Donald Trump's Failed State – Karen Greenberg (TomDispatch.org via Common Dreams, October 29, 2020).
Internal Documents Reveal COVID-19 Hospitalization Data the Government Keeps Hidden – Pien Huang and Selena Simmons-Duffin (Common Dreams, October 30, 2020).
Researchers Attribute at Least 700 Deaths Directly to Trump's Disease-Ridden Rallies – Mark Sumner (The Daily Kos, October 31, 2020).
Medical Community Slams Trump for Pushing COVID Cash Conspiracy – Josh Kovensky (Talking Points Memo, October 31, 2020).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The Lancet Weighs-in on the Trump Administration's “Incoherent” Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Ed Yong: Quote of the Day – August 3, 2020
• An Infectious Disease Specialist Weighs-in on Covid-19
• Marianne Williamson: In the Midst of This “Heartbreaking” Pandemic, It's Okay to Be Heartbroken
• The Calm Before the Storm
• The Crisis Is Not About the Virus
• Examining the Link Between Destruction of Biodiversity and Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Something to Think About – April 22, 2020
• Marianne Williamson: “This Is a Time of Transformation”
• Ken Butigan: Quote of the Day – March 17, 2020
• Hope and Beauty in the Midst of the Global Coronavirus Pandemic
• A Prayer in Times of a Pandemic

Image 1: Donald Trump exits the Oval Office on October 1, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
Image 2: Michael J. Bayly.