Advertisement
Politico | Donald Trump returns to a West Wing ghost town
- President Donald Trump spent Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office
- Trump has sought to play down the seriousness of Covid-19
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Meredith McGraw on politico.com on October 7, 2020.
Advertisement
Wednesday had all the trappings of a typical day at the Trump White House.
There was a morning flurry of all-caps tweets from US President Donald Trump. From his residence, Trump cycled through his favourite subjects – he wanted his political opponents jailed, Democrats were ruining the balloting system, etc. Then, in the early afternoon, Trump descended to the Oval Office to get briefings on a brewing hurricane and congressional negotiations. Meanwhile, reporters lingered, trying to catch aides passing by. Every development fit the rhythms of an unremarkable day.
Yet each of those developments was infused with the surreality of the moment.
Trump’s tweet storm was not just seen as “Trump being Trump”. It caused some, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to wonder whether the steroids Trump took as part of his coronavirus treatment were fuelling his all-caps tweetfest.
Trump’s descent to the Oval Office was not just a quotidian act, it was breaking news – the first time a coronavirus-infected Trump had left his sealed off living quarters since returning from the hospital Monday night. A table outside the office was piled with masks and other PPE for staff. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows entered wearing a mask and goggles.
Advertisement