White House is hit with more infections
Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times
We ran the numbers: There are 2382 news articles covering this topic. 49% (1176) are left leaning, 39% (935) are center, and 11% (271) are right leaning.
President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis has shocked the country. We have watched as this virus has penetrated the highest and most protected ranks of the government, including our commander and chief. Left leaning articles have taken a deeper look at the lack of Covid-19 safety precautions in the White House whereas sources on the right focus on how these increasing diagnoses may interfere in the process of confirming Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice.
A left leaning article by The New York Times explains the White House’s refusal to institute adequate Covid-19 safety precautions (including required mask wearing), leading news correspondents to place a makeshift sign on the door of the press briefing room which made masks necessary in order to enter. Interestingly, the only people who have consistently violated this mask wearing regulation, have been White House staff. Trump’s administration has not been wearing masks or taking significant precautions against the disease, so predictably, Trump’s positive Covid-19 test would lead to widespread panic about how far the disease has traveled considering the many in person interactions he has had which were not socially distanced or masked. With many members of his administration receiving positive tests, it poses significant danger to correspondents who have, for the most part, followed recommended guidelines.
A centrist article from Reuters recounts Trump’s departure from Walter Reed and return to the White House. He was wearing a mask as he got off the helicopter, and then took the mask off as he walked up the stairs to the South Portico and posed for photos, smiling and waving. Trump has done everything in his power to downplay the severity of the disease, and has continued to do so now that he has been afflicted. He told people not to “let it dominate your lives” and told people to “get out there” and to “be careful.” He has disregarded Covid-19 Safety Protocols even since the onset of the disease and even made fun of Joe Biden for always wearing a mask. Trump plans to participate in the debate on October 15th in Miami, and Biden has agreed to participate if health experts confirm that it is safe. Trump is doing everything in his power to return to a sense of normalcy within his presidency and candidacy.
A right leaning article published by Fox News looks at complications in the Republicans’ plan to fast track Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation. However, a number of positive Covid-19 tests by a number of Republican Senators, two of which reside on the Judiciary Committee have created obvious hurdles. Judiciary Committee Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke with Chris Wallace and said that we ought to delay the confirmation, as it is not safe for the Judiciary Committee to convene due to Covid-19 diagnoses. Both Klobuchar and Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer said that hybrid or virtual hearings are not adequate for lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court as they do not allow for “sufficient back-and-forth” amongst the committee. They said that the GOP must “halt this increasingly reckless Supreme Court process” and the entire Senate must have Covid tests in order to meet. A source close to the confirmation process told Fox News that if any senators were still 'ill and contagious at the time of the vote, they could be isolated and vote from the Senate gallery.”
From the left
As Virus Invades West Wing, White House Reporters Face Heightened Risks
The New York Times