Trump Tests Positive
As you know, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. According to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the president is experiencing mild symptoms, but is working from the White House residence. White House physician Dr. Sean Conley tweeted that the president and first lady are both well.
News of their positive tests broke overnight, with the president confirming it himself just before 1:00 AM. Hours earlier it was reported that Hope Hicks, a top aide to the president, had tested positive. It is also being reported that RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel received a positive test on Wednesday, and Utah Senator Mike Lee has tested positive.
Vice President Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence, as well as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Judge Amy Coney Barrett, have all tested negative.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Messages of support and well wishes poured in from world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Joe and Jill Biden tweeted their prayers for swift recovery for the president and first lady. As did some of the president's harshest critics, including Rachel Maddow and actress Alyssa Milano.
Others, however, could barely contain their glee. The New York Timeswishfully wondered whether Trump "should remain on the ballot at all." TheWashington Post was downright morbid, posting back-to-back tweets that read:
"President Trump says he and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for coronavirus."
"Opinion: Imagine what it will be like to never have to think about Trump again."
To be clear, the opinion piece was totally unrelated to the president's diagnosis and the column had run earlier in the day. But it seems highly unlikely that the Twitter posts, just minutes apart at 1:30 in the morning, were accidental.
The tweets have since been removed, but whoever is responsible for thePost's Twitter feed should also be removed.
Hu Xijin, editor of one of communist China's leading propaganda outlets, issued a disgusting statement. Hu tweeted:
"President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19. The news shows the severity of the US' pandemic situation. It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his reelection."
On MSNBC this morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would pray more intensely for the president, but then she ripped his "brazen" behavior and suggested that his illness should be a "learning experience" for others.
Michael Moore went even further, writing that Trump is "an evil genius" who could be "lying about having COVID-19" to gain sympathy.
Of course, many other "tolerant progressives" were posting much worse. I won't waste your time by reprinting any of that. But I felt Italy's Matteo Salvini struck the right response:
"In Italy and in the world, whoever celebrates the illness of a man or a woman, whoever wishes the death of others, only confirms what he is: a soulless idiot. Hugs to Melania and Donald Trump."
Unemployment Falls Again
The last jobs report before the election was released this morning. More than 660,000 new jobs were created last month and the unemployment rate fell from 8.2% to 7.9%.
As a reminder, the unemployment rate at the peak of the pandemic was 14.7% in April. We have made tremendous progress, but there is still a long way to go to return to the historic low of 3.5% we had in February before the virus hit.
The Next Debate
The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that it is changing some of the rules for the remaining debates between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Here's something else the commission should change: the moderator.
C-SPAN's Steve Scully is currently scheduled to moderate the next presidential debate. But we're just learning that Scully worked on Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, for Sen. Ted Kennedy and he also interned for . . . Joe Biden!
In June of 2016 he posted a picture of himself with the former vice president at the "Biden Beach Bash." The same year, he also tweeted out an anti-TrumpNew York Times opinion piece entitled, "No, Not Trump, Not Ever."
If the Commission on Presidential Debates won't replace Scully with someone who hasn't interned for the Democrat presidential nominee, then I suggest it at least provide some balance by providing an additional moderator, perhaps a serious journalist like Brit Hume.
Meanwhile, the latest Investor's Business Daily poll, one of the most accurate polls, finds the race is statistically tied – 48.6% for Biden to 45.9% for Trump.
Standing With Israel
As many of you know, I am a strong supporter of the Jewish state of Israel and have dedicated much of my work in Washington to strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance, improving relations between Christians and Jews, and fighting the ancient evil of anti-Semitism.
So I am pleased to be included on the Israel Allies Foundation's list of Israel's Top 50 Christian Allies, along with many good friends including Pastor John Hagee, Reverend Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins and Pastor Paula White.
"Season of our Rejoicing!"
Carol and I wish all of our Jewish friends and supporters a blessed Sukkot as they celebrate God's providence.