Why are journalists making Trump’s illness all about themselves?

What’s the most important part of this developing Trump-has-Covid story? Is it ‘how sick is the President?’ Or is it ‘look at journalists trying to find out how sick the President is?’ It can be hard to tell.

Yesterday was the day of the ‘mixed messages’. At a press briefing, the physicians delivered what was meant to be an upbeat assessment of Trump’s condition. The president had been fever free for 24 hours; his symptoms were ‘resolving and improving’. Then came the questions and the answers became confusing. Dr Sean Conley, the incumbent physician to the President, became evasive when asked if Trump had been given oxygen. It turns out he had. The briefing also led to some confusion as to when exactly the President started to feel unwell.

Then came the Mark Meadows sideshow. The White House Chief of Staff got caught out briefing reporters that the actual situation was ‘very concerning’.