After President Trump revealed that he had contracted COVID-19 on October 2, 2020, he was quarantined in the White House, hospitalized, and temporarily withdrawn from the campaign trail. However, only eight days later, he returned to the Oval Office with a “Blexit” rally.

On Friday, October 2, President Trump revealed that he and his wife, Melania Trump, had contracted COVID-19. He tweeted, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” This announcement muddled the future of the presidential campaign, with people wondering if Trump should even stay on the ballot.

However, on October 7, a video from the White House showed Trump explaining his fight against COVID-19. In the video, he claimed that he is cured of the virus with an experimental treatment by Regeneron, a biotechnology company in New York, and exclaiming the positive test result was a “blessing from God.” He later explained that it was a blessing because he was able to learn so much about the virus and the treatments trying to cure it.

On Saturday, October 10, Trump had a “Blexit” campaign rally with his Black and Hispanic supporters. “Blexit” is a term that combines the words “Black” and “exit” and a play on Brexit, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. “Blexit’ is a movement started by Candace Owens, a conservative activist, whose goal is to “free” Black people from the Democratic party.

Trump spoke at the rally, calling for “law and order,” pushing for a pro-police campaign, and criticizing his rival, Joe Biden. In the speech, he said “In order to protect the lives of Black Americans and all Americans, you have to have police support you” and “Sleepy Joe Biden, he's betrayed Black and Latino Americans, [sic] if you think he can run this country you're wrong.”

by Kevin Lee, 10/10/20