'Roid Rage

"Mr. Trump’s camera-friendly, morale-boosting 'surprise visit,' however, may have masked the reality of his condition, and his seeming energy may have reflected the fact that he was given the steroid dexamethasone, according to medical experts." https://t.co/bwHty5jcaD

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 5, 2020

"That should never have happened," said one USSS agent of Trump's drive-by yesterday -- 1 of 4 current agents who spoke to CNN. Concocted by a bored president and a tiny group of aides at Walter Reed, the image compounded a sense of deep mismanagement. https://t.co/J9ZFz8IhK2

— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) October 5, 2020

WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says Pres Trump is making “unbelievable progress” and is “ready to get back to a normal work schedule.” On @FoxNews, Meadows said the President’s medical team will evaluate him and decide later this morning on whether he can return to the WH.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 5, 2020

Frustration and anxiety built among White House staffers, who say they went days with no internal communication from Meadows about protocols and procedures — including whether they should show up to work — as COVID tore through the West Wing https://t.co/5mdXhT5zEy

— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) October 5, 2020

Great point. Dexamethasone in addition to causing mania and hyperactivity - also depresses the immune system so viral shedding goes on longer than in those not on it. He should be isolated for 20 days now not the usual 14. https://t.co/1tsCmKco0G

— Melissa Kester (@MelissaKester) October 5, 2020

Been thinking about this all day: I’ve been here. My O2 levels dropped, it was hard to breathe, I had to go on steroids, my lungs were partially collapsed—but I could drive myself to the ER. Walking, talking—and signing blank sheets of paper—prove nothing. https://t.co/H4KkIIZBMW

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) October 5, 2020

"Mr. Trump, who historically hates hospitals and anything related to illness, has been hankering to get released... and some aides expressed fear that he would pressure Dr. Conley into releasing him by claiming to feel better than he actually does." https://t.co/bwHty5jcaD

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 5, 2020

I'm old enough to remember when we called steroid induced mania " 'roid rage' ." I guess it's still around even when it's not in the headlines, huh? And what happens to everyone in the White House if Trump insists on returning while he's still contagious? It's unheard of for the Secret Service to complain about a sitting President, but:

2. “Former Secret Service agents said it was unheard of for agents to openly complain about their president but that some currently in the ranks had become convinced during the pandemic that Trump was willing to put his protectors in harm’s way.”

from same Washington Post report

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) October 4, 2020

Also from Washington Post report:

Now, dozens of people — donors, aides, Secret Service agents — who had been close to Trump before his diagnosis wondered if they, too, might be infected. A whole world, with Trump at its center, suddenly faced the threat that the president had encouraged them to deny or understate.

Secret Service agents expressed their anger and frustration to colleagues and friends Friday, saying that the president’s actions have repeatedly put them at risk. “He’s never cared about us,” one agent told a confidant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal reaction.

Former Secret Service agents said it was unheard of for agents to openly complain about their president but that some currently in the ranks had become convinced during the pandemic that Trump was willing to put his protectors in harm’s way.

So now Trump moves on to endangering White House staff?

“Trump will go home by Monday” has a very “let’s fully reopen by Easter” vibe to it, with the obvious exception that the former is almost entirely in Trump’s control.

— Philip Bump (@pbump) October 5, 2020

Toddler-with-a-shotgun is always in charge.