On October 8, according to Michigan state police, the FBI arrested and charged 13 men in relation to violent plots against Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; six men formed one group, wanting to kidnap Whitmer for her “uncontrolled power,” while seven other men formed another group that aimed to storm Michigan Capitol and begin a “civil war.”1 Adam Fox, the leader of the six men in the plot to kidnap Whitmer, believed her to be without checks and balances and wished to take her to Wisconsin for a “trial”; these six men held training sessions with the separate seven men that intended to storm the Michigan Capitol.2 According to U.S. attorney in western Michigan, Andrew Birge, the six men discussed using explosives to create distractions for police and to draw them away from the area of Whitmer’s vacation home.2 Fortunately, informants and undercover agents were able to penetrate these radical groups and prevent any sort of violence before their plans came to fruition.

In response to the frightening plots, Whitmer had indicated that President Donald Trump bears some of the blame for the men’s violent intentions. She stated: “I think that the president has given safe harbor to domestic terror organizations. He has done it in the middle of debates. [...] I think that it’s a very real threat to our democracy; there’s no question that these hate groups are domestic terrorists, and I think we need to just call them that, frankly. I have asked, specifically from this White House, to bring the heat down. I have asked the Republican leaders in our state legislature to bring the heat down. I have asked for their help, and none of them have done a darn thing.”2 Whitmer has further added: “The rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is dangerous and it is emboldening American domestic terrorists. That endangers all of us and our democracy. It cannot be tolerated.”2 To defend himself, Trump tweeted: “I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence.”2 Trump also critiqued Whitmer through Twitter, writing: “Gov. Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone, except for her husband’s boating activities. [...] My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist - while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat run cities.”3

The criminal complaint contains no indication that the men were inspired by Trump; instead, it cites Fox’s group wanting to create a self-sufficient society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights.1 On their social media, Fox’s group seemed to be somewhat conflicted about their feelings toward President Trump. One one hand, Barry Croft, one of the suspects indicted, tweeted, regarding Trump: “Keep up the good work chief! We the People love your work!”3 Meanwhile, Brandon Caserta, another suspect indicted, stated in a YouTube video: “Trump is not your friend, dude.”3

Michigan is a 2020 electoral battleground state of great significance for both the Trump and Joe Biden campaigns. The politicization of the kidnapping plot has the potential to harm Trump’s standing within the state. As of October 13, Trump trailed Biden in Michigan polls by 7 points.4 Whitmer’s approval rating in Michigan is also higher than Trump’s; a majority approves of Whitmer while Trump’s approval rating is under 50%.5 If Trump hopes to turn the election in Michigan into a contest between himself and Whitmer, he may want to reconsider that strategy. Republicans in Michigan are concerned about Trump’s rhetoric regarding the incident, aware that President Trump’s chances of reelection are significantly impaired if he fails to win Michigan. Jeff Timmer, a former Republican strategist stated: “I’m astounded in the last 24 hours no new Republican has come out and renounced Trump’s rhetoric. Nobody has dared stick their head out.”5 John Sellek, Romney’s 2012 Michigan campaign strategist, has also offered his input: “Just as in the first debate, what the president could have done when he was asked, he could have clearly put down white supremacists. And he clearly didn’t do it.”5 Trump won Michigan by less than 1% in the 2016 presidential election5, and his path to reelection hinges on another victory within the state; this incident, however, could prove to be another obstacle in Trump’s march to reelection.

Six minutes remained for the clock to strike 1 in the morning when President Donald Trump tweeted an election-changing announcement: “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”¹ (Twitter) Earlier in the evening, President Trump stated that he and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, would begin the quarantine process while they waited for their coronavirus test results.² (New York Times- Left Bias) Even earlier in the evening, Bloomberg News first reported that presidential aide, Hope Hicks, has tested positive for coronavirus .³ (Bloomberg- Left Center Bias)

In an interview with Fox News, two hours after Bloomberg’s report, President Trump confirmed to Fox News in an interview, “She did test positive. I just heard about this.”³ According to anonymous sources, Hope Hicks traveled with President Trump on Air Force One to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday and to a Minnesota rally on Wednesday; in Minnesota, Hicks began to feel unwell and quarantined on Air Force One on the way home.³ After a photo of Hicks stepping off of Air Force One without a mask was circulated, Judd Deere, the spokesman for the Trump campaign, stated, “The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously. White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling.”⁴ (CNBC- Left Bias)

Trump confirmed Hicks’ positive test to the public at large via a tweet: “Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!”⁵ (Twitter) The type of test that the White House uses is an Abbott rapid test, meaning that President Trump and First Lady Melania would receive their test results quickly; however, at the time that President Trump announced his intention to quarantine, a White House schedule released earlier still showed him attending fundraisers and campaign rallies on Friday.⁶ (The Hill- Center Bias) However, the current White House schedule for President Trump now lists these events as cancelled.⁷ (Factbase) A White House official also stated the following: “[Contact] tracing has been done and the appropriate notifications and recommendations have been made.”⁸ (ABC News- Left Bias)

President Trump previously mocked Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, at the first general election debate for wearing masks. Trump remarked, “I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”⁹ (AP News- Center) After President Trump’s positive test, Joe Biden is expected to be tested for COVID-19 today.¹⁰ (The Hill- Left Center Bias) World leaders are urging President Trump to get well; specifically, Boris Johnson (who also suffered from a positive case of COVID-19) said the following, “My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.”³