President Donald Trump drives past supporters gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical … [+]
President Donald Trump gave his supporters a boost, but seems to have otherwise puzzled and infuriated just about everyone else by leaving the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed Medical Center where he is being treated for COVID-19 to take a ride in a presidential armored vehicle for what amounted to a photo op.
While it wasn’t the official Cadillac presidential limousine dubbed “the beast,” he rode in one of the heavily modified Chevrolet Suburban SUVs that are typically part of the president’s motorcade. Most likely it was a Secret Service unit or perhaps what is used as a lead vehicle. It probably isn’t equipped with the official limo’s 007-esque armaments that reportedly include smoke screens, oil slicks, pump-action shotgun, and a tear gas cannon, but it is heavily modified with, among other enhancements, extra-thick doors and windows designed to withstand armor piercing bullets.
Unfortunately, not only is the SUV he rode in smaller inside than the much longer presidential limousine, which places him in closer quarters to other occupants, like that vehicle it is hermetically sealed with an auxiliary air supply. While that would come in handy to ward off the effects of any possible chemical attacks that might occur while en route, it also makes the SUV one of worst environments to be in if one of the occupants, in this case the president himself, is infected with the Coronavirus.
As Trump waved from the back seat with windows closed, but wearing a mask, Secret Service personnel in the vehicle could be seen wearing personal protective equipment that included a full medical gown, respirator, and a clear face shield.
The president was immediately lambasted by both political and medical commentators for placing his Secret Service detail at risk for the sake of optics. Dr. James Phillips, an attending physician at Walter Reed and chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University, tweeted, “The risk of COVID-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures.”
Suburbans in the presidential fleet are reportedly outfitted to counter guided attacks from grenades, missiles and improvised explosive devices. Though in this case the rear hatch was closed during Trumps ride around the block, there’s a secondary door behind it with a small open window and a rear-facing third-row seat for a Secret Service agent to provide armed protection from the rear.
Clearly, this is about as far removed from the civilian Suburban that’s most often used for carpooling a kid’s soccer team and towing a boats to the lake house as it gets.
