White House

President Trump's campaign is pumping "In the Air Tonight" at his Des Moines rally -- where few people are wearing face masks -- and it's in breathtakingly poor taste considering some grim COVID-19 facts.

The song choice comes as the coronavirus is ravaging the state. Iowa has the 4th highest COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S., 61 senior care facilities are reporting outbreaks and it saw 1,180 new cases ... just on Wednesday.

So, hearing the Phil Collins hit -- already an ominous-sounding song -- blaring over the crowd of Trump-supporting, mask-shunning Iowans feels disgustingly grim. CNN's Jim Acosta was doing a live shot from the event as the song played ... and it was surreal to see.

Let's not fool ourselves ... this is NO coincidence.

Trump and his campaign never miss a chance to jab at his haters with their music selections at his rallies. He's definitely heard all the criticism of him holding potential "super-spreader" rallies as COVID cases spike across most of the country.

Barron Trump came down with coronavirus when his mom and dad did ... so says the First Lady.

Melania Trump posted an essay Wednesday on the WH site about her personal experience with battling COVID-19, which both she and her husband, Donald, contracted a couple weeks ago. She revealed that their 14-year-old, Barron, actually became infected as well.

She says that as soon as she was diagnosed as positive, her mind immediately went to Barron -- who, to her relief, tested negative at first. However, he came back with a positive shortly thereafter, but since then ... Melania says he too, like his folks, are now COVID-free.

The First Lady writes, "Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together. He has since tested negative."

The White House confirmed Barron's negative test, but appear to have kept any further testing/diagnoses on the low publicly ... until now, that is.

Melania doesn't get into Barron's specific treatment regimen, but she does touch on her own ... which was apparently vastly different than that of POTUS himself, who was admitted to the hospital for a bit and put on a number of medications, some of which are experimental.

President Trump's voice sounds a little worse for wear, and it could be due to back-to-back rallies to flaunt his post-COVID condition ... or possibly the lingering effects of the virus.

POTUS was addressing the New York Economic Club at The White House Wednesday afternoon when he repeatedly cleared his throat ... and the hoarseness only got worse as he kept talking.

The focus of his message also seemed to worsen as he rambled ... but nothing really new there.

Of course, Trump's latest White House speech follows 2 straight nights of rallies in Pennsylvania and Florida. As we reported ... he held a massive rally in Sanford, FL Monday on the heels of announcing he'd tested negative for coronavirus twice.

During the rally, the Prez made claims he's immune to COVID now, and suggested he'd be down to kiss everyone in the audience. He made similar boasts and remarks Tuesday night in Johnstown, PA ... along with several other baseless claims.

You'll recall ... just over a week ago he struggled to breathe after being released from the hospital and climbing the WH stairs. Now, he's on stage acting like it was no biggie.

Joe Biden just found a new, unique way to reach a demographic of voters who might tune out his typical ads -- turning to hip-hop and rap to get out his message.

The Biden-Harris campaign just released a new political spot featuring New York battle rappers Charlie Clips and DNA -- who are incredibly well-known and respected in their craft. Sure enough, both men used their gift of gab and rhyme to hash out the pros and cons of voting ... and to convey what Joe and Kamala say they can do for African-Americans.

Charlie is the disillusioned one ... taking on the role of the on-the-fence voter who's not pleased with this year's choices for President -- like many Americans. DNA's on the other side of things, laying out, in sometimes excruciating detail, why he feels Joe's the better option.

They hit several hot button issues -- Black ownership of businesses, HBCU funding and police reform. We'll say this ... the ad is innovative -- not to mention incredibly well-written as far as bars go. However, it also runs the risk of coming off as pandering ... depending on how people take it.

Kanye West appears to have one final trick up his sleeve in the last-minute blitz of his presidential campaign ... let go, and let God.

Ye just filed legal docs to lock up the rights to "God Save America" -- which he wants to slap on shirts, sweaters and hoodies in what seems to be a final-ditch effort to push his message that was front-and-center in his 1st campaign ad ... bringing faith back to politics.

Unclear if this is a campaign slogan -- like Barack Obama's famous HOPE or Trump's Make America Great Again -- but it sure reads like one. The phrase also feels like a play on "God Bless America" ... both patriotic, but kinda sanctimonious too with "Save" swapped in.

Kanye filed for the trademark last week, which lines up closely with the release of his debut campaign ad ... something that just hit the ether Monday, 3 weeks before voters hit the polls on Nov. 3. Some people feel this ad -- and maybe now this new catchphrase he wants to lock up -- is too little, too late. That, or maybe just in time ... depends on who you ask.

Kanye West has a lot of ground to make up, if he's serious about running for President -- so, his first political ad for the job, is either right on time or way too late.

Ye's campaign just debuted the ad on social media, and it features Kanye looking as Presidential as possible -- at a podium with an American flag behind him -- sending a message about faith, religion and prayer.

Kanye's sharing his vision of America's destiny ... talking a lot about the importance of family. There are even some old photos of a younger Ye with his fam.

As we reported ... Kanye is telling folks in California he's still gunning for President, not VP, and he's urging voters to write him in on their ballots.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing back on Donald Trump in a big way, calling shenanigans on a new campaign ad that makes it look like the good Doc is endorsing the Prez.

The Trump campaign just released a new ad called "Carefully," in which they describe POTUS recovering from the virus, like so many other Americans are also doing and have already done.

The spot lists Trump's alleged achievements and the screen flashes to a soundbite from a Fauci interview, in which he says "I can't imagine that ... anybody could be doing more." This makes it seem like AF was talking about DT, but that's not the case.

Fauci came out and said the Trump administration used this segment without his permission -- but, more importantly, they took his words out of context. He adds, "In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate."

These comments are actually from an interview he did with FOX News' Mark Levin, in which he praised federal health officials and the Trump administration's coronavirus task force on how they were responding to the pandemic -- which he characterized as "impressive" and "all hands on deck." So, not a Trump compliment ... tangential at best.

Eric Trump says the presidency has cost his dad an arm and a leg combating the forces out to get him -- and that he doesn't really need the headache ... music to many people's ears.

The President's son -- who helps heads up at the Trump Organization -- was on ABC Sunday morning and asked about a new NYT report suggesting Trump engaged in several alleged pay-for-play deals with private companies, special interest groups and even foreign governments who patronized his hotels and resorts in exchange for lucrative contracts granted by Uncle Sam -- supposedly, to return the favor on Trump's behalf.

Rather than respond to the allegations, Eric went on an off-topic tirade ... repeating talking points from his father and accusing ABC, the Dems and the NYT of sabotaging DT. But, he also revealed Trump's apparently been bleeding money over these 4 years in office.

Eric said something else noteworthy ... "the last thing ... Donald Trump needs in the world is this job," going on to say that he sticks it out because it's the "right" thing to do for America.

When pressed on the actual story he was supposed to be responding to, ET eventually offered an answer ... saying millions of people stay at their hotels and properties each year, and that the NYT is "fake news." The interview was cut short quickly afterward.

Anyone hoping to be an extraordinary housefly for Halloween this year after tuning into the VP debate is s*** outta luck ... because the costume is sold out!!!

Sorry, seems lots of folks already decided to be the infamous housefly that landed on Mike Pence's head during the debate ... honchos at HalloweenCostumes.com tell us their "adult fly costume" is out of stock and their supplier is sold out too.

The Halloween costume retailer tells us they carried a normal amount of stock for this particular costume -- about 50 -- but they saw a huge demand right after the debate, causing the costume to fly off the shelf.

If you wanna settle for a housefly costume that's just headgear, you're gonna have to wait ... the site tells us their other fly costume is also sold out -- all 150 in stock were snatched up after the debate -- but they hope to get it back in stock by Friday.

Seems the only people who don't want to be a debate housefly are those too young to vote ... you can still find a fly costume for toddlers.

Kanye West just confirmed he is definitely NOT down to be second banana in this election -- he says he wants the whole enchilada or nothing at all.

Ye's campaign just sent out a note letting voters in Cali know he's gunning for President, not Vice Prez ... and although he's a VP candidate for the American Independent Party on California ballots, he'd actually prefer folks to write him in as the main guy.

He says, "I am campaigning to be the next President of our great country -- not Vice President. The political party in California that listed my name as its VP candidate has done so without my knowledge." Ye adds a direct plea to the good people of the Golden State.

His remarks end with, "Californians, I ask for your vote for President and urge you to write in 'Kanye West.'" Kanye's request comes on the heels of what a buddy of his recently did ... namely, writing him in and snapping a photo of their ballot to prove they voted Ye.

Mail-in ballots have started to be sent out to folks here on the West Coast -- and the moment of truth is upon us ... even a few weeks before actual election day. The pic Kanye posted got tons of people riled up on Twitter this week ... who couldn't believe someone had actually cast their ballot for the rapper/producer.

Donald Trump went back to the scene of the crime -- AKA a public event at The White House -- to host Black and brown people ... while he's still recovering from COVID-19.

Our COVID-riddled POTUS threw a campaign event Saturday along the South Lawn of the White House, which was meant to cater to supporters of his who are POC ... a group that, statistically speaking, has been unequally infected by the virus -- and often worse.

Trump came out to a terrace-like area with a waiting podium to address the crowd that had formed below -- almost like Mussolini from the balcony ... it seriously had that type of vibe.

Anyway, his remarks were brief -- but it was definitely in the spirit of a traditional Trump rally ... which was an odd scene, considering Trump is usually pretty polished whenever he does White House gigs. Here, it was about as unhinged and off-the-cuff as he might get at a stadium somewhere, except the backdrop of the White House was front and center.

Trump rambled about how his administration had done more for Black and Latino people in this country than probably any president in history -- stuff we've heard him say before -- and he also threw some lines out jabbing at Joe Biden and the "socialist" Democrats. He told his audience -- which were decked out in light blue shirts and red hats -- that they needed to vote the other party to oblivion come Election Day ... which drew cheers from everyone.

He also said he felt great health-wise, and again referred to COVID as the "China virus." Trump went on to promise to eradicate coronavirus all over the world once a vaccine was developed here at home ... something he assured them was right around the corner.

While it's unclear exactly how many people were in attendance -- it's fair to say it was around a few hundred or so. Almost similar to the Amy Coney Barrett event which became a super-spreader event 2 weeks ago to the day. The White House is now riddled with 'rona.

Frankly, today's event was reckless ... even if Trump was far enough from the crowd. No one will be tested, there will be no mandatory mask-wearing and, based on history, there's not likely to be social distancing. Trump did call this a "protest" ... but it's one that could potentially leave people sick or dead -- the White House is a hazard area these days.

The event was organized by ultra-conservative Candace Owens, who launched a "Blexit" campaign urging Black voters to leave the Dems. The theme -- "Remarks to Peaceful Protesters for Law & Order."

Trump will speak from the Truman Balcony. It's unclear if he'll have a face-to-face reception before or after, like he did with the Amy Coney Barrett event.

Although Trump says he feels "perfect" ... there are lots of deep concerns. He clearly still has a cough -- you could hear it when he spoke with Hannity -- and no one at the White House will say if Trump's still testing positive for the virus.  He's also on steroids, which mask symptoms.

Trump is doing everything most doctors say a COVID-positive patient should not be doing. He is not self-isolating, he is exposing himself to an untold number of staff, he is not wearing a mask, he is not resting.

In fairness ... the White House has "instructed" guests to wear masks, but ultimately it seems like it's optional, because the invite goes on to say attendees are "strongly encouraged" to follow CDC guidelines ... including wearing masks and socially distancing. They won't be tested ... just temperature checked.

Although the number of guests are expected to be in the hundreds, 2,000 invitations went out.

Donald Trump says he feels great and he received special treatment at Walter Reed Hospital ... as he put it -- "It's good to be President."

The President was interviewed on Fox News Channel by Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News contributor who is not part of Trump's medical team.

Trump said he went to the hospital last Friday because he didn't feel strong. He said he didn't have a problem breathing, but failed to mention he got supplemental oxygen twice and had a fever. His own Chief of Staff said Trump's condition was "very concerning."

Trump says he's not taking meds now, but credits what he says is his bounce-back to an experimental drug he got in the hospital ... a drug he says will somehow be available to everyone for free.

He says he listened to his doctors, so incredibly, that seems to suggest the doctors thought it was ok for him to take a drive with 2 members of the Secret Service in a sealed SUV. Trump said he felt it was his obligation to take the ride to see his supporters who hung around for 3 days.

And, wow ... Trump says one thing he learned is that COVID is highly contagious. He didn't know that until now?

Trump did say he got a CT scan to test his lungs. All he said was that there was a little congestion.

President Trump will not square off -- face-to-face, anyway -- as the second debate has been canceled, which could be a win for your eyes and ears ... if it was gonna be anything like the first one.

The Commission on Presidential Debates pulled the plug Friday on the showdown scheduled for Oct. 15 ... after the President complained about the new virtual format, and said he wouldn't go. Of course, the CPD moved to a virtual debate due to Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis.

His reaction to the change was, "I'm not gonna waste my time on a virtual debate. That's not what debating's all about."

POTUS was also ticked off about possibly getting muted by the moderator ... a feature the CPD said it was considering in light of the constant interruptions and name-calling at the first debate.

For what it's worth, Biden's team initially agreed to the new safety protocols but after Trump dug in his heels ... Biden also pulled out. Instead, his team says he'll hold a town hall in Philly, moderated by ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

"I'm honest, I've never voted in my life. This is my first time voting."

That's Shaquille O'Neal dropping a Shaq-sized bombshell -- confessing he's NEVER voted in an election!

... UNTIL NOW!!

"I've never voted before, America," Shaq said this week on Wednesday on The Big Podcast ... "But, now I'm doing all these voting campaigns and ya know one thing I never like to do, is be a hypocrite."

Yep, the 48-year-old NBA legend says he felt weird pushing voting initiatives like his #MyStartingFive challenge -- which helps people register to vote for Election Day 2020 -- while sitting on the sidelines.

So, he decided to actually vote this year -- by absentee ballot!

"In other words America, I voted for the first time and it feels good."

Shaq's co-hosts were in complete shock -- especially after Shaq was virtually sitting next to his buddy President Barack Obama, at Game 1 of the NBA Finals -- who obviously didn't get Shaq's vote back in the day!

Kanye West is in the home stretch of his Presidential campaign, and he's laser-focused ... on making money off a pricey line of 2020 Vision merch.

Ye unveiled a collection that included $60 hats and $160 hoodies Wednesday night while the legit VP candidates were debating. The items included messages like, "Vote Kanye" and "God Save America."

Now, he's not completely ignoring his actual campaign -- Ye also listed a brief summary of his Presidential Platform.

Among other things, Kanye says he wants to restore prayer in classrooms, reduce household and student loan debt, work on equality in the criminal justice system and take care of the environment.

He does not go into detail about how he'd accomplish those goals ... but that's typical for politicians.

What's odd is the guy who claims he's really running for President hasn't made a single public campaign appearance since South Carolina back in July, when he cried while talking about abortion.

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris seemed to avoid answering nearly every question during their debate, but one of 'em couldn't dodge a fly ... for an uncomfortably long time.

Much of the buzz about the debate is focused on what looks like a common housefly that set up shop on the head of President Trump's Veep. While Harris and Pence danced around direct responses to moderator Susan Page's questions about COVID, the Supreme Court and the election ... the fly would not be deterred.

It landed on Pence's head during one of his remarks about systemic racism and police reform ... and remained there quietly, not moving an inch, even after he stopped talking. Talk about patience -- the fly even hung out during much of Harris' rebuttal, before taking off. Total photobomb time? 2 minutes!!!

As you'd imagine ... the little bugger is trending on social media -- and even Joe Biden couldn't help but fire off a Twitter jab.

Not exactly what the American people were tuning in for, especially after last week's disastrous debate between Trump and Biden.

No word if the fly is registered to vote. We've got a call in to Jeff Goldblum.

On a more serious note, Pence's left eye also caught the eye of many debate viewers, because it at least looked like a case of conjunctivitis ... aka pink eye.

Pink eye is a possible symptom of COVID-19, but pretty rarely ... according to doctors and scientists. Still, with more than a dozen people around the President already testing positive for the coronavirus ... the bloodshot eye made people wonder.

The White House says Pence's test results have been negative since the outbreak, and that includes one he took Wednesday in Salt Lake City ahead of the debate.