Is this what they mean by October Surprise? Trump has Covid. Volatile and varied reactions aside, President Trump's announced on October 1st that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19. This has sparked discussions about the political concept known as the October Surprise.

While every October, once in four years, a well-planned, painstakingly undertaken, micro managed media stunt takes place to attract or distract the voters, its efficacy has always been questioned. This time it's being ridiculed. As for Trump, he would have been better getting Covid in any month other than October.

Oops, he did it again!

Melania Trump
US President Donald Trump (R) and First Lady Melania Trump (L) arrive for Easter service at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, April 1, 2018.NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Last month itself, speculations and whispers about the October Surprise started in political circles. Was it going to be the unlikely Covid vaccine, a cross section of the analysts went through all the possible theories. The term October Surprise was coined by William Casey, the election campaign manager for Ronald Reagan. Could the politically motivated tradition be endangered this year?

Of all the things that President Trumpcan boast of, dedicated trollers is definitely one of them. "I wasn't expecting Karma to administer the biggest Surprise right out of the October gate," posted a user.

Joined in by comments like, "October surprise and it's from God." Some even mentioning Melania's 'Christmas tapes' as the actual October surprise.

"What if the October Surprise is that he dies." Followed by, "I get that the President was planning an October surprise. Just a bit surprised that it was so timely... and surprising." Like we said, if there's one thing President Donald Trump can bank upon, it's the devoted trollers.

October Surprises down the history

The bigger the issue, the better the surprise. Even a fleeting look at the election campaigns down will tell you, it takes a lot of planning to pull off this surprise. In 1972, Republican President Richard Nixon was bidding for another term and amidst Vietnam War. Nixon's security advisor banked on the prevailing emotions and sentiments and announced, "peace being at hand," in Vietnam as the surprise. From Vietnam to Iran, whatever it takes to sway the voters.

In 1980 the issue at hand was hostage crisis in Iran. Iran took 52 Americans hostage from the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979. Well, unexpectedly Iranian Prime Minister at the time Mohammad Ali Rajai suddenly announced that Iran wouldn't release the hostages while Jimmy Carter was in the White House. Is it any surprise that Carter's opponent Reagan won the 1980 election by a sweeping margin?