It has been disclosed that President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19. He will now have to begin a period of isolation, regardless of his symptoms. He is not alone. Other political leaders, such as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, continued working after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
There is no need for panic, and I wish Trump a speedy recovery. However, it is necessary to prepare for the president’s absence.
On top of being the president, Trump is also the commander in chief of the world’s strongest military. It is vital that the U.S. government and its military function unimpaired under any circumstances.
The conclusion of the election battle between Trump, the incumbent Republican president, and Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate and former vice president, is now only a month away.
The first televised presidential debate occurred on Sept. 29, with the remaining two debates due to take place on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. Even if it is difficult for the debates to take place as planned, my hope is that the candidates are given space to express their views, and that voters have an opportunity to scrutinize the ensuing debate in some way.
How can a free and fair election for the next president take place in a way that reassures citizens in this time of crisis when the president is ill with COVID-19? The power of democracy itself is being called into question.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has characterized the antagonism between the U.S. and China as a confrontation between democracy and communism, and has called for the formation of a new alliance among democratic countries.
That is precisely why delivering a fair and democratic presidential election holds a great deal of significance — it can demonstrate that democracy really works. The U.S. should have the power and systems in place to deal with any unexpected circumstances.
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised his own efforts in a speech about the country’s response to COVID-19, saying that infection had been effectively suppressed under the strong leadership at the center of the Communist Party. He went on to emphasize the superiority of one-party rule.
The Chinese Communist Party presents its policies as being correct; if the party suppresses information, it hides the fact that they do so, and there is no place for criticism or dissent. Can that really be seen as defeating the virus?
The scope of the first televised presidential debate went beyond slander and obstruction by both Trump and Biden, with the battle of words focused on the Trump administration’s approach to managing the COVID-19 outbreak.
Trump has backed off from the position that masks are unnecessary, and he will surely reflect on his own measures to prevent infection. My hope is that we see a U.S. president and a United States that are strong in a crisis.
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