President Donald Trump has reaped the results of his negligence and irresponsibility by holding rallies in the middle of a pandemic, refusing to wear a mask and minimizing the coronavirus. He and first lady Melania Trump contracted COVID-19 and have entered into quarantine. Democrat Joe Biden could benefit in the election.
The incident is contrary to the political narrative that Trump has tried to construct, saying that the United States was turning the page on COVID-19. The coronavirus has reached the heart of the White House and will have a strong impact on the election campaign.
The initial impact is positive for Biden, the Democratic candidate, who has been wearing masks and following health guidelines while campaigning. Biden has alerted Americans to the risks of a disease that has already killed more than 208,000 people in the United States.
The Democrat, who was close to Trump in Tuesday’s debate, ironically was criticized in the debate by the president for frequently wearing a mask. As he was not wearing a mask in the confrontation between the two, Biden was tested this Friday morning. His wife, Jill, was also tested. At around 1 p.m. Brasilia time, both results came back negative.
On Twitter, the Democrat wrote a message to his opponent at 9:45 a.m. Brasilia time: “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
From a political perspective, the incident shows that Biden was right to alert the country about the risks of the disease. The Democrat can reap political benefits in the Midwestern swing states where he and Trump had been campaigning. These states are essential to the Electoral College, in which it’s necessary to have at least an absolute majority (270) of the 538 delegates to win the White House.
Trump will be prevented from campaigning in battleground states in the final stretch of the Nov. 3 election. The next presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, could be suspended. Trump is unlikely to be medically cleared to attend the debate and return to holding rallies.
Trump Could Use COVID-19 to His Advantage If He Has a Mild Case
The evolution of Trump’s clinical condition will be instrumental in dictating political impacts. If he has a mild case, certainly he will try to say that his narrative of minimizing the disease was right. For now, the White House says he has mild, flu-like symptoms.
But at 74 years old and clinically obese at 110 kg (243 lbs.), he is in the high-risk group. A clinical evolution with medium or severe symptoms could cause more political damage to the Republican’s reelection plans.
For now, the White House reports that Trump intends to continue governing, but a decline in his health may force him to transfer power to Vice President Mike Pence, who tested negative today.
There is a suspicion that a Trump adviser, Hope Hicks, transmitted the virus to the president. But the opposite may also have happened. Trump participated in the debate, held a rally in Minnesota, traveled to New Jersey, and met with several people without wearing a mask. Other people in the White House may have been infected. Employees are being tested.
This incident perfectly sums up Trump’s neglect of his own health and the health of others. The most-watched president in the world took risks due to political calculation and contracted the disease that he so minimized. Trump has been wrong all along in the way he has treated publicly and behaved personally toward COVID-19.
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