[ad_1]
(CNN) –– President Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis is a surprising twist in the midst of a turbulent year and throws the election into chaos … Just with just 32 days left until the November 3 vote. In addition, it raises the serious possibility of more crisis in the United States for governance and national security, at a time that is already risky.
The most immediate concern is the health of Trump himself: As an overweight 74-year-old man, he is at high risk of complications from the virus. In addition, it is on the table that First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive.
But inevitably, attention on Trump’s pre-election coronavirus diagnoses will focus on the arrogance of a president who scoffed at wearing masks and social distancing. A president who also ignored and downplayed the virus, while seeking disaster with crowded campaign rallies. Not to mention, he ridiculed his opponent, Democratic candidate Joe Biden, for taking prudent precautions. Even Trump recently said that the emergency was close to over.
The threat posed by Trump’s coronavirus outcome at election time
Still, even amid the country’s bitter culture wars – which Trump fueled more than anyone – leading political figures will wish him well. Also his rivals in the country. Having a president under medical danger is a situation that requires humanity.
The most serious threat that has been known in decades to the health of a commander-in-chief requires, in addition, unity. Precisely because this can affect the security of the country itself if the enemies of the US seek to take advantage and inquire about a possible leadership vacuum.
Added to that is an already weakened economy facing additional pressure. Stock futures fell 400 points when news broke that the president tested positive for coronavirus. What happened after the same covid-19 diagnosis was confirmed for Hope Hicks, one of her closest assistants.
In virtual remarks for the Al Smith dinner on Thursday, Trump – who had said that a “miracle” will wipe out the virus – said: “I just want to say that the end of the pandemic is in sight.”
Electoral agitation
Yet Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis underscores how a virulent pathogen preys on any flaws in surveillance and is everywhere. More when the emergency deepens before an expected drop, after another 857 deaths were registered in the United States this Thursday.
It also provokes another serious national challenge in a season of tragedy and political and social upheaval. A moment that encompasses the pandemic, the consequent economic crisis and generational racial unrest. Also concerns for American democracy after Trump failed to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power.
A critical question is what happens now in the election because of Trump’s coronavirus outcome, with only a month to go. The president will have no choice but to withdraw from the election campaign for an extended period. The president has mild symptoms of the virus, a White House official told CNN. According to people who interacted with Trump on Thursday, he appeared tired but had no major symptoms. Even if he and the first lady are not seriously affected, medical advice suggests that they should be isolated for at least 10 days after symptoms appear. It’s almost half the time left in the presidential race.
Trump’s positive coronavirus test is also a political disaster for his campaign. The reason? He lags behind Biden in many swing states. And he already seemed to need a turning point in his favor to regain that difference in the limited time left.
A delicate moment for Biden
The upcoming presidential debate – after Trump’s tantrum-filled performance last week – is especially in doubt. The event is scheduled for October 15 in Miami. Although Vice President Mike Pence tested negative for the virus on Friday, he has been in contact with the president’s top advisers and with Trump himself in a White House that is now a hotbed for coronavirus. So there must also be questions about whether his debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go as planned this Wednesday.
The shocking news about Trump’s diagnosis of coronavirus before the elections – which he reported in a tweet during the early morning – also has consequences for Biden. Precisely, it means that the candidate, another elderly man vulnerable to complications from covid-19, would probably have to be tested for coronavirus, which can spread through airborne droplets. Biden led Trump on an indoor stage last Tuesday for 90 minutes, as the president screamed and breathed.
The image of the Trump entourage ostentatiously removing their masks in the audience before the debate is now especially resounding.
And Ronna McDaniel, a senior Republican official and chair of the Republican National Committee, tested positive for coronavirus, an official told CNN.
The president’s diagnosis creates a delicate moment for Biden. The Democratic candidate must find the right tone in the next few days. And also decide whether to reduce his own campaign commitments in deference to the status of the president.
What may come for the elections after Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis
Biden wished the president and the first lady “a speedy recovery” on Friday in a tweet.
Unless he’s incapacitated, Trump will still be able to use his Twitter account to keep his increasingly desperate ridiculousness in the limelight of Americans. You will likely have an open line for conservative media during your isolation.
Under such circumstances, Biden may be reluctant to reduce his own visibility. Especially after a campaign in which he spent long periods of isolation at home and participating in virtual events. However, as the leading candidate as more states vote early he may accumulate some political advantage. Precisely, in the middle of a frozen campaign given the inability of the president to leave Washington. Trump’s condition now also appears to influence Biden’s argument that the president has been criminally negligent in the face of the pandemic all year.
There may also be doubts about when Senate Republicans will make a swift effort to confirm Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. She is Trump’s third election to the high court. The judge met with the president and others last Saturday at the White House, where few wore masks. And you may have to take isolation measures if proper medical protocols are followed.
Continuity of power
It now seems likely that the West Wing will have to be closed completely and that continuity of power precautions will have to be taken. This to protect Pence, who may also have been exposed.
In an apparent attempt to project a sense of calm, the president’s physician, Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, issued a memo on the matter.
Please be assured that I hope the President will continue to serve without interruption while he recovers. And I’ll keep you posted on any new developments, ”he wrote.
There will also be a reinforcement in the transparency and honesty of a White House that has destroyed the truth for almost four years. Officials have not provided traditional visibility on specifics of the president’s health. There is still mystery, for example, about Trump’s unscheduled trip to Walter Reed Hospital in November 2019. According to a book published recently by the reporter from The New York Times Michael Schmidt, Pence was put on hold to assume temporary presidential powers in case Trump had to be anesthetized. The president added to the intrigue with a spontaneous assertion that he had not suffered a “series of mini-strokes.”
As the days go by, especially if the president doesn’t develop serious complications from Covid-19, there will be a growing discussion about his recklessness amid a crisis that has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans. His behavior not only put himself and those around him in danger. It is causing a stir around the presidential elections, the most important symbol of the country’s democracy. Trump is now the third in a group of world leaders who were arrogant about the virus, apparently for political reasons, that it spreads.
Leaders send support to Trump after the result of coronavirus is known
Both the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, and the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, suffered from the disease. Johnson spent time fighting for his life in a London hospital when he developed severe respiratory problems and had a prolonged period of convalescence.
The extreme negligence of Trump and his close associates allowed the president to share his Marine One helicopter with others. (Hicks was probably contagious while riding with him on Wednesday.) Which shows, a disregard for the fate of the government and the idea that it is competent. Furthermore, it is in keeping with the chaotic way in which Trump has run his White House from the beginning. The president’s insistence on almost ignoring the danger of the virus, and then becoming infected, is the most blatant occasion in which he has put his own political aspirations first. This about his duties in office, the safe conduct of elections, and the country’s leadership as president of the United States.
International leaders immediately sent support to the president on Thursday.
“I send all my best wishes to Donald and Melania Trump. I hope they get over the #corona infection and are soon fully healthy again, ”tweeted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has often clashed with Trump. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara were thinking about the Trumps. And Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “we certainly wish President Trump a speedy recovery.”
