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The world woke up today with the news that Donald Trump, president of the United States, tested positive for Covid-19, as did his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
Trump had already announced that he had tested COVID-19 after Hope Hicks, the presidential adviser, confirmed that she was infected. Now it is known that the test confirmed the worst predictions and the president was quarantined in the White House.
Despite the fact that his doctor, Sean Conley, suggested that Trump is, for now, healthy, it is unknown if the American leader remains asymptomatic or if he has begun to develop symptoms.
What is now evident is that the novelty has already begun to produce shock waves in the United States, occurring 32 days after what promises to be one of the most controversial and unpredictable elections in the history of the country, disputed between Donald Trump, candidate for the Republicans, and Joe Biden, nominated by the Democrats.
Having to remain in quarantine for at least 10 to 14 days – according to the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CD), the entity responsible for controlling the pandemic in the US – the Trump campaign has already had first setbacks today. The White House canceled the trip that the president had scheduled for Friday to the state of Florida, considered crucial for the vote, and is likely to cancel the next demonstrations in Wisconsin and Arizona.
In the best of cases, if Trump remains asymptomatic, the president will still have the disadvantage of being late in his electoral actions and losing one of his favorite assets in the cancellation of rallies and mass concentrations, this at a stage where he maintains the disadvantage. Biden in the polls.
However, this may just be the tip of the iceberg. As the New York Times points out, Trump’s position since the beginning of the arrival of Covid-19 in the United States has been to devalue the severity of the disease, and yesterday he said at a political dinner that “the end of the pandemic is at view ”- this, when the country continues to be the most affected in the world, with more than 7 million infections and 212 thousand deaths from the disease.
Having repeatedly guaranteed that Covid-19 was under control and after pressuring government officials on numerous occasions to reopen society, the fact that he is now contagious himself may prove a setback for his electoral aspirations, such as the various surveys. carried out in the country demonstrate a negative opinion about its handling of the pandemic.
His stance, for example, in the Sept. 29 debate, may now have backfired, as Trump mocked Joe Biden about the Democratic candidate’s choice of often appearing in public wearing a mask. The president of the United States, by contrast, has had a difficult relationship with personal protective equipment, sometimes ridiculing it, sometimes suggesting its use.
The same North American newspaper, in passing, points out that in this way the focus of the elections will fall on the issue that harms it the most instead of allowing its campaign to handle the narrative and focus on issues such as political violence in cities and need for order. , the political bankruptcies of his opponent Joe Biden or the appointment to the Supreme Court of Justice.
The consequences, however, remain highly unpredictable at this stage and news of the infection may even benefit the president, depending on strategy and context. As the newspaper points out The GuardianIf Trump remains asymptomatic, he could use that to downplay the danger from Covid-19 and accuse Democrats of exaggerating the impact of the pandemic. On the other hand, if your health condition worsens, it is possible that such a scenario will even generate a wave of empathy for your well-being – a bit like what happened to Boris Johnson, the British prime minister – and some criticism. it can be seen as an attempt at political exploitation.
The truth is that, as the pulmonologist Vin Gupta told the channel MSNBC, “the presidential race has fundamentally changed”, with the expert saying that “there should be no more gatherings until the end of the campaign.” An example of this forced change, for example, could occur on October 15, the date set for the second debate that may not now take place, or, at the very least, be scheduled with Trump to participate virtually.
As for the debates, some also argue that Joe Biden should get tested as soon as possible, as he was in the same closed space as Trump during the debate. Despite keeping their distance, the likelihood of the virus spreading (if Trump was already infected to date) and it is not known whether the teams from the two campaigns coexisted behind the scenes. Precisely for this reason, the Democrat’s campaign has already announced that the 71-year-old candidate will be tested today.
Mike Pence is president? E Nancy Pelosi?
There is yet another scenario to consider. If Donald Trump’s health condition enters a point of great weakness that leaves him incapacitated, not only can he put on the table the possibility of resigning from the electoral race, but even being temporarily replaced in the presidency.
Despite the fact that the various tests he has undergone in recent years officially point to his good health, Trump is 74 years old, overweight – at 110 kilos, he is considered clinically obese – and has high cholesterol, which is why found in the highest risk group. of the pandemic. As The New York Times points out, eight out of 10 deaths from Covid-19 in the US affected people over the age of 65.
If Trump can’t govern, Section Three of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution foresees the possibility of the vice president taking command. To do this, the president needs to sign in writing to make the transfer official, after which he must do the same when he feels recovered and in a position to govern.
In all of American history, this amendment, created in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, was applied only three times. First it was Ronald Regan, in 1985, when he underwent a colonoscopy and temporarily assumed power. George Bush. Then it was the latter’s son, George W. Bush, who passed the government twice to his deputy, Dick Cheney, in 2002 in 2007, also due to colonoscopies.
Section four of the 25th Amendment, which provides for removing the president from power if his administration deems him incapable, has never been invoked.
There is therefore a real possibility that Trump will be forced to transfer governance to his vice president, Mike Pence, who has not yet officially reacted to the news, except to wish the president of the United States improvements.
This, was revealed today, tested Covid-19 negative, according to his spokesman, Devin O’Malley. However, in the event that Pence could become infected, and if It also lacks the capacity to govern, so US law provides for Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to assume power. Just a catch: Pelosi is a Democrat and has had a fractured relationship with Trump and his administration. The next few weeks will dictate the future of power in the United States.
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