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Donald Trump’s political future now depends on the severity of the symptoms of the disease in the next few days after the US president was infected with the new coronavirus, experts say.
In the midst of an election campaign for the November 3 presidential election, Trump’s contamination raises several questions about his ability to continue serving as president and remain on the ballot as a Republican candidate.
Several political science experts contacted by Lusa agree that the answers to these questions depend on two variables: the severity of the president’s illness and the way in which he himself will want to assume his state of health.
Donald Trump wrote on his personal page on the social network Twitter this morning that he had tested positive for covid-19 and would be quarantined in an announcement that left the country on alert and is multiplying reactions around the world.
If he remains asymptomatic, Trump may be politically affected in the campaign, but nothing will prevent him from continuing in office and maintaining his reelection campaign; But if the symptoms get worse, you may have to transfer power to your vice president, and in the event of a very serious illness, you may even have the Republican Party remove your name from the ballot papers.
In a statement issued hours after the contamination was announced, Trump’s personal physician, Sean Conley, said that “the president and first lady are doing well at this time and plan to stay in the White House during their convalescence,” adding that people can “be calm” because they believe that “the president will be able to continue to carry out his functions without interruption, while he recovers.”
However, Conley promised to continue giving more information about the president’s health, assuming that his condition could change, knowing that at 74 years and 130 kilograms of weight, Trump belongs to a group at risk of covidity. 19 and may develop symptoms in the next few hours or days.
“It makes all the difference. If you become seriously ill, as, for example, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was, you may have to hand over power with Vice President Mike Pence and stop participating fully in the activities of” And that it will change almost everything in this election campaign, “said Jennifer Logan, professor of political science at George Washington University.
Patrick Siegler-Lathrop, president of the American Club of Lisbon and author of a book on the American electoral system, also explained that if Trump remains asymptomatic, this disease can affect the political aspirations of the Republican candidate, but should not prevent it. to continue running for a new term.
“The impact will be slightly negative,” says Siegler-Lathrop, referring to the fact that the issue of the pandemic, which is adverse to him, takes over the campaign and forces it to recognize its impact on American society.
The president of the American Club of Lisbon does not believe that the issue will have a great impact on the perception of voters, recalling that around 90% will have already decided their vote, although he admits that the president’s illness will always affect this final phase of the bell.
Political scientist Jennifer Logan worries that Donald Trump may become seriously ill and does not want to admit it, so as not to weaken his chances of re-election, recalling that only he will be able to transfer power to Mike Pence (who has already tested negative for covid-19 this morning).
The same analyst also says that in case he becomes seriously ill, the Republican Party may decide to withdraw his name from the ballot and choose a new candidate before the election, or replace Trump’s name with Mike Pence’s.
Siegler-Lathrop considers this to be an unlikely scenario, considering that “the Republican Party is totally controlled by Trump” and that its leaders will hardly risk making a decision in the absence of the president.
Another issue that the US electoral commission is now beginning to analyze is the holding of the two remaining television debates, scheduled for October 15 and 22, which can be canceled or transferred to a videoconference model, if Trump is still there. quarantined.
Jennifer Logan also draws attention to the impact of the president’s illness on her own government team, recalling that, in recent days, Trump has been in a prolonged presence with Health Secretary Alex Azar and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who must now be testing for covid-19, and it is not known if they will be able to maintain their functions.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is on tour outside of the US, has already announced that he is not infected and may continue to serve, but several of the president’s advisers and advisers are now in risk and there is no certainty of how they will fulfill their functions in the next weeks.
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