Okay, so now what?
I have to admit when I heard this morning that President Trump announced (by tweet, of course) that he and the First Lady had tested positive for COVID-19, my first thought was "This is how he gets out of doing any more debates." On further reflection and on hearing more detailed reports (such as that he probably got it from adviser Hope Hicks), I decided it wasn't just a ploy. I am still concerned about how he will use this politically.
Certainly, if he comes out of it quicker than most, he will announce something like "I am the healthiest President in history." More problematic is if he does not fully recover within the quarantine period and decides to go back into the public anyway--probably never letting anyone know he is not fully recovered. This is a man whose only concern is his own public persona, his intense desire not to look like a "loser"...and that will lead him to try to project a "strong man" image.
What does it do to the campaign in general? Well, for at least the next 10 to 14 days, no massive Trump rallies and a lot less of Trump himself on television. And the Biden campaign? A lot will depend on how his COVID tests turn out (I'm assuming he got one as soon as he heard Trump was positive). Even if he's negative, I'd assume he will cut back on some of his travel and meetings, in an abundance of caution.
For both sides, this is not the "October surprise" they were expecting.
No comments:
Post a Comment