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Trump Has COVID — What Happens Next?
Where the U.S. election goes from here
President Donald Trump announced he was diagnosed with COVID-19 just past midnight on October 2nd. In a year of dramatic twists and turns, this might be most insane yet. While it is impossible to know where things go from here, it is worth gaming out some of the most likely scenarios.
Example of Trump’s Failure
Trump’s performance on COVID has been very poor. America’s caseload has been far higher than peer countries. Voters also see this — only 40% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance handling the pandemic. A news event like this heightens the salience of the COVID pandemic, and is a clear example of Trump’s unsuitability for the job. “Trump can’t protect your family, he can’t even protect himself!” is a pretty brutal attack line which some anti-Trump influencers will employ.
Even though Trump’s diagnosis is a dramatic event, you shouldn’t necessarily expect a massive shift in the polling. This election has been incredibly stable. Even the death of Justice…
