Covid-19 could hold Trump back from re-election

On April 12, the US recorded more than 20,300 deaths out of a total of more than 520,000 nCoV infections, becoming the first country in the world with the number of deaths exceeding 20,000.

The Covid-19 crisis occurred at a time when US President Trump should have focused on his re-election campaign in November. He is currently focusing his efforts on handling the epidemic and is being criticized for the number of people infected with nCoV.

Grant Reeher, Professor of political science, Syracuse University, USA, said Trump’s chances of being re-elected depend on the public’s perception of their safety and on America’s effectiveness in controlling the epidemic

According to Reeher, in normal election years, September is the time when presidential candidates show part of November’s results. However, 2020 is an unusual year, American voters want to see trends

`Early fall of this year, around July, things in the US need to return to normal, in terms of work, shopping, social, entertainment, travel,` Reeher told VnExpress, referring to `

At that time, President Trump also needs to give clear signs, proving that the US economy has begun to recover from the damage caused by Covid-19.

US President Trump during a press conference on Covid-19 on April 9 in Washington DC.

Professor Wendy Schiller Kalunian, studying political science, Brown University, USA, said that if people don’t fully return to work by September or October, Trump will suffer losses in his re-election campaign

According to Kalunian, American voters may sympathize with the President because Covid-19 is a global disaster, but they will be angry if they cannot regain financial stability.

`The big challenge is to get the economy back on track in the US and globally. It’s going to take longer than anyone predicts,` Kalunian said.

Assessing America’s current difficulties, Professor Reeher said that there are many factors that show that instability due to Covid-19 is still `clinging` to the Trump administration.

According to Kalunian, the Trump administration is still in a `passive position` when it comes to awareness of the severity of the epidemic.

Referring to the resignation of acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after being criticized for his handling of Covid-19 on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Kalunian said he would not be surprised if more government personnel resigned in the future.

Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science, Duke University, emphasized the passivity, saying that Covid-19 is the first real crisis the Trump administration has had to deal with, in terms of external impacts

`If Trump can show that he is not exploiting the fight against the epidemic for political purposes, people will appreciate him more,` Feaver said.

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