Philip Bump: “I am substantially younger than these United States but I am nonetheless at a loss to identify a worse day for a presidential campaign than Oct. 2, 2020 was for the reelection campaign of President Donald J. Trump. The most immediate problem for Trump’s campaign is that the candidate himself has contracted covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus at the heart of the global pandemic. This is no idle occurrence. There is no cure for covid-19 and no proven therapeutic treatments.”
“What’s worse, the disease has been more harmful for older Americans, men and those who are significantly overweight, all of which apply to the president. The vast majority of Americans recover from the illness, even older Americans, but there is always a risk of significant negative developments. Trump’s illness means that he’ll be in isolation at the White House for the immediate term — and, therefore, not actively campaigning. The president has long seen his rallies as instrumental to his political success, one of the reasons that he was eager that they resume earlier this year. Until his health is improved and the risk of infecting others reduced, he won’t be holding any event, much less a large rally.”