How Trump’s Positive Coronavirus Test Will Affect the Election

The election is in four weeks — the President has vowed to quarantine for two.

Grant Huebner, Staff Writer
October 2, 2020

Days after the First Presidential Debate, President Donald J. Trump has tested positive for COVID-19, a disease which has killed some 200,000 people in the United States alone.

The President took to Twitter late last night to confirm the diagnosis, and assured the nation that he and the First Lady would begin their quarantine and recovery process “immediately.” 

In response to the diagnosis, the President has already cancelled campaign events in Orlando, Florida, which were set to take place this Friday. Likewise, the First Lady — Melania Trump — has “postponed all upcoming engagements,” according to her Twitter. She assured the nation that they were “feeling good,” and appealed to the similar situations millions of Americans have had to deal with since this February. 

While it was likely for the President to get the disease at some point during his term due to the great number of infected individuals in the country — some 7.31 million people — the timing of his condition will most certainly upend the presidential race. It must be noted that despite apparent confident feelings, President Donald Trump is more vulnerable to the virus because of his advanced age — he is 74 — and weight. 

The uncertainty of the situation has already caused stock futures (Dow Jones) to dip by 450 points as investors feel out the new situation and wait for further news. This new weakness is the last thing the President needs only one month before the election; the “quarantine and recovery process” lasts at least ten days, while the election is four weeks away from now. 

While Trump has been forced to cancel in-person campaign events, former Vice President Joe Biden is currently campaigning in the former Republican stronghold of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in an attempt to sway one of the most crucial states in this election from red in 2016 to blue in 2020. Beyond this, Biden’s campaign announced yesterday that volunteers would start door-knocking in battle group states such as Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania this weekend, demonstrating clear initiative as election season reaches its final month. 

As for future presidential debates, the President will not be able to participate as he quarantines, meaning that Tuesday’s controversial debate may be the last time the American people see him on stage before election day. The Commission on Presidential Debates has not yet commented on the President’s condition or on the possibility of alternative debates being held online, although it is plausible alterations may be made in the coming days. 

In terms of debates, with both Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris testing negative for COVID-19, the First Vice Presidential Debate is still scheduled for Wednesday, October 7. With the possibility of less or alternative Presidential Debates, this debate may be one of the best chances for Americans to see both campaign’s ideas for the next four years.  

The diagnosis of President Donald J. Trump has upended the presidential race and thrown uncertainty into a battered nation. With the election in a mere four weeks, the President has found himself unable to physically campaign at the last moment, throwing his campaign into turmoil and an already historic election into new territories.