Sore question: how the situation with coronavirus affects the campaign in the United States

In a campaign speech in Pennsylvania, US presidential candidate Joe Biden blamed rival Donald Trump for widening the gap between the wealthiest and poorest Americans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“One hundred of the richest billionaires amid the pandemic amassed another three hundred billion dollars ... And what did the less affluent Americans get?

... They only got a decline, because the president can only see the world from Park Avenue.

I look (at the world. -

) from Scranton, from Claymont, for real, ”Biden said.

If elected to the presidency, the Democrat promised to start stimulating economic growth, abolish tax breaks for "super-rich" corporations, create millions of new jobs and support the middle class.

In addition, Biden seized the opportunity to reproach Trump once again for allowing an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 and death rates from coronavirus in the United States.

“Now you are facing serious problems, and the last thing you need is a president who aggravates them.

More than 210 thousand deaths (from coronavirus -

), as I already noted.

We are losing between 700 and 1,000 people every day, ”Biden said.

Exchange of accusations

According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States is the world leader in the number of people infected with coronavirus.

To date, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country exceeds 7.7 million people, more than 214 thousand Americans have become victims.

In early October, the US President himself caught the coronavirus.

Trump's treatment took place at the Walter Reid National Military Medical Center.

Despite the fact that the head of the White House has already recovered and is feeling well, the second round of the pre-election debate was canceled.

• Donald Trump speaking from the balcony of the White House

• Twitter

• © JuddPDeere45

On October 10, for the first time since the discovery of his infection, Trump from the balcony of the White House told supporters gathered on the lawn that the country would definitely defeat the coronavirus, including with the help of an American vaccine, which should appear soon.

He also noted that the American economy is recovering at a record pace.

So, according to him, over the past four months, 11.4 million jobs have been created in the country.

However, these achievements, according to the current US president, can be destroyed by Joe Biden, who is in favor of strict quarantine measures.

On October 8, Trump blamed his rival for not having a concrete plan to fight the coronavirus.

According to him, Biden, who served as vice president of the United States under Barack Obama, did not know what to do when the swine flu pandemic began in 2009 in the world.

“He (Biden. -

) did not understand at all what was what, according to the head of his own headquarters.

If he was at the helm, then perhaps

2.2 million people would have died

from this much more deadly disease (COVID-19. -

)! "

- wrote Trump on his Twitter page.

Note that both presidential candidates regularly exchange accusations on the fight against coronavirus.

On September 29, during a televised debate, Trump said that Biden could not have done the work that his administration has done.

According to the head of the White House, even Democratic governors recognize his achievements in healthcare.

At the same time, Biden constantly appeals to the fact that Trump, as president, is directly responsible for the high rates of infection of the population with COVID-19.

According to the Democrat, the Republican initially underestimated the threat and did not take sufficient measures to combat it, although he was aware of its danger.

On September 9, on his Twitter, Biden posted a link to the publication of The Washington Post, which claimed that even before the onset of the pandemic, Trump was allegedly informed about the possible consequences of the spread of a new type of coronavirus.

However, at a public level, the head of state denied the need for emergency measures, arguing that the new infection is no worse than seasonal flu.

On March 19, in an interview with The Washington Post columnist, writer Bob Woodward, Trump explained that he did not want to provoke panic among the population.

The journalist himself believes that in order to fight the pandemic, the head of the White House did not want to attract significant resources from the federal government and tried to shift the problems onto the state authorities.

• In one of the US hospitals

• Reuters

• © Callaghan O'Hare

“Donald Trump knew.

He lied to us for months.

And while our country was tormented by a deadly disease, he did not do his job, and on purpose.

The American people were thus betrayed in a life and death situation, "Biden commented on The Washington Post.

"Not empowered"

The presidential election in the United States is scheduled for November 3.

According to recent polls, voters have a preference for Biden.

Thus, the results of a recent poll by Fox News show that 53% of respondents are ready to vote for a democrat, and 43% for his rival.

At the same time, back in September, the gap between candidates was five percentage points.

According to experts, the situation with COVID-19 and his own infection played an important role in lowering Trump's rating.

In addition, 72% of US citizens support the mandatory mask regime, which Biden insists on.

Only 24% of respondents trust Trump's claims that the COVID-19 situation is under control.

Expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research Vladimir Bruter, in a conversation with RT, did not rule out that Biden was able to earn certain political points thanks to his "coronavirus" rhetoric, which is primarily aimed at a poor electorate.

This category of Americans, as a rule, is deprived of the opportunity to receive quality medical care.

“Trump proposes not to pay serious attention to the virus and to focus on the economy.

While Biden calls for maximum insurance against the spread of COVID-19, and this view resonates strongly with his audience.

However, none of the candidates offers any intelligible and original program to combat infection and solve economic problems, ”says Bruter.

At the same time, according to him, the main factor that now plays against Trump was the disappointment on the part of the voters who voted for him in 2016.

“In my opinion, Biden is perceived by some American citizens as a less toxic figure in comparison with Trump.

This is not a very large percentage of the population, but it can have a decisive influence on the outcome of the vote.

Trump has lost some of the voters who supported him four years ago.

And the problem of the coronavirus is just one of several, ”Bruter said.

American political scientist Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak adheres to a similar point of view.

In an interview with RT, he said that Trump really found himself in a difficult situation, including because of a flurry of criticism about the spread of the coronavirus.

In his opinion, Biden "skillfully enough" played on the thesis that the president is directly responsible for the difficulties that the country is experiencing.

“I think Trump would have been fiercely scolded by Democrats and the media anyway, regardless of whether he had closed the economy earlier or not.

It's just that in this situation the candidates are in an unequal position.

Biden is not empowered and therefore can easily criticize an opponent from the White House.

Excessive mention of the virus is not in favor of Trump.

However, he still tries to turn defeat into victory, ”summed up Sinelnikov-Orishak.