The presidential campaign took an unexpected turn last weekend, when the nation was rocked by the news that President Trump had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Throughout Hamden, Quinnipiac students and residents have many opinions on what this news means for next month’s election.
Olivia Pisegna, a freshman from Massachusetts, said that, while she doesn’t believe this news will play a large factor in who voters elect, she believes this serves as a sobering reminder that the coronavirus does not pick and choose who it infects, and anybody can be a victim.
“I think it puts the virus and pandemic as a whole into perspective. No one is immune to the coronavirus, not even the POTUS,” Pisegna said. “I don’t think it really changes who people are voting for. At this point, we know both candidates are at opposite ends of the spectrum so the votes are almost solidified at this point,” she added.
Pisegna did say that she thinks the outbreak of COVID-19 among White House personnel, including the President, could hurt his chances for reelection.
For President Trump’s campaign, who has, on multiple occasions, tried to downplay COVID on social media, Trump’s diagnosis represents a worst-case scenario.
Colleen Gorman, a local resident, said that the timing of this Presidental Election during this pandemic couldn’t be worse for the President’s campaign.
“With anything, it’s more in the media, reporting that he had gotten it, so I think his diagnosis hurts his campaign,” Gorman said.
Emily Macdonald, a senior political science major, said that she thinks contracting COVID-19 could potentially be beneficial for Trump’s electoral chances, as it could possibly paint the president in a sympathetic light, while also energizing his base.
“I think it has boosted his supporters morale and I think his diagnosis has given him a more sympathetic portrayal, which is something he hasn’t gotten before so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes anyone’s mind in the poll,” Macdonald said.
Macdonald added that she does not believe Trump’s bout with COVID-19 will harm his efforts to downplay the virus and focus the conversation towards other topics while on the campaign trail.
“I do not think this will disrupt his goal of downplaying the virus because he was only in the hospital for a brief period of time,” Macdonald said.
Last Sunday night, President Trump had two Secret Service agents drive him past a crowd of his supporters gathered outside the hospital in a specialized SUV that was both bulletproof and hermetically sealed.
“I think that was incredibly careless. As someone that should be acting as a guide for others to act, it showcased that he isn’t afraid of putting others in harm’s way,” Pisegna said.
“It was incredibly unprofessional,” she added.
“That’s very selfish, very pompous and very egotistical of him. I can’t believe that,” Gorman said of the President’s decision.
Gorman also says that she does not trust the reports coming out of the White House regarding President Trump’s condition.
“I definitely don’t trust the White House, the reports of his condition, I don’t trust that at all. I think that potentially it could be worse. There was analysis of when he climbed the White House steps after he came home that he may have been out of breath, according to medical experts, right before he took off his mask, which again was crazy,” she said.
“Also, given his medical data, being overweight potentially, and being the age that he is, he’s more in the high-risk category, so for him being able to just breeze through COVID-19, that seems a little bit off to me,” she added.
Pisegna agreed, adding, “No, no one “recovers” from the virus in three days.”
Gorman did add that the President has access to cutting-edge experimental treatments, drugs and therapies which are not available to every American.
“Then, I think about how he has access to better care than the regular American person because of him being the president, he was able to access that drug, Remdisivir, that not everybody has access to yet,” Gorman said.
With the Commission on Presidential Debates announcing yesterday that the second presidential debate will be conducted virtually, the depth of disruption this October Surprise will play in the upcoming election may only be beginning.