Trump Allies: "Trump, Who Ignored COVID, Ultimately Defeated by COVID"

From February, the Former Headquarters Chief Warned About the Impact of COVID-19
"What Does My Reelection Have to Do with the Virus?" He Ignored It

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] President Donald Trump failed to secure re-election for the first time in 28 years since former President George H.W. Bush. It is known that Trump’s presidential campaign and White House advisers viewed the excessive underestimation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the neglect of alternative measures as the main reasons for the defeat. Although the campaign chairman warned as early as February, just before the pandemic, that COVID-19 could significantly impact the re-election, President Trump reportedly ignored the warnings.

According to CNN, on the 7th (local time), White House advisers stated that President Trump’s handling of COVID-19 was inadequate and that this was the biggest factor in the election loss. An anonymous senior adviser told CNN in an interview, “President Trump’s dismissive attitude toward COVID-19 and misinformation about the virus alienated voters,” adding, “The elderly voters, who were a core support base for President Trump, were the most at risk from the virus, but they had no idea how President Trump was responding to the pandemic.”

The U.S. political media outlet Politico reported that the campaign had warned about the impact of COVID-19 as early as February, but President Trump ignored it. According to Politico, in February, Brad Parscale, then campaign chairman for Trump, warned, “Sir, the coronavirus is coming. This could cause you to lose re-election and leave the presidency.” However, President Trump reportedly dismissed the warning, saying, “What the hell does a damn virus have to do with my re-election?”

However, COVID-19 spread rapidly, making the United States the country most severely affected by the virus. According to the global statistics site Worldometer, on that day, the U.S. recorded a new daily high of 132,450 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. surpassed 10 million at 10,058,586, with total deaths reaching 242,226. This number is nearly eight times the 33,739 U.S. military casualties in the Korean War. More Americans have died than in all the wars the U.S. has fought since World War II combined, causing public sentiment to turn sharply.

Politico analyzed that despite this situation, the failure to properly wear masks in violation of health authorities’ guidelines, and the infection of President Trump and White House staff with COVID-19 just before the election, led to a significant loss of votes from conservative supporters. From autumn, the second wave of the pandemic began, and with mass unemployment caused by COVID-19’s impact, the economic recession resumed, dimming the economic policies that had been considered one of President Trump’s main achievements. In contrast, candidate Biden emphasized the importance of wearing masks and campaigned while practicing social distancing, differentiating himself from President Trump. This is analyzed as the reason why the traditional Republican support base, the elderly, shifted their support to Biden.