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Biden, Joe

Trump Shrugs Off Covid-19 Surge as White House Dealings Emerge

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Donald Trump shrugged off the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases across the US and a fresh outbreak in the White House as he launched the final week of his re-election campaign, battling to overturn Democratic challenger Joe Biden's lead in the polls. Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, Mr Trump repeated his claim that the rapid increase in infections was due to improved testing, rather than a worsening outbreak. New case numbers in the US have surged in the past few days, with a number of states reporting record infections over the weekend. A handful of aides to vice-president Mike Pence were among those to catch the virus, including his chief of staff. Despite this, Mr Pence has vowed to press ahead with his busy schedule this week.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US has seen a surge in new Covid-19 cases in the past few days, with several states reporting record infections over the weekend.
  • A handful of aides to vice-president Mike Pence, including his chief of staff, have contracted the virus.
  • Donald Trump and his wife Melania contracted the disease weeks ago.
  • Mr Trump has repeated his claim that the rapid increase in infections is due to improved testing, rather than a worsening outbreak.
  • Campaign rhetoric centers on the president's perceived mishandling of the pandemic, with almost 220,000 deaths.
  • Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff, stated that the administration is not trying to control the pandemic, but rather focus on getting vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigations.
  • Kamala Harris, Mr Biden's running mate, characterized Mr Meadows' comments as an admission of defeat in the battle against Covid-19.
  • Mr Biden and Ms Harris have promised to make containing the virus their top priority if they emerge victorious next week.
  • Mr Trump is running out of time to catch his Democratic rival, with over a week left until Election Day.
  • More than 58 million Americans have cast their ballots early, either in-person or by mail, according to the University of Florida's US Elections Project.
  • A new CBS News poll showed Mr Biden and Mr Trump tied in Georgia, a key swing state.
  • Mr Biden is expected to visit Georgia tomorrow as part of his efforts to expand the Electoral College map.

Statistics:

  • New Covid-19 cases in the US have surged in the past few days, with a number of states reporting record infections over the weekend.
  • Almost 220,000 deaths have resulted from the president's perceived mishandling of the pandemic.
  • Mr Biden leads in national opinion polls by 8.7 percentage points, according to Financial Times analysis of Real Clear Politics data.
  • Over 58 million Americans have cast their ballots early, either in-person or by mail, according to the University of Florida's US Elections Project.
  • A new CBS News poll showed Mr Biden and Mr Trump tied in Georgia, a key swing state.
  • Mr Biden is expected to visit Georgia tomorrow as part of his efforts to expand the Electoral College map.

Sources:

  • Financial Times analysis of Real Clear Politics data
  • University of Florida's US Elections Project
  • CBS News poll
  • Donald Trump's rally speech in New Hampshire

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