America First, the primary super-PAC dedicated to Trump’s re-election, began a series of surveys this week asking respondents whether they fear getting the virus more than losing their job, one familiar with the effort Person.
“We don’t want to be deaf where the American public is or where our voters are,” said the person.
Senior officials, including cabinet secretaries and members of the Coronavirus Task Force, have been working to develop a number of options that Trump can pursue when he urges companies to reopen next month. Any announcement of changes to existing policies would occur after March 30 – the government’s official end to the “15 days to slow spread” campaign – and would, according to state and local officials, make efforts to combat the virus in their own communities not replace a White House official.
“America will be open again – and soon – for business. Very soon, much earlier than three or four months that someone had suggested. Much earlier, ”Trump said at a press conference on Monday evening.
Campaign officials who support Trump’s aggressive timeline still recognized the risk involved. So far, test flaws have made it difficult to determine exactly how many Americans are infected with the virus at any given time and have opened the door to further transmission when asymptomatic carriers return to work. In addition, a sudden surge in cases could prolong the United States’ fight against the virus and ultimately damage the economy in the long term.
“If he handles it well, I definitely think he will have another topic to talk about. But if there is another economic collapse, it could really change our course,” said the second campaign official.
“In terms of the impact on the campaign, I would just say it’s too early to judge,” added this person.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s desired economic recovery schedule, his campaign has done little to prepare for a scenario in which the president’s plans backfire. Officials refuse to publicly express their concerns while privately insisting that the coronavirus crisis will have resolved by the end of the Republican Party nomination convention in late August.
Two campaign officials who had spoken to POLITICO said they knew nothing of discussions about how the campaign will go if the virus is not included in the coming months, which will affect the conduct of the general election. A bipartisan economic stimulus bill passed by the Senate late Wednesday contained about $ 400 million to encourage mail-in voting – a development that Trump’s shot in a second term could hurt if, according to Tyler, she turned the turnout into increased this fall.
“If it is easier to vote, more people will do it, and I don’t think that’s good for Trump based on his approval rating,” Tyler said, adding that the campaign should “develop an emergency plan” if COVID does Not doing this will not wane or disappear this spring, as Trump did before suggested it.
Many of the President’s unsubstantiated claims about the virus have come up during the White House task force update, where he and a retinue of infectious disease experts and cabinet officials have asked questions about the government’s response and announced new measures to fight the virus.
The daily briefings, which lasted between 45 minutes and almost two hours, also caused mixed reactions among the President’s allies. On the one hand, campaign officials and die-hard Trump fans see them as an ideal replacement for his “Keep America Great” rallies and argue that they have allowed him to speak to an even larger audience and his leading democratic challenger, the former vice president to drown out Joe Biden, who delivered live streaming campaign speeches from a personal library at his Delaware home.
“You speak to tens of thousands of people at a rally,” said Spicer. “You can speak to millions of people at the same time every day online and on network television.”
“Trump’s polls have risen 10 points and Biden is nowhere to be found,” Spicer continued. “The guy recently started a podcast to stay relevant.” (It was not immediately clear which survey Spicer was referring to. A. Gallup The poll released this week found that his approval rating was 49 percent, five points higher than earlier this month, and the president has received mostly positive reviews for his use of the coronavirus.)
However, there are others who are concerned about overexposing Trump’s voters, especially as his campaign questions Biden’s mentality and suitability for office. The President’s comments from the podium were filled with unsubstantiated predictions, contradicting statements and premature announcements about public-private partnerships, the effectiveness of potential medications to treat coronaviruses, and the availability of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
“It’s a liability,” said a Republican near the White House. “Can you imagine it reopening our economy and then suddenly disappearing from the meeting room because things are not going as planned?”
