“Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle.”
—Vladimir Putin
By Alex P. Vidal
EVEN if someone hates U.S. President Donald Trump to the max, it would be most unChristian to wish for his death now that he has contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Even his political rivals and some of those he slandered in the past were wishing for his survival and speedy recovery, including First Lady Melania Trump.
And even if he has been the universal poster boy of those who mocked science and eschewed the medically mandated use of face mask amid the pandemic, no one, in his right mind, would openly wish for President Trump’s death.
Because of his refusal to observe the social distancing and the use of face mask in the White House and in his campaign sorties in the different states, Mr. Trump looked stubborn both to his critics and allies (not all Republicans believe in Mr. Trump’s recalcitrant behavior hook, line, and sinker).
Now that many of his White House and Republican acolytes have also become COVID-19 patients, there’s no more reason or alibi to reject the recommendation made by medical scientists to wear a mask in public while the vaccine hasn’t yet arrived.
-o0o-
I would like to reiterate what I said on the radio last October 2 evening: U.S. President Donald Trump’s situation as a COVID-19 patient is not similar to other patients who died after battling the pandemic inside the ICUs like what we saw on television and other media platforms since March 2020.
Of all the known and unknown coronavirus patients in the world, perhaps Mr. Trump, 74, is the most well-attended to medically being the most important and the most powerful man in this planet.
He was “rushed” to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on October 2 not because he was in serious condition or dying, but because White House officials wanted to make sure he would be given proper and immediate medical attention in case his condition worsens.
In other words, Mr. Trump will not die yet; he might survive and unleash a last-ditch surprise comeback in the homestretch of the November 3 election against former Vice President Joseph Biden.
-o0o-
We doubt, however, if the incumbent president can still weather the storm with 28 days left before November 3.
A handful swing states will probably decide the election and be targeted heavily by campaigners as the U.S. presidential voting system assigns each state a number of electoral college votes, which go to the state’s victor regardless of the margin of victory.
The latest polling average anywhere in the U.S. today puts Mr. Biden ahead of Mr. Trump nationally.
Experts are saying that the national poll tracker is a poor indicator of how the crucial swing states will sway the election, but a strong polling lead across the country can point to how the race will develop.
Mr. Biden has taken a bigger lead against President Trump, according to a new NBC News /Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday (October 4) morning.
The poll was reportedly conducted with 800 registered voters from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1 after the first debate took place in Cleveland but before President Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
It shows Mr. Biden with a 14-point lead against President Trump, which NBC said is “up from eight points compared to the previous poll that came prior to the first debate.”
NBC noted this was the largest lead Biden has held throughout the entire 2020 presidential campaign.
Here are a few more highlights from the poll as outlined by NBC News:
49 percent say Biden did a better job at the first debate. 24 percent President Trump was better; 17 percent said neither did a better job;
19 percent say they're more likely to support Biden after the debate;
73 percent said the debate did not change how they will vote.
Only a miracle can save President Trump—not from COVID-19, but from being reelected.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)
No comments:
Post a Comment