Trump seeks political shot in the arm in vaccine push

President Donald Trump’s handling of coronavirus pandemic put his political fate in grave jeopardy. w he’s hoping to get credit for his ministration’s aggressive push for a vaccine -– and crossing his fingers that one gets approved before Election Day.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were both visiting vaccine development sites on Monday, marking beginning of largest vaccine research trial yet. ir trips to rth Carolina and Florida, respectively, come as White House is grappling with its most prominent virus case since crisis begin and a nationwide spike in virus.

"We’re doing well on vaccines, we’re doing well on rapeutics. And w I’m heing to rth Carolina to look exactly at that,” Trump said as he departed White House.

Trump's standing in polls, trailing former Vice President Joe Biden less than 100 days before election, underscores urgency to highlight vaccines and rapeutics –- which include antiviral drug remdesivir and convalescent plasma.

ecomic toll of pandemic has undone job gains of Trump's presidency and his ministration has faced bipartisan criticism for its handling of efforts to test and contain outbreak. Trump aides view hunt for vaccine as something y can still get right.

Privately, many White House officials have pinned ir reelection hopes on potential emergence of a vaccine for coronavirus, believing it to be ultimate “October surprise.” Some believe Trump may well be doomed without one, and that even with one, it may be too late to save his fortunes with so many Americans expected to vote before Election Day on v. 3.

Under federal government’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine program, multiple COVID-19 vaccines are being developed simultaneously with a goal of delivering 300 million safe and effective doses by January 2021.

Trump was visiting FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechlogies’ Invation Center in Morrisville, a suburb of Raleigh. facility has begun production of first batch of a possible vaccine developed by vavax, a Maryland company.

batches produced at rth Carolina facility will be used in a Phase 3 clinical trial of up to 30,000 subjects, which is expected to begin this fall and will determine drug’s safety and effectiveness, according to vavax, which received $1.6 billion from federal government under Operation Warp Speed.

president is working to highlight progress in development of a vaccine before voters go to polls in about three months. Dr. Anthony Fauci, nation’s top infectious disease expert, has said he is cautiously optimistic that one and maybe more vaccines will be available by end of this year.

“ ultimate goal of this would be to get full licensure based on clear-cut efficacy and safety data,” Fauci told reporters Monday.

Peter Navarro, a senior Trump ecomic viser, framed effort as a political home run for Trump, who pushed for development of vaccine while simultaneously working on a process to distribute it quickly.

But even as Trump has tried to shift nation's focus from new infections to hope for cures, he's been interrupted by rising case los across Sunbelt and word Monday that Robert O'Brien, his national security viser, has tested positive for virus.

political imperative for Trump has sparked concerns among members of Congress that Trump could try to take shortcuts in approval process. ministration experts have dismissed those concerns, with Food and Drug ministration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn telling reporters Monday that FDA “will t cut corners" to evaluate a vaccine.

Hahn joined Pence in Miami to highlight beginning of Phase 3 testing of a different vaccine candidate developed by National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., which began its first injections Monday.

“It’s a historic day, a day when we begin in earnest to work on a vaccine,” Pence said.

About 4.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in United States and re have been more than 146,000 deaths.

With election approaching, Trump has begun to run short on time to shift narrative of race, which so far appears shaping up to be as a referendum on his handling of pandemic. He faces deficits in battleground states across map, has struggled to land attacks on Biden and has been forced by virus to scrap rallies and GOP convention events, moments he might have used to change momentum of contest.

Inste, White House aides seem to be growing more resigned to hoping for an outside event to change trajectory of contest, wher a serious misstep by Biden or, increasingly, a vaccine breakthrough. rth Carolina is a key battleground state in coming election, and Trump’s visit marks his 10th trip to state during his presidency. Trump won state by nearly 4 percent points in 2016.

state’s importance was reflected in party’s plans to hold its minating convention in Charlotte, before Trump moved event to Florida, only to later cancel those plans as well. Inste, a small subset of GOP delegates will formally reminate Trump on Aug. 24 in Charlotte at an event scheduled to last just four hours.