Published 08:22 IST, October 31st 2020
US Election 2020: Trump's massive rallies amid pandemic earns him 60% disapproval rating
While the COVID-19 panic tightened its grip on the US, Trump consistently deviated from tough questions on the public health crisis management.
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With less than the week to go for the US Presidential Election, a recent poll has suggested that around 60 percent of the US citizens have disapproved of President Donald Trump holding rallies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to USA Today-Suffolk University poll, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has an eight-point lead over Trump. In addition to that, around 64 percent of US citizens have also lauded Biden’s decision to not hold large events.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, most of Trump’s rallies have been held with a packed audience. The Republican leader has politicised the wearing of masks, mocking reporters and Biden for wearing one. Trump has been criticised of validating a strategy that prioritised economics over health.
While the COVID-19 panic tightened its grip on the US, Trump deviated from tough questions on the public health crisis management and even tried to change the topic, seizing on violence in Philadelphia after another police shooting to blame Democrats for looting. While the scientists and new data showed a nationwide explosion in virus caseload, Trump has maintained that it would go away "magically".
Trump downplays pandemic
The Republican leader has repeatedly downplayed the pandemic. He has also challenged several scientific conclusions about the virus made by his own administration, such as refuting the need for masks and face coverings in public places. From saying that the virus "affects virtually nobody" to implying the shutting down business was not necessary, Trump on several occasions has said that the threat to the US from coronavirus will be soon gone and blamed China for the pandemic.
Now, with the US election just around the corner, Trump’s delusion about his administration's failed response is consuming the US President as tens of millions of early voters cast ballots. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has also accused the Trump administration of surrendering to the virus.
However, Trump still maintains that "people are getting better". While addressing the crowd in Bullhead, Arizona, the US president recently claimed, "We will vanquish the virus and emerge stronger than ever before. Our country will be stronger than ever before."
08:22 IST, October 31st 2020