The pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic is not easing on Donald Trump. The number of 150,000 deaths attributed to the virus was exceeded in the United States on Wednesday, July 29, according to authoritative statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
His national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, is in quarantine after testing positive for the virus. The Texas Republican representative, Louie Gohmert, who was to accompany him to his state of election on Wednesday, also tested positive a few moments before boarding the presidential plane. What to eclipse the support that Donald Trump wanted to bring to Texas and to an oil sector shaken by the slowdown in the world economy.
This increase in deaths is a reflection of an epidemic that is resisting the control of the American authorities. Initially starting from both coasts, Pacific and Atlantic, it first struck massively, in March, the State of New York and that of New Jersey.
The adoption of strict containment measures led to a slow decline, but the virus then spread from the end of May in less stringent states, mostly led by Republican governors, Arizona, Texas and Florida, while picking up in California.
More than a month and a half later, the health infrastructures there are under strain and deaths have increased sharply. Admittedly, contaminations are starting to mark time in these states, but they are now progressing in others spared until then: Oklahoma, where Donald Trump held a meeting on June 20, Arkansas, Tennessee or even Kentucky. They are also predominantly led by Republicans.
Disapproval of Republican Governors
While 58% of those polled by the Gallup Institute in states run by Democrats believe their governor has a clear plan to tackle the pandemic, only 43% say the same in states run by conservatives.
In two key states for the November 3 presidential election – Florida and Arizona – governors’ disapproval is massive according to converging polls. Both have been slow to take binding measures to combat the spread of the virus.
The already shortened baseball season illustrates these American difficulties. Finally launched on July 23, it was immediately weakened by the discovery of thirteen cases of contamination among players of the Miami Marlins team traveling to Philadelphia (Pennsylvania).
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