DOMINO EFFECT

Donald Trump Campaign Fears Coronavirus Will Hurt His Re-Election Bid

Team Trump is concerned that a widespread coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. will hurt the economy and turn voters against him in November.

The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak that could strain his administration’s public health response and threaten the economy ahead of the November election. Politco, quoting two officials in his administration, reports that the issue has been discussed in a number of recent high-level White House meetings. Trump has publicly played down worries that the virus might spread in the U.S., but others have implied otherwise. “The biggest current threat to the president’s reelection is this thing getting out of control and creating a health and economic impact,” Chris Meekins, a Raymond James financial analyst and former Trump administration Department of Health and Human Services emergency-preparedness official told Politico. Only 34 cases have been confirmed in the United States, including those brought home from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.