While President Donald Trump has been skilled at changing the narrative, his handling of the COVID-19 crisis continues to hamper his chances of re-election, according to USAsia Centre’s Professor Gordon Flake.
America has passed a grim milestone this week, with authorities confirming 200,000 people have died from the disease.
More than 6.8 million cases have been reported across the US since the outbreak began.
The latest official data comes just six weeks before the presidential election, and the real number of fatalities is thought to be much higher due to many COVID-19 deaths attributed to other causes, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic.
During a rally in Ohio earlier this week, President Trump acknowledged the magnitude of the crisis but said the disease “doesn’t affect” young people.
“It affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems, if they have other problems, that’s what it really affects, in some states thousands of people — nobody young — below the age of 18, like nobody — they have a strong immune system — who knows,” President Trump said.
Professor Flake told Sky News while the president has a history of twisting the media narrative to suit his own ends, he is struggling to “shake” the COVID crisis.
“Obviously, 200,000 people is a staggering told,” he said.
“What’s even more staggering is the fact that if there is no further mitigating measures put into place between now and January, the death toll will be between 400,000 to 500,000 people.
“This is the one story Donald Trump has not been able to shake.
“He has been very skilled at changing the narrative, the one potential benefit of the Supreme Court battle is it allows that to be another story other than the coronavirus death toll on the front page of the news.
“I am not entirely sure the nomination of what is almost certainly going to be a very ardently, stridently, anti-abortion candidate will expand Donald Trump’s base.”
