US Presidential Election and the politics behind coronavirus
The whole world is busy with coronavirus right now and almost everything happening across the world is connected to it. Almost half a million people had died of the virus across the world so far which has already impacted the global issues around us. Meanwhile, a big event is knocking at the door this year, in terms of both the world and American politics. Yes, I’m talking about the US presidential election 2020 which will be held on this upcoming November.
Joe Biden the former Vice President is the nominee from the Democratic party and as we know current President Donald Trump will fight in the election as the Republican party candidate.
As it is one of the most important elections over the world which may affect future international order directly, it has some direct links with coronavirus and its effects. And not only the western media but also our media is also concentrating on that issue as everyone around the globe have a huge interest in it.
President Donald Trump had won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton which was an unpredictable one for the whole media industry as almost everyone predicted Hillary Clinton as the president. Several reasons behind the win of Donald Trump were further disclosed such as his populist speeches, tweets, and some nationalist comments on the media which helped him to influence the voter to cast vote for him. Four years later, the election is here again with a different candidate from the Democratic party but almost the same campaign strategy by Donald Trump. If we have a look over the tweets of President Donald Trump or his briefings, we will find that he is again using his populist theory & xenophobic comments to win this 2020 election. Many experts say that Donald Trump won the last election mainly for his speeches and tweets about his “America First” policy by attacking issues like immigration and China.
As the election is not so far and the world including the U.S.A is struggling to combat the virus, everything is getting worse day by day.
With the highest death toll from the pandemic and unemployment mounting to levels not seen since the Great Depression, Republicans progressively believe that uplifting China as an enemy and also blaming it for the spread of the virus while binding America’s growing hatred toward Beijing may be the best way to retrieve a tough election. As a result, we are sighting anti-china policies and decisions by the Trump administration especially when the election is almost at the door. The recent US order to shut down a Chinese consulate in Houston is a clear example of how Trump administration is using these subjects to use the growing anti-China sentiment of the people.
Moreover, Donald Trump’s campaign aides have endorsed the policy, releasing several attack ads in recent months showing Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, as soft on China and not having any strong position against its rising threats.
A fundamental mainstay of his campaign’s tactic is to repel hatred over the human fatalities and economic ache of the coronavirus onto an opponent that many Americans already sight suspiciously and we know China is the perfect one.
Two months ago, Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist said, “Trump has always been successful when he’s had a bogeyman and China is the perfect bogeyman,”.
Candidates of both parties have targeted China in past campaigns. But with the US arriving a presidential election period as the coronavirus spreads across the country, the bombast this time is far sharper. It’s also called the blame-game.
A recent 17-state study directed by Donald Trump’s campaign shows that the voters already carry an anti-China sentiment as 79% of voters designated they did not think China had been honest about the level of infections and deaths.
And the Republican politicians are trying to use it well to win the upcoming election as it seems they don’t have any other strong issues like this one.
On the other side, Democrats are also trying to use coronavirus issues as a lack of government policy and they are also trying to use the anti-China sentiments among people as they are releasing ad campaigns on Trump’s past compliments & good wishes about China as a weapon against him.
I’m not saying that the US politicians should not stand up against China as we know China is indeed a big violator of human rights and international law. So, the US leaders should lead the west to tackle China but they shouldn’t use it as a political campaign only.
We know that these things are not new in US politics but as the US is struggling with this massive challenge very hard and if it happens in a long-term process then I am afraid that the general American people will not be benefited from those kinds of politics and elections as their(people’s) main interests like health care, unemployment problem, equal payment rights will remain far away.
Moreover, this election will also impact the ongoing world order such as regional and national politics around the world. Coronavirus has already weakened the existing world order with the US leading it. The Trump administration has withdrawn the US from the Paris agreement in the early face of its governance which has shocked the world. And recently they have also withdrawn themselves from the Word Health Organization accusing it taking the side of China and not active to fight coronavirus. Though this decision has faced a lot of criticism from across the world and his rival candidate Joe Biden but it was largely praised by his Republican party and his nationalist followers as they are motivated by his nationalist campaign. As a result, many are thinking that coronavirus will change the world order with the US election as the beginning of it. But I think it’s not the end of the existing world order so far. And I hope, in this election, the American people will choose the president who will not only take the side of the general people but also work for their interests and will stand for humanity across the world in a time of such crisis.
