President Trump is hospitalized after testing positive a month before elections. Will he let the odds go against him?
A Month To Elections — What Are The Possibilities After Trump Tests Positive and what happens if Trump becomes incapacitated?
President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump were tested positive for covid-19 after their top aid was reported positive of the virus. In the recent build-up of event, Donald Trump was flown from the White House to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the Washington DC suburbs. President was seen walking through the White House in a blue suit a few hours after which, he released the following video —
In an official statement, the President’s doctor revealed that Trump is “fatigued but in good spirits” and is doing good. Exactly a month before the presidential elections, Republican candidate Donald Trump has been quarantined and is being treated for covid-19.
People in contact with president in the past few days who are tested positive include Presidential aid Hope Hicks, Former adviser Kellyanne Conway, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican senator Mike Lee, Republican Senator Thom Tillis and President of Notre Dame John Jenkins.
Treatment that President Trump is undergoing
Donald Trump is being treated by Dr. Sean Conley who reported that the President is not in need of supplemental oxygen however, is undergoing remdesivir therapy.
Remdesivir treatment was originally developed to treat Ebola virus and it restricts the virus from multiplying therefore, reducing the symptoms.
The world is amid a pandemic and both the presidential candidates of the US fall in the highly vulnerable group of covid-19.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the oldest men in the history of the United States to run for presidency.
As the world observes the grave situation of American President in his mid seventies fighting against covid-19, prayers and good wishes are pouring from everywhere including Democrats.
Setting the example of sincerity during challenging times, Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden wished for speedy recovery of Donald Trump on Twitter.
Can Donald Trump delay the elections?
President Donald Trump was tested positive with covid-19 on 1st October after which he has to undergo a self-quarantine for 10 days.
Donald Trump had plenty of election rallies scheduled during this period however maximum of them cannot be rescheduled. If he recovers with time and treatment goes well, he still can attend the presidential rally scheduled on 15th October. The rally scheduled for Florida on Friday has already been canceled.
One question that is circling the web is can Trump delay the elections? The answer is, NO.
Change in the date of elections requires an amendment in the constitution which can be done solely by lawmakers and not Trump. The amendment will then have to pass by the house of representatives occupied by Democrats in substantial numbers.
Clearly, Democrats won’t ever vote in favour of altering the election date. Therefore, delaying the elections seems almost impossible.
What if the presidential candidate becomes incapacitated to run for elections?
It has never happened before that either Republicans or Democrats had to look for a new presidential candidate just four weeks from elections. However, under such extraordinary circumstances which now seem realizable, the decision lies under party’s law.
If Donald Trump becomes unfit to run for presidency and is incapacitated, the 168 members of Republican National Commission will vote to choose their new presidential candidate. It can gravely impact the voter’s support for the party but during such situations, there’s actually a dearth of options.
And what happens to Donald Trump’s current position of US President?
If a President Trump becomes incapacitated due to health reasons or otherwise, the 25th amendment of the American constitution allows the President to transfer the office temporarily to the Vice President.
However, if the President refuses to transfer the power in circumstances of his incapacity to serve the White House, the cabinet and vice-president can assertively take the office. In a scenario where both, president and vice president become incapacitated to serve the White House, the Speaker of the House becomes the President.
