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First-hand experience

October 06, 2020
Balance of Power
Bloomberg

Donald Trump is trying to re-frame his own bout with Covid-19 as an asset, even as his doctor says he "may not entirely be out of the woods."

The president orchestrated what was portrayed as a triumphant return to the White House yesterday after three nights in the hospital. He inaccurately cast himself as having beaten the virus, removed his mask as soon as he arrived and encouraged people not to fear a disease that has killed more than 210,000 Americans.

As Justin Sink writes, Trump and his allies are seeking to paint the hospital discharge as a metaphor for the president's strength and vigor a month before Election Day.

In a video and tweets, Trump made little mention of White House aides, campaign staff and other Republicans who've become infected in the past week. He has yet to note that the level of care he's afforded as commander-in-chief far exceeds that available to almost any other American.

While Trump argued that his first-hand experience leaves him best equipped to captain the pandemic response, his Democratic rival Joe Biden charged that he brought the virus on himself by bucking safety protocols.

The risk of the virus spreading further on Capitol Hill — three Republican senators have tested positive — has imperiled a drive to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett by Election Day and could impede efforts to pass another stimulus package to aid the economy.

And with Covid-19 resurgent, Trump's attempt to seem relatable with his own health woes could backfire.

— Kathleen Hunter

Trump removes his mask after his return to the White House.

Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images North America

Click here for a list of Trump associates who've tested positive for Covid.

Global Headlines

Increased importance | Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris will take the stage tomorrow night under extraordinary circumstances that will elevate the oft-forgotten vice presidential debate to the highest-stakes running mate matchup in years. Not only will safety precautions be stricter following the White House outbreak, the tone is expected to be more civil as well.

Campaign 2020

There are 28 days until the election. Here's the latest on the race for control of the White House and Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin resume negotiations today on another round of pandemic relief, though there's no clear path to a deal. Biden will deliver a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Other developments

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Quad power | U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is in Tokyo for talks with foreign ministers from three leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, trying to keep pressure on China as the coronavirus crisis rocks Washington. The so-called Quad, which includes Australia, India and Japan, has gained momentum as Trump pursues a more confrontational approach with Beijing, while China said the group is stoking a "new Cold War."

Falling short | A landmark law to strengthen European Union climate policies and lock in a 2050 goal of climate-neutrality risks falling off a fast-track approval process, as states assess the economic hit from the pandemic. EU leaders plan to discuss the draft measure at a two-day gathering next week but may stop short of supporting a more ambitious intermediate target for 2030, according to a draft communique seen by Bloomberg News.

  • Read how Spain is looking to enter the hydrogen sector, putting it on par with France and Germany in seeking a greener fuel for heavy industry.

80 days | For the first time in four years, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a quick campaign to deploy resources and personnel to major projects to revive an economy walloped by sanctions and flooding from typhoons. His "80-day battle" may do little more than paper over deep problems in a state hit by sanctions over its nuclear program and likely headed for its worst economic contraction in more than two decades, Jeong-Ho Lee reports.

A Kim impersonator in Hong Kong on July 1.

Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg

Calling a truce | Brazil's economy minister and the powerful lower house speaker agreed yesterday to halt political bickering over President Jair Bolsonaro's plan to ramp up social spending despite facing a record budget deficit. The move comes as the International Monetary Fund warned that Latin America's biggest economy faces "exceptionally high" risks as it grapples with the impact of the pandemic.

What to Watch

  • Protesters disputing parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan took over government buildings in what President Sooronbay Jeenbekov described as a bid to seize power, with the government saying one person was killed and 590 wounded in the clashes. 

  • Gennady Timchenko, a billionaire ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked Switzerland's top court to overturn a U.S. Treasury freeze on two bank accounts in the Alpine nation.

  • Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is giving evidence in court today in his defamation suit against a blogger who shared an article about him on Facebook.
  • U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson lays out his post-virus agenda at the annual Conservative Party conference today after facing a cascade of negative headlines about his handling of the pandemic.

  • The EU's top court will rule on the legality of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's crackdown on a foreign university founded by his nemesis, the Budapest-born U.S. investor and philanthropist George Soros.

Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.

And finally ... Hotel prices shot up, ride-hailing apps crashed, and tickets to the Great Wall sold out: After more than nine largely housebound months, almost half a billion Chinese people are taking a vacation. The Golden Week holiday has turned into a display of China's confidence in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The surge of activity contrasts with the rest of the world — the global tourism industry is expected to lose at least $1.2 trillion in 2020 — and underscores the relative strength of China's economic recovery.

Visitors crowd the Badaling section of the Great Wall on Oct. 1.

Photographer: Yan Cong/Bloomberg

 
 

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