US Election Notebook: Politics on steroids

According to recent surveys most Americans are stressed by this election and fear it will end in violence. Is it any wonder? This week saw a coronavirus outbreak in the White House, a state governor nearly kidnapped and the president hospitalised. The markets nosedived and betting markets across the world were suspended. As October Surprises go, this year surely has to top the list — a list that includes the 2008 financial crash and the Iran hostage crisis.

Fortunately, this election has been spared the record of the first deceased presidential candidate, but it wasn’t without drama. After going down with a high fever, Donald Trump was hospitalised at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, the “President’s Hospital” which has looked after every president since FDR, conducted the post-mortem on JFK and is located in a town named after the biblical pool where Jesus healed a paralysed man.

Bedside in Bethesda, Trump received a mouthful of supplemental oxygen, steroids and an “experimental antibody cocktail” which he hailed as “miracles coming down from God”. In fact, it was provided by a pharmaceutical company which he used to have shares in and, it is estimated, would cost an American citizen over $100,000.

Supporters rallied outside both Walter Reed and Trump Tower while opponents “leapt with joy”, called it a hoax or wished his death. Trump might not have won the Nobel Peace Prize but he did receive messages of support from the Clintons, Obamas and Bidens, as well as from politicians around the world. There is love on many sides.

Still, that didn’t stop Trump leaving the hospital to greet supporters, in doing so annoying his own doctors, and starting multiple twitter storms. His tweeting (and indeed catching the virus) might have paid off, however, for his tweets have increased in popularity since his hospitalisation. Perhaps that’s why Joe Biden told him to “get off Twitter”.

On the third day Trump rose again — he was back in the Oval Office quicker than you can say dexamethasone. Breathless upon his return, despite having flown all nine miles back to the White House, he still proceeded to whip off his face mask and tell America it had nothing to be afraid of. MSNBC compared him to Mussolini, Trump compared himself to Churchill and the White House Gift Shop engraved him as a superhero on a $100 coin.

And what of Joe Biden? Out of respect, or perhaps because he needed an extended nap, he did little campaigning whilst Trump was hospitalised. And why would he when he enjoys as much as a 16-point lead in the polls, has Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama at his disposal, and continues to make racial slurs, remarks about ‘beautiful young ladies” and steal other politicians’ slogans? (Didn’t you notice “Build Back Better” on the backdrop of this week’s Conservative Party Conference?)

In any case, this week was all about the vice-presidential candidates, whose debate on Thursday was, thankfully, less vice and more presidential. This probably had something to do with the Perspex screens which separated the two candidates (much like a border wall); a fly which landed on Pence’s head during the debate received more attention than the debate itself. Both social media and the first post-debate polls awarded Harris victory, but Pence won according to the same focus group which awarded Biden victory last week. And at least he turned up.

Indeed, the prospect of a Pence or Harris presidency seems highly likely now given Biden’s age and Trump’s health. Not only is the president struggling for breath and potentially suffering adverse side effects from his experimental cocktail, but his very fitness for office is now being formally investigated by Congress. So if you are to take anything from this week let it be the words of John Adams, America’s first vice-president turned president: “in this I am nothing, but I may be everything”.