The Covid-19 crisis made the race to the White House no longer stopped at the fight, but set the actual test for candidates.

Within 18 hours from the evening of March 11 to the afternoon of March 12, three main candidates for the US presidential position, including the current President, took steps to demonstrate their ability to lead the country between social chaos and the stock market collapsed because of Covid-19.

From the Oval Office, President Donald Trump announced that it would ban all people from 26 European countries to the US, within 30 days to prevent the nCoV from spreading, adding that the government would launch an emergency economic bailout package, dong reassuring people that "this is just a transient moment that America and the world will overcome".

Just a few hours later, former US Vice President Joe Biden, the top Democratic presidential candidate, proposed a blueprint and a series of testing goals, hospital capacity building and promotion. completed the nCoV vaccine. "This strain of the virus exposes serious shortcomings of the incumbent government. The fear in the community is worsening, stemming from a lack of trust in the President," Biden said.

Two hours after Biden's speech, Senator Bernie Sanders, Biden's Democratic opponent, warned that the number of Americans who died from nCoV could outnumber the number of US soldiers killed in World War II. "We have a nearly incompetent government. Their inadequacy and recklessness threaten the lives of so many citizens," he said.

According to commentators Lisa Lerer and Reid Epstein of NY Times, the rapid spread of nCoV is challenging Trump's core message that despite the President's controversies, Americans still enjoy good economic benefits. than before he took office.

The prosperity of the economy has always been the reason given by Trump to persuade voters to vote for him instead of on the Democratic side. However, Covid-19 is causing the US economy to tumble.

Political strategists compare Covid-19 with a storm that caused deep chaos, which has a profound impact on the United States in unpredictable directions. They think that the way to cope with this crisis can bring success or disrupt the career of any politician.

Biden is currently the brightest candidate for the Democratic Party after a series of victories in the primary election and is likely to face Trump directly in the race to the White House later this year, despite his leadership ability. remain in doubt.

"A lot of people, not just Democrats, are starting to look forward to Biden and show their support. This is a practical test to some degree. Even without power in hand, he still has showing people what the 4 years under Biden will look like, "said Addisu Demissie, former presidential campaign manager for Senator Cory Booker.

Democrats think Covid-19 will help them get more votes from peaceful independent voters in the suburbs, who dislike Trump's tone, but still support him because of the strong economy. . This group of voters also contributed greatly to the Democratic Party's control of the House of Representatives in 2018, regaining many seats in the battlefield states.

Rural voters can also be shaken. These people are likely to vote for the Republican party, but can change their mind when Covid-19 affects their interests, especially farmers and oil workers who suffer losses in the trade war. with China.

However, Covid-19 did not seem to have a major impact on pro-Republican voters. According to a poll last week by Quinnipiac University, about 6/10 Republican voters nationwide said they were not too concerned about the impact of nCoV on life. Meanwhile, the number of Democratic voters expressed doubts about the epidemic.

Under Trump's leadership, most Republicans are trying to allay fears of disease and blame Democrats, as well as the media, for focusing solely on death. "One thing the press did not give was the number of cases recovered. Everyone is now hearing about deaths. That's obviously terrible, but the other side of the problem is that the majority of people infected with nCoV still survive. "said Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

The Trump administration recently also actively acted and delivered messages to the public, like the declaration of a national emergency on March 13. However, health officials often have to correct the President's statements about the disease. The fact that three members of the Brazilian delegation had close contact with him infected with nCoV also raised doubts.

At this time in previous election years, presidential candidates often moved across the country, calling for support at major campaigns. However, they now have to find ways to mobilize from afar while Covid-19 is still complicated. Both Biden and Sanders canceled crowded events and allowed campaign staff to work from home.

Some sponsors, as well as Biden's supporters, seem to be quietly worried about the impact of Covid-19 on upcoming events. The former vice president's schedules in Chicago and Miami were transformed into "online events" ahead of the primary election in Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Ohio.

Trump is said to also pause indefinitely all events related to the election campaign. The commentators of the NY Times said that this would make him deprived of important political weapons when campaigning for support from the people.

In addition to the campaign, Covid-19 also made almost every election-related mechanism become vague. Arizona, Ohio and Illinois officials are struggling to move their polling places from nursing homes, even though early voting is in progress. Internal debate among Democratic candidates has also been moved from Phoenix to Washington DC to limit movement. Many political events were canceled.

In the context of nCoV preventing all social contact, many other questions were raised, such as how politicians will interact with voters, how to gather employees to serve in the election campaign in a room, or whether volunteers can knock on people's doors to campaign in serious epidemic areas. In addition, online campaigning also raises concerns about information security and the risk of espionage.

It is not yet known how long Covid-19 will last, or how its consequences will affect the election and the voter psychology. "The election still has a long way to go," said Corry Bliss, a Republican strategist, recalling that last month people still thought Trump's dismissal effort was the only possible factor. reversed the "election, but the situation has now changed.