Trump's presidential hopes could be thwarted by COVID — again


The pandemic is the primary reason former President Donald Trump is no longer in the White House. It may also prevent him from returning, but for totally different reasons.
In 2020, Trump was viewed as lax and incompetent in his COVID-19 response by a critical mass of voters. President Biden won among those whose top issue was the pandemic or who prioritized controlling the virus over reopening the economy by at least 60 points. For many of the suburbanites who decided the election, it was the last straw. (This is without getting into whether the COVID voting protocols themselves worked to Trump's disadvantage.)
If Trump runs again in 2024, he may face the opposite COVID critique in the Republican primaries: that he was too supportive of letting the pandemic change the way Americans lived. Although he later chafed at them, Trump backed the lockdowns. (The Biden White House is now presenting them as a Trump policy, not something Democratic elected officials or their preferred public health authorities championed.) He elevated Anthony Fauci into an expert on all things COVID. Even his role in developing the vaccines is an area of disagreement with some allies.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ambitious Republicans, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, appear to notice that this is a rare Trump vulnerability with GOP voters. And Trump seems to recognize that Operation Warp Speed may not fire up Team MAGA in the same fashion as "build the wall."
Rank-and-file Republicans are over COVID. They are second-guessing the economic interruption of 2020, especially as even some liberal jurisdictions are beginning to relax their policies. There is no guarantee any of this will make the party revisit its steadfast backing of Trump. But it's one of the more promising possibilities for his potential primary opponents than another Evan McMullin-style candidacy.
It's unfortunate that Trump's greatest achievement could hurt him. Some in the GOP have outflanked him on the fight against business closures and mandates. And while vaccine skeptics are a minority among Republicans, they are a persistent one.
COVID is roiling some conservative political parties internationally. Trump's Republicans may be no different.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’
The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston Martin
In the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rights
The Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
The GOP: Merging flag and cross
Feature Donald Trump has launched a task force to pursue “anti-Christian policies”
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace deal
The Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her