How coronavirus has reshaped Trump's economy-driven, rally-heavy re-election campaign

President Trump's biggest re-election strengths have gone the way of eat-in restaurants and economic stability as a whole.

When 2020 first rolled around, Trump's re-election campaign seemed to have a clear path forward. He'd keep holding massive rallies around the country where he'd tear apart his rivals and the media at large, and promise to keep growing the already sky-high economy. But the COVID-19 pandemic has ended both of those prospects, and so the Trump campaign machine has moved to duplicate that energy in other ways, ABC News reports.

Trump hasn't had an arena-filling rally in at least a month, replacing those frequent speeches with daily coronavirus addresses from the White House briefing room. And while Trump has mostly stayed tame with top coronavirus doctor Anthony Fauci by his side, the president has slipped to attack media members still present in the audience, doubt Democratic governors asking for ventilators, and repeat a few conspiracy theories. All of that content wouldn't be unusual at one of Trump's rallies.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

On a more formal note, the Trump campaign has adapted to its rally-free reality by breaking out the phone lines. Campaign staffers call voters to praise Trump and his coronavirus response, but also throw in health checks and provide information about the pandemic. Read more about the new Trump campaign at ABC News.