More than 3,600 Americans died of COVID-19 during the Republican National Convention

COVID-19 statistics
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/MSNBC)

Visually, rhetorically, and thematically, this week's Republican National Convention treated the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as an economic and health problem President Trump had conquered through strong leadership.

There were very few masks in any of the live audiences, including among the 1,500 guests invited to watch Trump's speech. The White House said "those in close proximity to Trump will be tested," CNN's Jim Acosta reported. "But many will not be tested." And a senior White House official, when asked about the lack of masks and social distancing, told Acosta, "Everybody is going to catch this thing eventually."

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.