If President Trump ‘Covidly’ dies!

Following the acrimonious first-round US presidential debate last week Tuesday featuring President Donald Trump and his principal challenger, Joe Biden, the global pandemic, Coronavirus, has just registered an executive ‘victim’ — the US President himself! While the ill-tempered debate that descended into squabbling, bickering and insults had generated a lot of criticisms and negative comments at home and abroad Trump had tweeted days after that he had tested positive to COVID-19.

COVID-19 attacks the rich and powerful so it is not surprising hearing via the usual presidential tweet from the White House that the incumbent President and his reclusive wife, Melania, had been diagnosed with Coronavirus.

According to reports online the controversial 45th President post-Obama and his wife were initially quarantined inside the White House for medical healing to take place in earnest. But the following day breaking news indicated that the Trump presidential family had been flown to a military hospital outside Washington for full treatment.

The President had published a video of himself ostensibly from the military hospital where he was being treated. Given President Trump’s attitude towards Coronavirus few folks were shocked to learn of his diagnosis with the deadly viral epidemic.

While the American presidential poll is slated for early next month campaigns are on amid fears of COVID-19 wrecking more havoc on the American population. The death toll is daily mounting complicating econo-social situations and turning the otherwise lively campaign tours and trails virtually done without the habitual jubilating crowds.

Till today over 270,000 Americans had died from the pandemic and tens of thousands more contaminated! America remains the worst-hit yet the imperious leader of the free world, prior to his infection, was known to have minimised the impact of the virus, mocking those wearing face masks including his major adversary and describing same as a ‘Chinese virus’.

Donald Trump is the latest executive victim of the rampaging pandemic. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, once tested positive to the virus but he was healed in a jiffy. Other world leaders and powerful figures had had to deal with the global scourge — some paying the supreme price and others counting themselves lucky to recover from it.

Africa is not exempted from the deadly spread of Coronavirus. Back home in Nigeria top government officials (including the late CoS to President Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari) and high-ranking traditional rulers from the north had been taken six feet below by COVID-19. More cases are piling up across the poor continent.

Now with a haughty cantankerous President acknowledging the lodging of the virus of Corona in his inner system it is left to be seen how the big randy man of money and power would bounce back ahead of scheduled campaigns and the presidential election itself. Time is running out yet it is of essence!

Before now many books, publications and critics had accused Trump of failing in his duty to seriously confront the pandemic as earlier as possible when it began its mortal journey across continents and countries. As someone who thrives in political hubris it was nothing astonishing seeing him refusing to wear face mask or observing the social distancing safety measures put in place to curb the rapid spread of the mortal contagious disease.

Read also: MOROCCO AT A CROSSROADS: The time is now

President Trump remains an extra-ordinary presidential character, one that intrigues executively. As President he has demonstrated his non-conventional methods and tactics dramatically changing the way and manner politics Americana was made to function. No President in the US history has been so loathed and loved as Trump is; loathed by those who see him as a dumb power-crazy man corrupted by money. But loved by those who see him as an intrepid rookie who came on board to rock the boat of the establishment.

As a septuagenarian Trump’s immunity system cannot be compared to that of a young man in his early 30’s or 40’s. So he faces higher risks than the younger generation. But that does not mean that he could not surmount the health obstacle before him. As a President desperate for re-election no medical stone would be left unturned to turn his COVID-19 positive story to negative!

In the event of President Trump not able however to overcome the pandemic challenge thereby succumbing to death then the US presidential election could be postponed or rescheduled. The Vice-President, Mike Pence, is constitutionally required to take over in case of power vaccum but Trump’s demise could be a serious challenge for the Republican party going forward towards November 3.

If President Trump ‘Covidly’ dies then humanity would remember him for a long time to come as one President like no other who took bold decisions no matter how controversial or unpopular. He would be missed as one hell of a leader who withdrew his country’s signature from the Paris Climate Change Agreement; who tore off the Iranian nuclear deal. And above all, that President that unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as the Capital of the Jewish state of Israel against global aloofness.

He would not be forgotten easily by the Chinese authorities for the trade wars he had waged with Beijing leading to billions and trillions of Dollars worth of economic sanctions. Even the Europeans would remember him for his threats of sanctions and verbal grenades. He once called President Macron of France as ‘stupid’.

If Coronavirus vanquishes Trump by sending him six feet below then those many allegations of rape and sex abuse levelled against him by many ladies and mistresses would ‘die’ a natural death since the principal accused is no longer with us in flesh and blood to dismiss them. If the strong arrogant leader of the world’s greatest economy succumbs to Corona then the anti-COVID vaccine he had been trumpeting would be ready early next year would be effective without him announcing it to the world via early morning tweet.

If Trump dies then Coronavirus would have claimed its ‘greatest’ victim yet. The pandemic would equally have made its impact felt and more pronounced from Washington DC down to New York. If Trump dies there could be a lot of discreet jubilations in political circles in Beijing, Tehran, Gaza, Damascus and Tripoli for obvious reasons of the decisions the man took against their interests.

Though some world leaders (including President Vladmir Putin) had wished him soonest recovery Trump had, for the past four years in the saddle, made a whole lot of prominent enemies for himself in particular and America in general. His programmes and policies of ‘making America great again’ has alienated old allies and diminished the global leadership role of Uncle Sam.

Many see Trump as a war-mongering misogynistic white-supremacist leader, one who manifests certain undiplomatic bravado never before seen in the US. At 74 and visibly overweight the presidential COVID-19 attack must have thrown the American presidential campaign into disarray.

If Trump dies ‘Coronally’ today then Biden, no matter whoever the Republicans might put up to take Trump’s place in the coming polls, might win easily. Though Biden leads Trump in the opinion polls a replacement for Trump could be trounced by the former Obama-era Vice- President.

While wishing President Trump speedy recovery we believe that the Corona addition to President Trump’s presidential worries could lead to more demystification of a man full of himself.

AUTHOR: SOC Okenwa…

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Articles published in our Graffiti section are strictly the opinion of the writers and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.

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