Trump Quickly Secured as Republican Presidential Candidate... 'Red Light for Reelection Path Due to COVID-19'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has been confirmed as the Republican presidential candidate for the next election.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 17th (local time), President Trump secured all the delegates needed for the presidential nomination by winning the primaries in Florida and Illinois. Having already secured 1,141 delegates, President Trump gained additional victories in the primaries, holding more than the 1,276 delegates required for the presidential nomination.

In the Republican presidential primary, a landslide victory was expected as no significant challengers emerged against President Trump. He competed against Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts, and Joe Walsh, former Republican Congressman. Walsh withdrew, and Weld secured only one delegate in Iowa. In fact, President Trump secured the presidential nomination delegates at the earliest possible stage under the Republican primary system. So far, President Trump has achieved nearly 90% of the vote in state-level primaries.

A spokesperson for President Trump's campaign said, "The election results show how much support President Trump has and how united Republicans are around him."

American political scientist Josh Putnam said, "Under normal circumstances, finishing the presidential primary early would be a great advantage," but added, "the lives of Americans have changed drastically due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)."

In fact, there is analysis within the United States that the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a red light on President Trump's path to re-election. It is expected that not only the response to COVID-19 but also the worsening economic situation in the U.S. due to the pandemic will be adverse factors. How well the COVID-19 response is handled will serve as a turning point for re-election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.