An ailing Franklin D. Roosevelt won the election in 1944 while claiming to be in the pink—and died three months into his new term. But whereas Roosevelt sought to underplay his sickness, Donald Trump has gone overboard in claiming to have not merely survived the coronavirus, but vanquished it.
Over 210,000 Americans have died of the virus, which Mr Trump downplayed long before he claimed to have conquered it. The incumbent now faces three main obstacles to making up ground in the presidential race: his own health, the health of his aides and the pandemic-stricken economy.
The incumbent now faces three main obstacles to making up ground in the presidential race: his own health, the health of his aides and the pandemic-stricken economy.