This week, US President Donald Trump seemed to change his attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic, admitting the seriousness of the situation, and the necessity of social distancing for the next few months.

Dr Trevor McCrisken, who specialises in US politics and culture, comments:

“It seems the weight of medical and scientific evidence -- coupled with personal contacts, as he has friends who are infected -- have made Trump more convinced of the gravity of the situation.

“Polling also suggests public support for him is up a bit. He remains very worried about the economic impact wrecking his re-election, but it’s a fine balance between that and the interest in keeping down numbers of deaths.”

2 April 2020

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