10 MOMENTS THAT DEFINED THE 2020 CAMPAIGN

The 2020 US presidential election was always expected to be a dramatic and eventful ride. But nobody predicted a global pandemic that would upend every facet of the campaign

TRUMP ACQUITTED February 5, 2020

At the beginning of the year, things were looking up for the Republican president. Trump’s Senate impeachment trial ended with him cleared on two charges brought by Democrats. The fallout from the Mueller Report was no longer hanging over his head. The economy was roaring — and prospects for his re-election looked relatively strong. After years of strife, the moment offered him a chance for a reset. But even as things looked rosier for the president, cases of Covid-19 were beginning to circulate in California and the Pacific Northwest

BIDEN WINS SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY February 29, 2020

After disappointing finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Joe Biden’s presidential bid looked cooked. But his campaign aides asserted that things would turn around as soon as African Americans began voting in large numbers — and they were right. Biden blew the field away in South Carolina, causing several rivals to drop out immediately and setting the stage for a stunning run that sewed up the Democratic nomination. Biden would perhaps prove to be the one Democrat best suited to pull moderate voters in the Midwest away from Trump

TRUMP DELIVERS CORONAVIRUS ADDRESS March 11, 2020

After weeks of downplaying the coronavirus threat and with cases skyrocketing in the country, Trump delivered a rare national address from the Oval Office in an attempt to reassure a jittery public. Two days later, he would declare a national emergency. The virus would reshape American life, closing schools, businesses and restaurants, trapping millions at home and becoming the dominant issue of the 2020 election. It would also keep Trump — and Biden even more so — off the campaign trail for months

SANDERS DROPS OUT April 8, 2020

Trailing Biden badly in delegates and with the virus outbreak paralysing the nation, Bernie Sanders became the final rival for the Democratic nomination to drop out of the race. He would endorse Biden a few days later, ensuring that the party would not be riven by discord as it was four years earlier when Sanders refused to concede to Hillary Clinton until the party’s national convention. Sanders’ move allowed Biden to turn his focus squarely to the general election with nearly seven months to go. Biden worked to make Sanders’ supporters feel welcome, establishing a series of policy working groups

TRUMP’S ‘BLEACH’ MOMENT April 23, 2020

With the death toll from the pandemic nearing 50,000, Trump at one of his daily virus briefings spontaneously suggested that injecting disinfectants such as bleach into the human body could eliminate the virus. Public health experts quickly warned the public that doing so would be toxic, and Trump later claimed he was being sarcastic. The resulting furore was a factor in his deciding, days later, to suspend the briefings entirely, even though opinion polls in April had shown an uptick in public approval of his handling of the crisis

PROTESTERS GASSED OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE June 1, 2020

Washington was one of several cities convulsed by largely peaceful protests in the wake of the death on May 25 of George Floyd, a Black man, under the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman. On June 1, Trump gave an address at the White House invoking the “law and order” theme he would employ during the rest of his campaign. Police and National Guard troops then used pepper spray to clear the park outside the White House of protesters so that Trump could walk to historic St. John’s Church and pose for a photo holding up a Bible. The melee became an image that would haunt Trump

HARRIS JOINS BIDEN’S TICKET August 11, 2020

Biden tapping Senator Kamala Harris of California, a former rival for the nomination, as his running mate didn’t come as a surprise. Harris had been the favourite all along. But she swiftly proved herself to be everything Biden needed, giving him a practised and polished campaign partner and energising the Democratic base. She also brought her own fundraising prowess to bear, with contributions to Biden’s campaign reaching stratospheric levels once she was in the fold

JUSTICE GINSBURG DIES September 18, 2020

The worst fears of liberals came true as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg succumbed to cancer less than two months before the Nov. 3 election. Trump did not hesitate to fill her Supreme Court slot, nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the court and likely ensuring a conservative majority for years to come. The move gave conservatives a reason to cheer in what had been a challenging year for Trump. But it also galvanised Democrats, particularly women, while allowing the Biden campaign’s warnings of threats to the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights to be thrown into stark relief

THE FIRST TRUMP-BIDEN DEBATE September 29, 2020

Needing something to turn his fortunes around, Trump came into his first debate with Biden looking for a fight. But his belligerence worked against him. He repeatedly interrupted Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, to the point where the entire event veered out of control. He attacked Biden’s family. Polls and focus groups conducted later showed swing voters were repulsed by his behaviour. Trump would later drop out of the second debate after it was switched to a virtual format in the wake of his Covid-19 diagnosis. He then adopted a more restrained tone for the final face-off with Biden on October 22

TRUMP GETS COVID-19 October 2, 2020

After weeks of holding in-person rallies in which safety measures against the spread of the coronavirus were largely ignored, Trump and several aides tested positive for the disease. A short illness and quarantine period kept him off the campaign trail for 10 days. The bigger damage, however, may have been to the president’s image. With Trump already faulted by a majority of Americans for his handling of the pandemic, his diagnosis made the White House look bumbling and hypocritical. And it ensured the virus would remain the central issue of the campaign just weeks before Election Day. —