With the U.S. presidential election now just 97 days away, President Donald Trump's challenger Joe Biden is expected to name his running mate soon. Will Biden's vice presidential candidate, who is widely speculated to be a woman and perhaps of African descent, trigger new controversies or strengthen Biden's advantage remains to be seen.
The first of the three televised presidential debates will be held on September 29. Biden is leading in the national polls. But whether his performance in the debates can meet American expectations also remains to be seen.
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic plays a key role in the November 3 election. The Trump administration's weak prevention and control performance led him to lag behind Biden in the polls.
While Trump's critics hope Biden will bring the country back to normal, which led to his surging support in the polls, will that turn into votes?
For some groups, the epidemic has curbed their willingness to vote. Biden needs to stimulate voters to turn up to translate his advantage in polls into real votes. If the voter turnout drops, it might be to Trump's advantage.
In 97 days, there could be all kinds of changes in a volatile election situation that have been changing rapidly.
(The author is a research fellow of the National Academy of Development and Strategy of Renmin University)
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
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