President Trump’s 2020 is certainly unlike what he expected. His greatest campaign strength is holding rallies and igniting the excitement of those in the Republican base. But COVID-19 has interrupted those plans as we have seen with his sparsely attended Tulsa rally, and now, he has canceled the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. Because his greatest assets, personal appearances and casual speech-making, have been removed or modified, the Trump team must rely on messaging. Since the landscape has changed, voters will assess whether the president has adequately addressed the multifaceted chaos that is present in their own communities and across the nation as a whole.

The unrest has greatly affected the presidential candidates. Both former Vice President Joe Biden and Trump have been forced to address the issues in ways that make them appear the most capable in dealing with them. There is not only ongoing stress from dealing with a pandemic but continued protesting and rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers in May. As it does during any election cycle, the current turmoil is always worse for the incumbent. While their opponent can talk about how they would deal with a number of situations, the current officeholder must show that they are actively doing that.