Trump has treated the coronavirus pandemic like a Democratic problem – now it’s reaching his supporters

New research suggests the coronavirus is spreading to Trump country. Will that change the way red states view the pandemic? Richard Hall reports

Demonstrators hold a "rolling car rally" in front of Democratic Governor Ned Lamont's residence while protesting the state's stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus pandemic (Getty Images)

When the coronavirus arrived in the United States, it hit the coastal cities first. It came to Seattle in the west, then New York in the east. San Francisco and Boston followed soon after.

The virus followed no direction besides its own instinct to survive, but in doing so it followed a familiar path. Clusters formed around large urban centres. Death rates were higher among minorities and the poor. The virus took on a political dimension: it was Democratic-leaning, metropolitan areas that were being overwhelmed.

The virus was killing Americans, but it is hard to escape the impression that many viewed it as a blue state problem. That came from the very top. Donald Trump sought to characterise the threat of the virus in partisan terms because it happened to be located in Democratic states. He called criticism from Democratic lawmakers of his administration's slow response to the outbreak “their new hoax.” He publicly squabbled with Democratic governors calling for help from to acquire badly needed medical supplies, and said it was “not fair for Republicans” to “bailout” blue states impacted economically by the virus. He railed against lockdown orders put in place by Democrats in the battleground states of Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia — despite those states following the advice given by his administration’s public health experts.