Editor's note:
Pedro Brieger is an Argentine journalist and sociologist, author of several books on international issues and contributor to publications in different countries.
He is a professor of Sociology at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
He is the director of Nodal, a portal dedicated to news from Latin America and the Caribbean.
He is a TV columnist on the Argentine channel C5N, in the program “En la frontera”, by Público TV (Spain) and in programs on the Argentine stations Radio 10, La Red, La Tribu and LT9-Santa Fe. Throughout his career, Brieger has won important awards for his informative work on radio and television in Argentina.
His Twitter account is @PedroBriegerOk.
The opinions expressed in this column belong exclusively to the author.
See more op-ed articles at CNNE.com/opinion.
(CNN Spanish) -
The health of President Donald Trump is the central theme of the last stretch of the electoral campaign towards the November 3 elections.
As expected, all kinds of versions circulate regarding his state of health, which allow the development of conspiracy theories of all kinds, fueled by the contradictory statements of the White House and the medical personnel who treat him.
This is how we find those who think - without any evidence - that they have not been infected with the coronavirus and that this is nothing more than a crude electoral maneuver, or those who believe that it is more serious than it says.
It must also be said that -beyond Trump's personal characteristics- several US presidents had serious health problems in the past and the public opinion was also hidden and misinformed.
The big question, which has no answer, is this situation if it benefits you to add votes;
either because it victimizes him or because he quickly overcomes the disease.
While it is important to know what happens to the president's health due to the political consequences it has, it is no less true that Trump regained center stage on election days.
In politics, it's about getting attention - and keeping it - at all costs.
It can be done in a subtle or elegant way, manipulating facts and data, or in an unbridled Trump-style way that can say something one day and the opposite the next.
Since it was announced that he had contracted covid-19, the world - literally - does not stop talking about Trump.
It has certainly made headlines.
Days after leaving the hospital, he said that getting infected was a hidden blessing from God.
In this way he tries to make a virtue of his illness.
Will it be enough to win the elections?