Trump campaign postmortem reveals failed leadership on COVID ultimately cost him the election

Former President Donald Trump's election loss was largely due to his failed handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to The Washington Post, Tony Fabrizio, a pollster for the Trump campaign, recently completed a 27-page analysis with a full overview of the 2020 presidential election. The campaign autopsy breaks down everything that led to Trump's defeat.

The publication focused on several states, many of which heavily influenced the outcome of the election, including: "Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas." Fabrizio noted where voters in those states stood on the importance of mask mandates.

According to Fabrizio's assessment, a staggering 75% of voters in those states actually supported masks, a mitigation component for coronavirus that Trump opposed, widely condemned and even mocked on multiple occasions:

"Voters in the states overwhelmingly supported a mask mandate — 75 percent — and Anthony S. Fauci, the country's top infectious-disease specialist, secured an approval rating almost as high. Trump did not support a mask mandate — sometimes mocking the wearing of masks — and regularly criticized Fauci, threatening to fire him at times."

Behind closed doors, many of Trump's advisors urged him to tone down his rhetoric and change his stance on mask-wearing. The president was also urged to refrain from publicly attacking the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, but to no avail. The publication also recalled Trump's seemingly mocking stance toward the pandemic and public health officials' efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus.

"Advisers repeatedly encouraged Trump to wear a mask, stop attacking Fauci and signal to the public that he was taking the coronavirus more seriously, particularly after he was hospitalized and given an experimental drug," The Post wrote, adding, "Trump was largely resistant and mocked the virus down the stretch, sarcastically saying "Covid, covid, covid" at his rallies and falsely predicting the virus would leave the news after the election. More than 400,000 people have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus."

Fabrizio's assessment also highlighted the greatest demographical loss Trump suffered ahead of the presidential election. White voters and those over the age of 65, who made up a substantial part of his base, also distanced from Trump. "POTUS suffered his greatest erosion with White voters, particularly White Men in both state groups," the analysis reads. "However, he made double-digit gains with Hispanics in both groups, while his performance among Blacks was virtually the same as 2016. POTUS lost ground with almost every age group in both state groupings."

While Trump still insists the election was stolen from him, Fabrizio's assemsnet says otherwise.