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We were a little over 24 hours into October before it gave us this surprise. The news that Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpState Department revokes visa of Giuliani-linked Ukrainian ally: report White House Gift Shop selling 'Trump Defeats COVID' commemorative coin Biden says he should not have called Trump a clown in first debate MORE and the first lady have tested positive for the coronavirus shows the reach of the pandemic. It will provide another test of our national institutions. Immediate issues are raised on the continuity of government as the president is in isolation. Hopefully preparations for incapacity are unnecessary, but they have to be considered.

On the domestic front, there are matters of the campaign narrative, but the international stage also needs careful signaling. Already reshaped by the pandemic, the campaign now faces uncertainty over future debates, and the worst case scenario with incapacity of a candidate in an election with voting underway. These coming days will not only set precedents in the future of our government norms, but will also remind us of the shaky foundations on which many authorities and procedures rest.

The current concern is over the health of all those affected. Separate from politics, this is the process of tracing and testing those in contact with the president, isolating the infected, and providing the treatments needed to overcome this illness. Hopefully the lessons learned, some tragically, over the last several months of fighting this disease will assist the outcomes of those who are diagnosed in the aftermath of this situation.

Yet there are many unknowns of the coronavirus, as many of the issues discussed depend on the course of the health of the president. History showed us that leaders like Woodrow Wilson and John Kennedy did not disclose health information to the public and, in an election year, there will be concerns about transparency of the diagnosis of the president. Both candidates are in the age range considered higher risk, while the history of the president downplaying the magnitude of this crisis have created skepticism over White House statements about it.

As the president heads to Walter Reed Medical Center, there will be some disruption to the operations in the administration. But the president is still able to operate from anywhere on earth, so a few days in the hospital will hardly isolate him. Should the current situation unfortunately worsen, the 25th Amendment would be considered, which would allow the president to transfer authorities to the vice president or, should the president have incapacity, allow the transfer of authorities if the vice president as well as a majority of the cabinet declare such an incapacity exists.

Social media will allow the president to engage with the public, while the technology of the military retains the commander in chief in charge. The Constitution and our laws provide clear guidance for handling incapacity and the continuity of government. It will be important in the coming days for the vice president and military leaders to send resolute confidence in our vigilance to any potential of adversaries trying to take advantage. But the issue remains of how an administration so dependent on the whims of one man will stand up to this stress test. Will such institutions relied on by our leaders to shore up our government system be resilient?

The future of the campaign is even more uncertain. It was transformed in the pandemic, even as the president sought to return to more traditional rallies. The next debate is less than a week away and will take on a newly important narrative. Both Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris have tested negative, but will that debate take place as scheduled and will it be in person? Will future debates take place at all? Some might be relieved that a virtual debate could feature a mute button.

A greater challenge would arise should the situation worsen. The election is underway in several states with early voting and, while the parties have procedures for replacing candidates, that would have to face the various systems for ballots and voting used across the United States. It is another instance of how many terrible yet realistic events, from an incapacity of a candidate to a tragedy that impacts a significant number of the members of Congress, test the foundation of our laws and institutions.

It also reveals the perils of partisan politics in voting systems. Denigration of our methods for delivering the will of the voters during an election that is underway have set this contest on a path of declining faith. Introducing novel concepts of the power of electors into a skeptical public could lead to alarming levels of mistrust from Americans in the eventual outcome, a damaging scenario which we have been working to avoid.

The course of events will revolve around the condition of the president. Whether it can shock steady polling remains doubtful. The momentous events for 2020 have done very little to sway the tribalism of Americans. Nearly everything is viewed through partisan lenses. The same will likely be true with the health of the president and of the country.

Glenn Nye is the chief executive officer and Dan Mahaffee is senior vice president with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

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Donald Trump coronavirus news gives another test of institutions | TheHill - The Hill