Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 27, 2020 shows screens displaying U.S. President Donald Trump delivering his acceptance speech during the 2020 Republican National Convention.Photo:Xinhua

US President Donald Trump, who is still recovering from COVID-19, now faces another wave of criticism as he plans to return to the campaign trail for the presidential election on Monday, after he attended the White House's "superspreader" event amid the escalating epidemic, a move that observers said "dumbfounded the world." 

Although the outbreak at the White House and the whole country seems to be out of control, neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party has shifted focus from endless partisan war to anti-epidemic work to save people's lives, which again reflects the failure of the US political system and would further hurl the country into the abyss of a crisis, observers said. 

The remarks came after Trump last month attended a White House ceremony for a Supreme Court nominee, which was classified by the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci as a "superspreader event," since at least 11 people who attended the event later tested positive, media reported.

Chinese analysts noted that the escalating outbreak in the White House would aggravate the pressure on Trump's reelection campaign and even paralyze other national authorities in Washington.

Trump plans to return to the campaign trail on Monday, with an evening rally in the state of Florida, according to CNN. 

Trump, maskless, returned to public events on Saturday at the White House with a brief "law and order" speech.

Hours after the address, the White House released a memo from Trump's doctor saying the president was no longer at risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus, but not revealing whether he had tested negative for it.

Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday that Trump's rush to resume his campaign again reflected that he is under mounting political stress as the situation is not optimistic for him, mainly because of his failure in the anti-epidemic (???) work.

Diao asserted that Trump is highly likely to have not tested negative for COVID-19, otherwise he would publicize the "good news" clearly and immediately. "In that case, Trump finishing his medical quarantine and resuming public events are anti-science actions," Diao noted. 

Diao said that Trump is acting like a "trapped beast fighting desperately" at the risk of his own life and public safety.

"States that Trump is scheduled to go for his campaign, including Florida and Iowa, are crucial for him, and if he could not win these states, he will fail," Diao noted.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden appears to be leading Trump among likely voters in Florida and the two are locked in a tight race in Arizona, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls released on Wednesday. 

While the presidential election is approaching, the COVID-19 outbreak at the White House seems to be out of control.

US media outlet ABC News reported on Thursday that the novel coronavirus has infected "34 White House staffers and other contacts" in recent days, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previously known in the seat of US government.

"A total of 377 employees work at the White House, of whom 34 staffers and contacts have been infected, almost one-tenth, what a big shock!" Diao said, noting that the White House is at high risk of infection.

The White House and even Washington itself have turned into a "virus den" which could usher in another wave of outbreak among more officials at other national authorities and their contacts, analysts said.

Shen Yi, a professor at Shanghai-based Fudan University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the "superspreader event" is a "magic realism show", reflecting US politicians' neglect of a public health emergency at the risk of their safety. 

"If the outbreak further spreads among them, government work would be paralyzed, and they will reap what they have sown," Shen said.

"The highlight of the presidential election actually is how high a price America will have to pay to complete this transition of power," Shen said.

He noted that the "morbid" move by Trump for political gains and the long-lasting partisan war in the US amid the COVID-19 epidemic, have "dumbfounded the world," and this year's presidential election is no end to the US-style "magic realism show."