At a time when a nation was at its most vulnerable, COVID-19 was politicized in order for U.S politicians to gain leverage with their constituents, leading to historical division amongst party lines.  

Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID has been used to springboard support, playing on themes of personal responsibility and personal freedom. While vulnerable as a nation, politicians on both sides of the aisle have used the pandemic to secure party votes and also promote the division between both right and left-leaning constituents.

The political push for disagreement was high and politicians knew that, so rather than push for unity, division spiked between the parties. COVID-19 restrictions were a messy topic at the beginning of the pandemic and neither party could agree on what actions served the U.S best. 

There were many differences when it came to the response to COVID-19 and it could be seen clearly between parties. As seen in a survey done by Pew Research Center the differences between the right and left came into stark contrast. The survey concluded that right-leaning constituents were more likely to favor fewer COVID-19 restrictions than left-leaning constituents. Fifty-two percent of the right wanted fewer restrictions compared to merely seven percent of the left. 

Decisions were made based on party affiliation and the agenda each side of the aisle needed to push in order to keep their constituents’ vote. Democrats issued mandates and restrictions, which were widely accepted by their voters. The left appreciated an approach that was based heavily on fear of the virus and protection against COVID-19, while Republicans fought against lockdowns and masking pushed by the left, with an emphasis on normalcy even when the virus was still at its peak. 

President Trump tweeted in early April, just a few weeks after the initial lockdown procedures started, that certain democratic states needed to be “liberated” and that their second amendment right was under siege. At the time, his far-right supporters took that message as a call to arms and began protests inside states such as Minnesota and Illinois. The internal and now external war became even bigger because of what politicians were modeling to the American people: division and strife.

To this day, partisan allyship can be seen in the Republican response to COVID-19 as many of their political elites, even in the early months, have been seen as dismissive of the virus. In some cases, they went so far as to call it a “hoax” as Republican Sean Hannity, a Fox News anchor, did.

Republicans over Democrats were more inclined to support information, true or false, given by the news media and preferred to listen to the opinions of their party leaders. Fifty-one percent of Republicans were more likely to trust Trump regarding COVID-19 information over the CDC, while ninety-seven percent of Democrats chose the CDC over Trump, according to a 2020 Quinnipiac poll. 

The mainstream media added fuel to the fire when it came to COVID-19 politicization. Media outlets known for their extremism such as Fox News and MSNBC both had an agenda to push. Reporting on both sides promoted a heavy bias amongst Americans. The response from the people regarding this push was the feeling of moral responsibility and the need to prove their own factuality. With the support of bias in mainstream news media, the virus transitioned from a health crisis to a personal justice movement. 

In the current media, news regarding a fourth booster is on the rise. Adding a fourth booster shot has also brought about a difference in opinions, specifically when looking at left-biased news sources compared to moderately-factual news sources. 

CBS News, a left-leaning news organization, reported on Pfizer's statement about a fourth booster being “necessary” while a contradictory claim was made by The Jerusalem Post, a right-leaning news organization, saying the booster will add little protection against COVID-19. Both news organizations are known for factual reporting and being mostly objective.

The political divide in the media, politicization, and partisan influence has constantly been an issue throughout the years, yet during COVID its effect on an individual's beliefs became too great. For both parties, rather than a response rooted in science, Republicans and Democrats alike began looking to their politicians and the media to tell them what was right and wrong when it came to COVID. 

There was constant confusion during the beginning of the pandemic. It became a question of who to listen to and what information to take as fact. This struggle persisted on both sides but was seen more among Republicans who were more susceptible to misinformation. In a study done at the University of Wisconsin, right-wing media outlets were more likely to spread misinformation about COVID-19, leading to a rise in misinformed Republican constituents.

On the other side of the aisle, Democrats pushed hard for masking, social distancing, and later for the COVID-19 vaccine, with the backbone being scientific evidence. Democratic constituents took most of these laws at face value with little doubt, even if some of the claims could have been false. 

The pandemic is an independent entity with new reports being released daily and scientific research working to unpack its many hidden layers. But even as COVID-19 news consistently changed, Democratic politicians were seen ignoring the rules they set in place and even revoking mandates when the political tides shift. 

Most recently, congress revoked the house’s mask mandates merely two days before President Biden's State of the Union Address. The CDC altered its guidelines once again, stating that masks do not need to be worn in low to medium risk areas. These changes were done at the same time as numerous other Democratic states began dropping their mandates ahead of mid-term elections. These developments pose the question: Were any of these mandates rooted in politics or for the safety of the American people?

“Democrats have seen their polling numbers tank, and moved quickly to regain trust by lifting restrictions,” Brookings, South Dakota, Former City Council Member, Jael Thorpe observed.

The reversal of policy can come off as shocking, especially looking at past comments from Democratic politicians such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who called Republican House Minority Leader Kevin Mccarthy a “moron” for his mask criticism, while a year before herself, was heavily criticized for a scandal involving a maskless visit to a closed hair salon.

In a salon, security video released Pelosi was seen in the salon maskless and with wet hair, which was against the San Francisco COVID-19 safety guidelines of the time that stated salons could not provide hair washing services. Pelosi later claimed it was a set-up and said that the salon owed her an apology.

Outraged was the Republican party. Former President Donald Trump even took to Twitter to call out her hypocrisy regarding the indoor mask requirements.

For months Democrats have found loopholes in their own mandates and did so according to when it was time for their politicians to shine, such as just before Biden’s first State of the Union Address. 

Over the past two years, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. An interesting figure, each side of the aisle holds him with a different standard of trust. For many Democrats, he became a symbol of hope at the beginning of the pandemic, yet Republicans see him as a faulted scientist pushing unlawful ideas about the pandemic.

“throughout this pandemic, he’s been dishonest. He’s been political. He’s been partisan, and the American people know it,” Senator Ted Cruz said on Hannity in 2021.

The Trafalgar Group issued a nationwide survey in May of 2021. The results reveal how each party's confidence in Fauci has diminished in the past couple of years. The results are sixty-six percent of Republicans no longer trust Fauci, compared to eighty percent of Democrats who do. For Independents, forty percent now mistrust the nation's doctor.

Recently Dr. Anthony Fauci has seemingly disappeared from the media, taking most of the COVID-19 news coverage with him. 

The distrust may be due to Fauci’s contradictions at the beginning of the pandemic, Fauci was adamant, “people should not be walking around with masks.” Yet he went on to clarify that health workers should prioritize mask-wearing. After then recommending masks – two at one point – then easing up before requiring them again, Republicans pointed to this specific contradiction and continued attempts to discredit him.

Several deciding factors played into the general dysfunction and disagreement seen today. One of those is the heavy push towards country-wide mandates. Studies by Pew Research Center showed that masks were more widely accepted by people affiliated with the Democratic party and less accepted by those affiliated with the Republican party.

Their research concluded that Democrats and left-leaning Independents were twice as likely as Republicans and right-leaning Independents to enforce face masks at all times (63% vs. 29%).

In 2021, the Eastern Economic Journal published a paper examining the politicization of mask-wearing. 

“The practice of mask-wearing is significantly less in counties where then-candidate Donald Trump received strong support in the 2016 presidential election,” said author Professor Leo H Kahane.

 It became either people's belief in President Trump or their belief in scientists. People seemed to be looking up to Trump for guidance on whether mask-wearing was essential. 

“The message they were getting was that masks were not essential,” Kahane said. It was the influence of the Former President that seemingly led to many Republicans' failing to follow any mask-wearing practices. 

COVID-19 set up the political playing field perfectly for politicians to use it as a way to cement support from their constituents. At many points in history, the American people were – and are still – led to believe that they must be against one another instead of united as Americans.

The President, Joe Biden, took to the media late last year to cover COVID-19 vaccine news. While many viewed the press release well, many unvaccinated Americans were marred by the statement that a refusal to get the vaccine is “costing us all”, as over 70 million unvaccinated Americans were called out. 

Democrats and Republicans alike are willing to tear into the American people if it serves their motivations. A fact solidified by the President's March 2020 SOTU address. 

 During the pandemic, fear was a common theme in the nation. Politicians used the pandemic to their advantage, exploiting vulnerabilities when it came to managing life in the midst of a public health crisis. 

Through it all, both sides of the aisle seem to only see COVID-19 from a narrow perspective. Where before one could be respected for their political views and seen as an equal to those in the other party, this division now shapes how people view one another. The division brought into full fruition by feckless leadership and the personal agendas of politicians creates an unsafe and vulnerable nation.

Covid brought the power of personal responsibility and personal freedom to the frontlines. And while it should have been a unifier amongst the people, politicians managed to manipulate the playing field, turning what began as a public crisis into an all-out war between parties. 

Written by Isabella Janssen