While the coronavirus leads to the closing of sporting events, concerts and shows, and even the daily commutes of countless Americans, it has also put the presidential campaign one ice. Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders are attempting to refit their campaigns to correspond with a situation of quarantine.

“We have a lot of things that we're moving around because of what's happening and because I want to be here [Washington D.C.]. This is the nerve center. I want to be right here. I don’t want to be flying around in airplanes all over the place,” President Trump told aides in a Wednesday meeting, according to Politico.

All three major candidates have suspended their rallies for the time being over worries about the consequences of congregating masses of people together. This puts all of them at a disadvantage, with Trump unable to hold his energizing mega-rallies, no performative show openers for Sanders, and Biden can no longer wade through a crowd, shaking hands and hugging as he pleases.

“Trump Cancels 2020 Election Over Coronavirus Concerns,” reads a headline from the satirical news site The Babylon Bee.

The virus has affected the Democratic primary in a particular way. The two-man debate that was intended to be partially audience Q&A and held in Arizona, will now be held with no live audience and in Washington D.C. Former Vice President Biden had taken a substantial lead recently, with most reporting him as the prohibitive nominee, but taking advantage of the new situation is Senator Bernie Sanders, who hopes to illustrate why his Medicare for All plan is the answer to the pandemic. You can expect the coronavirus to dominate the discussion between the two men.

While the Democratic primary is widely expected to end officially within a week, the November general election is still almost eight months away. There are predictions by some experts that the coronavirus pandemic could be active for another three to six months, defining not only the campaign season but all of 2020.

If the worst-case scenario occurs, America will be treated to his first digital campaign. Candidates will have to shift towards primarily online advertisements, along with wholly digital fundraising. Door-knocking, the grassroots foundation of any successful campaign strategy, might become a dangerous vocation. Both Sanders and Biden have released their national staffs to work from home, while the Trump campaign has given a few days off for their staff in Arlington, Virginia.

Donald Trump’s reelection prospects will ride heavily on his response to the outbreak, which already has been considered inadequate. Republicans suffered enormous losses in the 2006 midterms after George W. Bush was seen to have flubbed the national response to Hurricane Katrina, while Barack Obama’s successful handling of Hurricane Sandy days before the 2012 general helped seal his reelection.

Meanwhile, as Donald Trump remains in Washington and tries to regain control, Joe Biden will pitch himself as a return to stable leadership with a plan, or Bernie Sanders will say he has the medical solutions Americans need.

Hunter DeRensis is the senior reporter for the National Interest. Follow him on Twitter @HunterDeRensis.