On the cold winter morning of January 20th, 2017 with the words, “…And that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, so help me God.”, America inaugurated its 45th President. I watched the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump live on my television screen. As most of the world watched in horror at what America had just elected, I was less horrified and more amused as I bore witness to this historic moment. A businessman turned politician with zero experience in government as POTUS, as opposed to a former Secretary of State, former Senator, and former First Lady? Sure, why not? What could possibly go wrong?
Along with most political pundits and foreign policy experts from around the world, I agreed with their assessment that the pressures of the Presidency and everyday governing would produce a different Donald Trump from what we all saw during the campaign.
The whole world couldn’t have been more wrong. President Trump continues to be as unhinged as ever, if not more so.
Trump 2020?
The US presidential election is being shaped by the two crises that have defined 2020 so far: the coronavirus pandemic and the national reckoning over police brutality and racism.
An Unpopular President
Trump has been consistently unpopular as president with a majority of Americans; his advisers have long seen his effort to win a new term as depending on the loyalty of his conservative base and the Republican-friendly tilt of the Electoral College — factors that could allow the president to capture another thin victory despite the strong possibility of losing the popular vote again.
But amid the human and economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and now a wave of demonstrations and social unrest in American cities, Trump has fallen significantly behind his Democratic challenger, former Vice President, Joe Biden. [1]
An Erratic Leader
Trump is a leader who is obsessed with public perception. After all, he was a reality TV star. He has a fondness for both praising himself and blaming others. Trump is so obsessed with his image that he worries about any sign of weakness or change in his image – whether that is wearing a mask, bragging about his mental fitness and superiority, or his constant need for validation from mass packed rallies filled with adoring and cheering crowds.
As President of the United States, your words can move markets and start wars. Trump never really understood the gravity of the office he was elected to.
Isolated in an ever-connected world
Throughout his time in office, Trump has been mocked by world leaders for his ignorance on foreign policy and his unorganized, off the cuff bizarre remarks. President Trump has followed a brazen policy of ‘America First’ which has inadvertently led to American disengagement in world affairs.
From walking away from the Paris Climate Accords and the nuclear deal with Iran to the recent withdrawal from the World Health Organisation in the midst of a pandemic, Trump’s America and for that matter, Trump himself, has grown more and more isolated on the world stage.
With his ‘America First’ policy, Trump may claim he has brought jobs back to America, but his disregard for how ingrained globalization has become has left America alone and unprepared for the future, as traditional American allies increasingly distance themselves from Trump.
The Coronavirus
Trump’s re-election campaign was shattered by the outbreak of COVID-19. The severity of the outbreak was questioned by the Trump administration in the early months of 2020, leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths as the federal government fumbled to coordinate a response strategy as the number of cases started rising. Trump delayed imposing lockdowns, distributing PPE’s and testing, which led to the US death toll increasing exponentially. He quickly found himself awash with criticism.
As is routine with Trump, he quickly looked for someone to pin the blame on and adopted an aggressive position on China. Trump accused China of having manufactured the virus and of being heavily involved in the global outbreak of the virus.
COVID-19 has infected millions of Americans and killed more than 150,000 while causing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
The response to the pandemic was a bewildering government failure. There was a complete and total lack of coordination between different parts of the government. This incoherent response was defined by swathes of misinformation, often coming from high-ranking officials in the White House or from the man himself.
Trump repeatedly suggested that his administration had coronavirus “under control” and that the virus will “magically disappear” while incorrectly claiming hydroxychloroquine was an effective drug against the coronavirus. This misinformation campaign turned out to be downright dangerous when Trump suggested injecting disinfectants!
Trump has publicly claimed “no responsibility at all” for testing and contact-tracing and shifted the responsibility onto the states, instead of coordinating a nationwide strategy to tackle the virus. Governors have had to arrange for ventilators and PPE for hospitals, with little or no assistance from the centre. Trump has consistently refuted and gone against the advice of his own public health officials. As doctors and experts emphasized widespread testing, Trump complained that testing inflated coronavirus numbers, and suggested that the testing rate be slowed down.
Downplaying the COVID threat did not solve the problem. Trump’s reluctance to wearing a mask and pressurizing governors to reopen their states and, more recently, to reopen schools in the fall, has only made things objectively worse.
With every disaster, there is an opportunity for a leader to rise above the political partisanship and incessant blame game to unite the country, heal the divisions, and effectively act as President of the United States.
Trump has failed to be a unifying force for both the issues, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the anti-racism protests. In fact, he has further deepened divisions.
The Tanking Economy
Trump is also presiding over the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
More than 41 million Americans are jobless. In the coming weeks, temporary eviction moratoriums are set to end in half of the states. One-fifth of Americans missed rent payments this month. Extra unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of July. [2]
Trump’s approval ratings were already dangerously low for an incumbent president seeking re-election. Now with total numbers of unemployed higher than during the 2008-09 recession, Trump has lost his main chest-thumping point – the economy.
Trump’s re-election hopes rest on a swift economic recovery, but that is unlikely while infections continue to surge, driven by attempts to reopen too quickly. [3]
Race Relations
The wave of Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis has damaged not just Trump’s electoral prospects, but the political order he represents.
Public opinion solidified in support of the large, multiracial protests. The widespread support that rapidly emerged in favour of the protesters, people of all races and ages who took to the streets to take a stand against racism in America, was inspiring. President Trump tried to paint them as an angry and radical minority, but in fact these protests have changed minds, including white minds, about the systemic nature of racism in the United States.
Trump has floundered in response to the protests. Trump’s remarks to the nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd were tone-deaf and devoid of any kind of sympathy, and failed to resonate with the large majority of Americans.
In response to the protests, Trump positioned himself as the “law and order” candidate and responded with an aggressive show of military force to quell the unrest.
Politically, this was a disaster. In the days that followed, Trump’s approval ratings tumbled to their lowest point in over a year, and their lowest point of the coronavirus pandemic, according to FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker. [4]
With stories of everyday police brutality and excessive use of force saturating the media, Trump’s strongman performance did almost nothing to turn public opinion against the demonstrations. Instead, it likely backfired.
Trump faced heavy domestic and international criticism again over his poor response. Even Twitter stepped in to censor some of the President’s posts glorifying violence and threatening to shoot looters and attacking White House protestors with dogs.
Yet Trump seems to be persistent on using force, by dispatching federal troops to cities like Portland, Chicago, and even Albuquerque to tackle protesters who, for the most part, have been protesting peacefully for more than a month.
Conclusion
The triple threat of COVID, the economy and protests against racism have made Trump’s reelection that much harder. But the dynamic is the same as it ever was.
By having no constructive or structured response to any of the monumental crises now threatening America and Americans, Trump has failed massively.
Trump’s nonfeasance goes far beyond an absence of leadership or inattention to traditional norms and roles. In a time of national trauma, he has relinquished the core duties and responsibilities of the presidency. [5] [6]
Article by-
Prithwijit Banerjee,
Editor-in-chief, For the Record,
PES MUN Society
Lovely Article!!!!!