This week has been the worst week of Donald Trump's presidency. Tony Burman writes:
The announcement early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive was shocking, but it was not surprising.
For months, Trump has been reckless, even criminally negligent, about the threat of the pandemic, and U.S. public health experts have estimated this lack of leadership has led to tens of thousands of avoidable American deaths.
But it is ironic this latest blow to his election campaign came only two days after one of his most dismal public performances as president.
Burman believes that his debate performance provides a clear signal that Trump knows he's going to lose the election:
Trump knows by now that he will lose November’s election, probably by a wide margin. With the death toll from the pandemic at more than 200,000 Americans and an economy that has collapsed, voters are clearly turning against him, including in the key battleground states.
And Trump, however delusional that he often appears to be, must know that.
Faced with defeat, he has concluded that he is going to take American democracy down with him:
Trump no longer appears to see Democratic challenger Joe Biden as his primary rival. To him, Biden is mere roadkill along the way to a more crucial target.
As four years of Trump’s presidency have revealed, he sees America’s multicultural democracy — and all the institutions that support it — as his enemy.
In other words, no less than American democracy is in Trump’s crosshairs.
As a friend of mine likes to say, Mr. Trump is a Weapon Of Mass Destruction.
Image: Modern War Institute
6 comments:
I'm not convinced that Trump will lose the election. Like 4 years ago, he doesn't need to be leading in the popular vote to win the election, so the polls don't actually mean much. Furthermore, even if he loses, somehow he'll get the results into the Supreme Court, where the outcome will be overturned in his favour.
On another related matter, it somewhat sickens me to hear all the well wishers wish him a speedy recovery. Trump is a vile man, and while I don't like to see anybody die, I don't wish him well.
GDN
I'm making no predictions about the election, Gordie. There are a lot of Americans who identify with Trump. If he goes down, they'll be furious. Dealing with them will not be easy.
I wish pundits would stop framing this as "Trump has democracy in his crosshairs." The Republican party as a whole has been on a decades-long project to subvert democracy, to put their big donors and themselves above the law.
Stacking the courts with party ideologues is an important part of this project. It allows highly reactionary, anti-democratic policies to be implemented by judges who face no electoral consequences.
This election is about more than just Trump. Republican party candidates need to be rejected up and down the ticket.
Cap
I agree, Cap. The Republicans have enabled Trump. And they should go down with him.
By the time this is over we may all feel like we've been on a two week sun'n fun to Bikini atoll.
Trump's legacy will be complete destruction -- or nearly complete destruction, Mound.
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