Another Lost Week Ends for Trump
In life, time is money. But in politics, time is worth more than money. It’s the most valuable asset. With enough time a campaign can make adjustments, stay on message and control the narrative. A campaign running on all cylinders is in sync with the electorate and builds momentum as the election approaches.
Donald Trump and his campaign are in disarray. May could not have ended and June could not have started any worse for the President. Bunker Don crawled into a hole in the White House basement, violently removed peaceful protestors for his Lafayette Square photo op disaster and got skewered by former military leaders including General Jim Mattis, his former Secretary of Defense.
But that was a week ago. Covid-19 is not contained, the economic crises continues and the #Black Lives Matter movement has gained support from a majority of American following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
What a Week
This past week brought more chaos with the President missing every opportunity to unify a hurting nation. Yes the campaign raised more money, but President didn’t do anything to stop the bleeding.
A new Trump campaign ad attacks Joe Biden for kneeling in support of justice. Guess the ads hitting Joe Biden for being cozy with China didn’t do much good.
Without proof, Trump accused an elderly man who was pushed to the ground by Buffalo police an Antifa provocateur. This still hospitalized, peaceful protestor’s past included moving back to Buffalo to care for his aging mother.
Military leaders, including Defense Secretary Esper, were reported to be working furiously to persuade the President not to call up active military troops to “dominate” non-violent demonstrators.
Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley apologized for appearing in the Saint John’s Church bible photo op. Milley apparently almost quit over Trump’s politicizing of the military.
Former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell condemned Trump’s response to protestors and endorsed Biden.
The President opposed efforts by the military and Republican and Democratic senators to rename military bases named after Confederate generals. Meanwhile NASCAR banned any use of the rebel flag at its races.
In a first, Trump actually responded to criticism about holding a rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth. Next May Tulsa will sadly commemorate the 100th anniversary of one of the worst and deadly race riots in American history. He’ll hold the rally the next day on June 20th but attendees have to waive their right to sue if they contract Covid-19.
The Trump campaign sent a cease and desist letter to CNN after the network released a poll showing Trump down 14 points, 55% Biden to 41% Trump. The President’s team even accused CNN of attempting to suppress the vote. Trump has not led in a single poll in June — which takes into account #BLM demonstrations across the country. The Real Clear Politics average poll has Biden at 49.8% to Trump’s 41.7%.
Even Trump’s demand for West Point to hold one of the only in person graduation ceremonies in the country came with a cost to the President. Cadets were forced to return to campus and get locked into a two week quarantine so that the President could speak to them. Not a good backstory.
And so another lost week ends for the president.
There are only so many days left for the President to turn around his floundering campaign.
The November 3rd election seems like it’s a long ways away, but it is not. A handful of states begin early voting in September. Absentee ballots will start arriving during the first week of October. The voting starts in less than 100 days.
A surge in vote by mail has led to record turnout in primaries during the pandemic. Horror stories of 4–6 hour waits at the polls in Georgia and Wisconsin will only add to record number of votes cast early and by absentee ballots. Motivated voters will find safe ways to vote early.
National and battleground state polls continue to worsen for the president. Unlike in 2016, Trump is the incumbent and has a record to defend. Trump’s performances during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic collapse dealt a blow to his standing. The President’s “law and order” and “dominate the protestors” rhetoric, tone deaf at best, is out of step with an expanding majority of American’s support for #BLM and addressing systemic racism. Polling numbers have only worsened for the President since George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day.
Our recent blogs Trump’s Offense is His Worst Defense, The Basement and the Bunker & Money Can’t Buy Him Love looked into Trump’s polling troubles and suggest that the president is at risk of suffering an historic Electoral College rout.
Can’t wait to see what next week brings. Tick, tick, tick
Scott Adams is Executive Creative Director of Pollie Award Winning Green Alley Strategies, www.greenalleystrategies.com.
