The Case For Trump

US President Donald Trump, despite his numerous and well-documented faults, is by far a better choice than former vice-president Joe Biden in 2020. If the election were strictly a referendum on Trump, the answer might be quite different, and the Democrats would understandably want to portray the ele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The National interest 2020-09 (169), p.5-14
Main Author: Simes, Dimitri K.
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Alliances
Candidates
Cold War
Coordination
Elections
Foreign policy
Governors
Leadership
Mayors
Pandemics
Police brutality
Political aspects
Political campaigns
Politics
Presidential elections
Presidents
Referendums
Riots
State elections
The Realist
Trump, Donald J
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Summary:US President Donald Trump, despite his numerous and well-documented faults, is by far a better choice than former vice-president Joe Biden in 2020. If the election were strictly a referendum on Trump, the answer might be quite different, and the Democrats would understandably want to portray the election as a referendum on a controversial and unpopular president. But as with most presidential elections, there are really only two candidates. The election is not only about what the incumbent president has done, but also about the actions of the opposition--in this case, the Democrats--to checkmate his efforts. First, a word on Trump's own record: he clearly has mishandled the greatest current challenge to the US, namely, the coronavirus pandemic. His response to the crisis has been, at best, erratic, and, at worst, a mixture of self-delusion and a search for personal political benefit. Many thousands of people have died needlessly because the president was unwilling and unable to form an effective response to the pandemic--a challenge that required a disciplined and deliberate analysis, the right balance between medical and economic considerations, and skillful federal leadership in coordination with governors and mayors.
ISSN:0884-9382
1938-1573