Donald Trump is the Luckiest Man In Politics
Newspapers like The New York Times and The Boston Globe want President Joe Biden to drop out. The incumbent now has an approval rating under 37 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight. And some polls show Donald Trump leading in states like New Hampshire and even New Jersey. It's thanks to the fallout from Biden's terrible CNN debate performance on June 27th, where his voice sounded awful, and the American people saw his inability to think and speak coherently.
If you're Trump, this Biden disaster is a gift. Much of the country's focus is now on Biden's incompetency rather than Trump's shortcomings. Biden lost the debate more than Trump won it. Trump also performed poorly—not that it matters since he can string together coherent sentences. During the debate, Trump defended his support for imposing a blanket 10 percent tariff on all imports to the United States. That's an insane policy position that’ll hurt the American people. Think of it as a 10 percent national sales tax on all imported goods. Tariffs are a regressive tax. Foreign companies may eat a little of the cost, but not all of it. When you're running for president, and one of the big issues is inflation, why would someone propose a policy that intentionally makes foreign goods more expensive? Rising costs are one of the biggest concerns for the American people, so why raise taxes on them so they have even less money to spend?
Contrast that with his purported support for more generous corporate tax cuts. Corporations were the biggest benefactors of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Many Americans also got temporary tax cuts, set to expire in 2025, but the bill provided permanent cuts for big business. That's a terrible look for a candidate. Cutting taxes for big business while raising them on the little guy is not what most Americans want. Late in the debate, Trump ignored the moderators' questions and used his time to attack Biden. We heard more about golf than childcare. Trump's answer on childcare was that Biden is the worst president in American history. I agree Biden’s a lousy president, but millions of American families struggle with high childcare costs.
Trump also dodged a question about the opioid epidemic. Opioid deaths continue rising in the United States, with fentanyl the biggest culprit. Most people likely know someone who struggles with substance abuse, so it's an important topic. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for American adults under the age of 50. Ideally, a presidential candidate might act like he cares as the American people continue burying their friends and relatives whose deaths are a direct result of substance abuse and the drug epidemic. We know Biden’s lost his marbles, but you know what’s worse? Seeing your loved ones die from drug overdose deaths. Along with avoiding the environmental question, Trump punted on opportunities to appeal to younger Americans. Trump’s lucky Biden's performance overshadowed everything else. People are more likely to remember Trump for having the best line in the debate when he said, "I don't know what he said at the end of that sentence, I don't think he knows either."
As tempting as it is for right-wingers to attack Biden and call on him to drop out, why do the second part? The Federalist recently ran a piece calling to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office. Why? Why not let the weak incumbent run? Why push for the Democrats to run a more competent candidate? Do you want to increase the odds of having a liberal president in 2025? Biden won a Democratic primary overwhelmingly, running against a sitting Congressman and a woman who the media considered a major Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 primary. He also forced a Kennedy to drop out of the primary and kicked Ceasefire's ass.
Biden’s the man the Democratic Party voted to have as its nominee this year. Since the Democratic Party constantly invokes saving democracy—and contends that democracy is on the ballot in 2024—it should respect, honor, and revere democracy. The Party also changed the order of states in its primary to ensure non-white voters had a greater say in helping determine the party's nominee. Whether one agrees with that decision or not, overriding the will of the people of South Carolina would indicate Democrats weren’t serious about wanting more representation for minorities in their party.
Trump should enjoy the Biden debacle as long as it lasts and avoid doing anything that may knock it out of the news cycle. It's only early-July, but what a great gift for a controversial and unpopular figure like Trump. If he's lucky, this intense Biden mental competency discourse will extend until November.