Trump’s heading for a fall? Now that is Fake News!
YOU ARE unhappy about the way the media do the news? Well I’ll be talking about the biggest fake news scandal of the last decade. It feels like 2016 all over again. Poll after poll is released by broadcasters like CNN and other anti-trump media outlets (all using questionable methods) saying the US election is all but over. But all is not as it seems.
The President himself last week tweeted a poll published by the Sunday Express showing he’s actually ahead in the key swing states. Not only was this a feather in the cap for this newspaper, but an indication once again that mainstream broadcasters have got it wrong. You might even call it Fake News.
This is a tough year for any incumbent government and it is easy for opposition parties to attack their record on handling the Covid crisis. We see it here in the UK with Sir Keir Starmer attacking the Prime Minister every week and he now leads in some opinion polls. It is the same in the USA, and this has been the issue that Joe Biden has pushed hardest on.
The shock news that the President, First Lady and many White House staffers received a positive diagnosis looked initially to be a blow to the campaign. Yet, in true Hollywood style, Trump has dramatically recovered and returned to the Oval Office. He is taking ownership of the issue and putting a positive message that just as he has recovered, the USA will too.
It is an optimistic pitch that says we must stop hiding away, closing down the economy. We must get on with the rest of our lives. There are echoes of President Roosevelt in 1933 who famously said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. In a land based on hard work, free-market capitalism and a much smaller welfare state than here, it is resonating with many people.
As a strong supporter and friend of Trump, I must confirm that the first Presidential debate was not a whole-hearted success. However, there was one key area where Joe Biden looked weak and Trump very strong.
The BLM and Antifa protests in American cities have degenerated into rioting, looting and violence. Their campaign is more about bringing down capitalism and spreading an anti-police message than it is about racial equality in American society. While I accept that Covid-19 will be the dominant question, the safety of people living their lives is more important in the USA today than ever.
On this, Trump has the support of the police and will continue to reach out to suburban American voters pointing out that Biden will not be able to control the radical left in his own party. When questioned about the extreme Antifa group, Biden could only say that they were an idea and not an organisation. This is simply not true and he is on very weak ground. This is a very powerful issue that I think is currently being underestimated by established pollsters in terms of the questions they ask.
Trump is not the outsider anymore, not the gunslinger from New York but President, defending his record. Perhaps in the first debate with Biden he looked a little too much like the insurgent. He doesn’t need to do that as there is a strong record to defend. Indeed, in Mike Pence’s debate with democratic VP nominee Kamala Harris he did a very good job in doing just that.
In economic terms, prior to the Covid outbreak, America was doing very well. Wages were rising for ordinary families and the Trump tax cuts had put more money in their pockets.
When I met the President on February 29 this year he was riding high, with many predicting a landslide. Voters will ask themselves in the next few weeks who is best placed to rebuild the economy post Covid, and in in my view, Trump wins on that question. His foreign policy achievements should be a big part of his pitch to voters, too.
UWhether you like Trump’s style or not, one thing is certain: this is the most pro-British president in years
NDER HIM there have been no more endless wars and a remarkable series of agreements are now being signed between Israel and a number of Arab states. In 2016, Trump made the people a series of promises and, in the main, has kept them. That is refreshing for a Western democracy today.
Whether you like Trump’s style or not, one thing is certain: he is the most pro-british President for many years. By contrast, Joe Biden was Obama’s deputy when he said Britain would be back of the queue if we dared to vote for Brexit.
He is keener on the relationship with Ireland than he is with us, sees Brexit as a mistake and I do not see any prospect of a free trade deal with the USA under President Joe Biden. The special relationship vital for post-brexit Britain will only be safe in Trump’s hands.
Back in 2016, I stuck my neck out, backed the Trump campaign and predicted he would win. This was treated with much hilarity by the great and the good. I think those same people are in for another shock on November 3.