survey
The November 3 presidential election is in the United States. Which winner would you guess?
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In the eyes of many critics, the US President has not responded adequately to the global virus crisis. He tweeted them away until March, later he wanted to take “no responsibility” for failing to test for the corona virus. “We are doing an excellent job in coping with the crisis,” he says again and again, and then dares to prove that he has been proven to be wrong, saying that there is more testing in the USA than in any other country in the world. Trump’s statements often have to be correct Anthony Fauci, chief virologist for the United States.
It is due to the rally around the flag effect
And yet: A majority of Americans support US President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. From a poll published by opinion polling institute Gallup this week, 49 percent of those surveyed found that Trump was doing a good job. Other institutions come to similar results.
What looks strange from a European perspective is explained by US expert Josef Braml * with the “rally around the flag” effect, a patriotic collective movement around the president and patron saint in view of the national health threat. Every US president of the past seven decades has benefited from such events.
This effect could even be useful to Trump in the election year, Braml says to 20 minutes. “In fact, it is impressive to see the speed at which several aid programs, even a comprehensive package of measures worth two trillion dollars, were brought through Congress,” said Braml.
A change in mood is not excluded
In view of the national threat and the uncertain, patriotically charged mood, criticism and control of the legislature are not to be expected. But: “There is a risk that Trump will also use the crisis in other policy areas, because his authoritarian behavior could be approved by even more Americans and could be considered right.”
But Braml also raises concerns: “A worsening of the corona epidemic and the uncertainties of the US economy and, last but not least, Trump’s unprofessional crisis management could change the mood, dampen the experimental mood of the Americans and play into the steady Joe Biden.”
Biden criticizes from home
According to Braml, the democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden stands for consistency and reliability – “qualities that could help him win the election in the main election against the erratic and unpredictable Donald Trump.”
Biden, the former Vice President of Barack Obama, repeatedly criticizes the US President’s crisis management – from home. He canceled all campaign events because of the virus crisis, and the Democratic primary is currently pausing.
“So that’s the best Democrat man?”
In a live interview with CNN from his living room last week, however, he made a very unfortunate figure: he coughed several times, had to be warned by the moderator that in these times one should cough in the elbow and looked agile and unfocused.
Since then, ridicule and malice have poured out over the 77-year-old. “So this is the best man in the Democrats?” Trump tweeted his 75 million followers.
It remains to be seen whether Trump can maintain his triumphant tone until the presidential election in November. The decisive factor in this unprecedented crisis is likely to be rising deaths and economic development.
* Dr. Josef Braml is an USA expert at the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP) and author of the book “Trumps America – At the Cost of Freedom”. He also publishes current analyzes on his blog «usaexperte.com».
(gux)
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