Until mid-March, Donald Trump looked nearly unbeatable to most astute political observers. The US economy was roaring and America was at peace. No President seeking re-election under such favorable circumstances has ever lost in a two-candidate race. However, when the coronavirus struck, suddenly, things looked dicey. But contrary to the anti-Trumpers, he’s well-positioned to win. Despite efforts by his foes to convince us otherwise, the Covid 19 emergency isn’t his fault. Mr. Trump, in January, closed off most travel to and from China, to America’s benefit. In doing so, he overrode the vehement objections of nearly all Democrats, the academic community, the health care bureaucracy, the media and corporate America. His prescience paid off; banning arrivals in the US from China reduced such travel by over 90 percent, and stopped more such cases from entering the United States. Voters will be reminded of that, especially since even medical experts acknowledge his pre-emptive ban saved lives.
This calamity is Trump’s equivalent of JFK’s Cuban missile crisis, and 9/11, for George W. Bush. At the outset, he was overly optimistic. But most Americans now approve of Mr. Trump’s leadership on the Coronavirus, according to polls. Voters won’t judge him on the FACT of Covid 19, but by his reaction to it. They also appreciate Trump’s prescience. For example, for decades, no other major public figure has been more skeptical of globalization than Donald Trump. He specifically warned us about China, and implored Americans to bring manufacturing back home. Long before he ever sought the presidency, he advocated greater order control, and booting out those who were illicitly on US soil. For saying such, he was wrongfully labeled a bigot. But even some Bernie Sanders fans agree with him, and now, even Mexico is protecting its border. Also, like Ronald Reagan, Trump genuinely believes that Americans are special. While some Democrats claim that that’s ethnocentric, it plays well with most voters.
Since January, Trump also banned travel from Italy, the UK, Iran, and the passport-exempt Schengen area, which is comprised of 26 nations, including many EU members. This, too, obviated Americans from exposure to foreign-inflicted cases of coronavirus. By Labor Day, most likely voters will be aware of that. Trump said he banned travel from Europe because, “the European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe.” That’s a vote-winning statement. This crisis is tailor-made for a nationalistic leader like Trump, who is making the most of it. Regardless of what many leftists think, most voters in the states which will decide this election approve of leaders who take bold steps to protect them, even if doing so offends others. The haughty, goateed president of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned Trump, saying, “The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.”
Well, okay.
(And in case you’re wondering, yes: Mr. Michel has a very punchable face).
No Democrat President would’ve unilaterally banned such travel. In so doing, Trump ignored academic models, and demands of health care bureaucrats and Congressional Democrats, who derided him as racist. But voters appreciate his having rejected the concerns of those politically correct ninnies, and taking decisive action, which placed America first and saved countless lives. If he continues to properly manage this crisis, he’ll win.
Todd Blodgett of Clear Lake served on the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan, and as an adviser to the 1988 presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush. He also worked for the Republican National Committee and the FBI.
