Brian M Downing
Two weeks ago Americans were focusing on the primaries and fall election. The issues were climate change, healthcare, inequality, and immigration. Now, primaries are being postponed, the election is on the back burner, and there’s only one issue and pretty much only one politician on the stage.
President Trump hasn’t handled things well thus far. He failed to comprehend the severity of the problem early on, boasted of containing it to a handful of cases, and presented a worried nation with optimistic hunches and timetables that medical experts are uncomfortable with.
Democrats feel the pandemic is undermining his presidency. So far, polls don’t show it. In fact, his approval rating is up a few points and 60% of respondents think he’s handling the pandemic well.
Trump has been handed an opportunity to boost his popularity even more, especially in battleground states, and greatly improve his respect here and abroad. A skillful politician like Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton would recognize this, design a course of action, and probably come out on top. On the other hand, Jimmy Carter couldn’t respond adequately to the Iran hostage crisis, and paid the price.
Trump is far less skillful than Reagan or Clinton but he might be able to avoid Carter’s fate. His actions and words from now until November can overcome earlier missteps.
Government money is on the way to hard-pressed households and failing businesses. The Federal Reserve Board, though independent of the White House, is providing liquidity and near-zero overnight rates. The effect on the economy is uncertain and more injections will be needed, but most Americans will feel a measure of relief.
The military is mobilizing. The sight of generals and soldiers on the move elicits memories of unity, pride, and successes which Americans will find reassuring. Medical personnel are heading from bases to outbreak centers, logistics are on the move, service labs are hard at work, and hospital ships that brought aid to GIs faraway are pulling into domestic ports. The White House is using wartime legislation to order private firms to retool and make medical equipment. William James’s expression “the moral equivalent of war” has never been more relevant.
Government funds are flowing to private research institutes that are seeking treatments, technologies, and a vaccine. A recently-produced test kit can give results within the hour. A nationwide testing system using private businesses and organized from Washington is ramping up.
The president’s public presentations will be crucial. It would be best to confine statements to statistics on the course of the disease, government-private sector responses, factory output of desperately needed items such as ventilators and masks, and concise words of encouragement. Boasts, partisan jibes, and more hunches should be avoided, though habits are hard to change.
The checks are being printed, soldiers are on the move, and labs and plants are busily at work. The machinery has been set into motion. It wasn’t done as swiftly as possible but repeated criticism of the president’s inattentiveness may soon lose force. The election will hinge on perceptions forming in the next few months, not those receding in the rear-view mirror.
The checks are being printed, soldiers are on the move, and labs and plants are busily at work. The machinery has been set into motion. It wasn’t done as swiftly as possible but repeated criticism of the president’s inattentiveness may soon lose force. The election will hinge on perceptions forming in the next few months, not those receding in the rear mirror. The president will have to begin acting like an informed, steadfast leader, albeit late in the game.
© 2020 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to Susan Ganosellis.