Donald Trump just blew it royally
Donald Trump was already significantly behind Joe Biden in national polls, and most swing state polls, before the coronavirus crisis exploded in tragic fashion. From a political standpoint, one of the big questions has been whether Trump can use this shifting landscape to boost his chances of winning in November.
We all knew that Donald Trump was going to use this crisis to try to commit as much grifting and fraud behind the scenes as possible. The only unknown was whether he would try to put on a public display of leadership and unity. This would actually be the worst case scenario, because it could cause some on-the-fence voters to decide that maybe Trump deserves another chance.
Instead, Trump is using this crisis as an excuse to fire as many Inspectors General as possible. He’s relieving a heroic Navy Captain of his command. He’s creating scandal after mess after scandal for himself. The moves he’s making right now will be the subject of House hearings before the election, and a focus of the campaign ads we see on television.
Moreover, Donald Trump gains nothing at all by firing these people. He’s still bitter over the fact that one Inspector General helped get him impeached by doing the right thing in the whistleblower scandal, so now he’s vindictively targeting them all. What good does it do him? None. He’s closing the barn door long after the horses escaped. And he’s making it easier for us to beat him in November.
