Campaign 2020 April 25, 2020

NYT: Nervous Republicans See Trump Sinking, And Taking Senate With Him

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the James Brady Briefing Room April 10, 2020 at the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

We find it difficult to believe, but this is the power of the incumbency in American politics. With the haphazard handling of a pandemic that’s claimed more than 50,000 lives, an impeachment, a two-year investigation of his campaign and Russia, and three plus years of constant turmoil, Donald Trump still has a chance to be re-elected. The GOP faithful are hanging in. But they’re increasingly nervous, reports the New York Times. Trump’s bizarre behavior of late combined, with a lousy internal polling shows their candidate is in trouble.

“Mr. Trump’s standing in states that he carried in 2016 looks increasingly wobbly: New surveys show him trailing significantly in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, and he is even narrowly behind in must-win Florida.“

As ⁦@jonathanvswan⁩ reported, the White House is trying to curtail Trump’s briefings, which he initially began doing as Pence was getting attention. With POTUS travel resuming soon, aides hope it helps end the briefings https://t.co/zkrVwvy7ja
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 25, 2020

“Perhaps most significantly, Mr. Trump’s single best advantage as an incumbent — his access to the bully pulpit — has effectively become a platform for self-sabotage.” – The New York Times

The Times interviewed Glen Bolger, a longtime GOP pollster:

“With the economy in free-fall, Republicans face a very challenging environment and it’s a total shift from where we were a few months ago. Democrats are angry, and now we have the foundation of the campaign yanked out from underneath us.”

A 17-state survey commissioned by the Republican National Committee found Trump struggling in battleground states. There is also trouble in the Senate:

“The surveys also showed Republican senators in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Maine trailing or locked in a dead heat with potential Democratic rivals — in part because their fate is linked to Mr. Trump’s job performance. If incumbents in those states lose, and Republicans pick up only the Senate seat in Alabama, Democrats would take control of the chamber should Mr. Biden win the presidency.“

With disinfectant debacle still fresh in voters minds, Trump’s number could sink even further. Consequently, we will probably see less of the president in coming weeks as advisers fear he’s overexposed. At Friday’s briefing, Trump took no questions and made a relatively brief appearance.