Donald Trump joked that presidential rival Joe Biden sits in his basement until he is wheeled out by the Democrat Party to give a speech. Harsh but amusingly plausible by the man in the hot seat. However, rather than trying to disprove Trump’s narrative, Biden would be wise to follow it!
Biden, a 77-year-old man, has shown signs of possible cognitive decline. The Democrat Leader has struggled to finish his point in several interviews and also briefly mistook his wife and daughter whilst at a rally. Not the best impression! He also has a habit of shooting himself in the foot.
In attempting to speak positively about the Black Lives Matter movement, Biden inexplicably said that the death of George Floyd was more meaningful than Martin Luther King's. He then suggested that police officers should shoot unarmed protesters in the leg as opposed to killing them outright. He is akin to that elderly relative at family gatherings; the well-meaning white man who's just not quite at the races.
Trump dubs his rival as "Sleepy Joe" and often mocks his rival's mental state. It's quite ironic that the President is questioning the sanity of another person. Imagine Boris Johnson giving somebody marital advice or George Bush advising somebody how to keep peace with the Middle East! Biden may be a little over-the-hill but Trump’s on another planet at times.
Troublesome Trump
The President has done more damage to his re-election chances than anybody else. Pre-coronavirus, Trump looked set for a second term. The economy was in good shape and the former television star had competently adjusted to life in the White House.
However, while this pandemic may not have contributed to the literal death of Trump, it may have led to his political one. The illusion that Trump was a champion of the American people has quickly slipped away. His ridiculous ramblings and refusal to take the blame for anything has severely hampered his public image.
Even his beloved economy has come crashing down, as reported by The Week and various other publications. Without doing very much, Biden is now the favourite.
56% of people would vote for Biden because he isn't Trump, according to Pew Research. In fact, figures from the same source put Trump ahead in almost every other meaningful category including temperament, leadership and policy. It’s clear that Biden’s potential victory is not down to his own individual excellence.
Biden must do some research around key modern day ethical issues and ensure that he is considerate of all groups when the two go head-to-head in the next few months. He needs to reinforce that he is a man who genuinely understands different groups of Americans, particularly black Americans. His smart appointment of Kamala Harris will help his cause.
Harris, a 55-year-old lady of Indian origin, is a combative and hungry assistant. Biden is an inoffensive face for the public. He has been dubbed as a Republican-lite by some quarters and that will be important to Trump voters who are on the fence this time around.
In the background, Harris can pull the strings and push for a progressive movement. She is not tarnished as a communist like Bernie Sanders and is a more attractive representative for the left to have in America’s current state. Her voting history is rather central, as noted by Politico, so Mike Pence’s suggestion that she is a part of the radical left really is mistaken.
This really is a battle between the lesser of two evils. Biden may seem a little misguided and unconvincing but he is a far safer bet than Trump. The former businessman has a far more questionable temperament than Biden and, unlike his rival, he seems incapable of listening to colleagues who may know better.
It is “The Donald Trump Show” or nothing. Right now, a second season of that rollercoaster ride has been put on hold but it hasn’t yet been cancelled. Watch this space!