Here’s the Washington Post:
In short, Trump’s allies are admitting what numerous experts have said for months: That in order to seriously get back on track to economic recovery, we have to tame the virus first. And they’re admitting that this is a key reason he’s in trouble.
Trump bought into the “health vs. the economy” framing, which I kept arguing was wrong. Now his allies have come to the conclusion that the economy can’t get better if the virus is out of control.
In the Trumpist mythology, when he called for the LIBERATION of states from lockdowns, he was harnessing the populist rage rolling across the land over elites who were constraining Real Americans from getting back to their labor.
Trumpism’s propagandists have worked hard to keep this mythology alive. And media coverage of this or that Trump voter showcasing his disdain for masks as a badge of loyalty to him surely helps fuel it in his mind as well.
Yet it’s plainly obvious that Trump’s refusal to accept that core contrary truth — that we can’t roar back economically until the virus is tamed — is also a big reason his reelection is in trouble.
It’s not clear that Trump could have done all that much to slow the epidemic. But that’s not the point. He could have done at least a little bit to slow it. And far, far, far more importantly, he at least could have looked like he was trying to slow it down.
Trump still may win (40% chance), but this strategic mistake is making that task much harder. Perhaps Trump will be forced to provoke a military confrontation with China in October, to rescue his campaign.
PS. In a new book, Trump’s niece describes what Trump was like when young. Cheated on his SAT? Learning disabilities that make it hard for him to process information? Trashed his brother to get the family business? Reckless hyperbole that hides his pathological weaknesses and insecurities? Fakes his Christianity? No sense of humor? Bully? Narcissist? Liar? This is all new to me. Alert the media!