Donald Trump ‘Finally Realizes’ He Could Lose Re-Election To Joe Biden, Conservative Columnist Says
In a Saturday column for The Daily Beast, conservative columnist Matt Lewis touched on Donald Trump‘s reported plan to abandon the daily coronavirus press briefings. Lewis suggests that this move is a sign that Trump has finally come to grips with the fact that he could lose re-election to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“It takes a lot for a man this delusional to come to terms with reality. And while I’m not delusional enough to think he is maturing, or that avoiding the media will last (he craves attention too much for that), Trump might finally be getting scared,” Lewis wrote.
“Look at the polls. He could very well lose his re-election to Joe Biden. I think he finally realizes that.”
A recent new Ipsos/Reuters poll found Trump trailing Biden in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — battleground states that helped him win in 2016. According to Lewis, Trump’s awareness of this threat is reflected in his recent behavior. Notably, Lewis pointed to Trump’s “abrupt departure” from Friday’s briefing and likened it to a “rare” reflection that he is admitting failure.
“For a man who never apologizes or admits the smallest defeat, walking out without taking a single question — the first time he’s ever done that in a coronavirus briefing — suggests he just couldn’t handle another interrogation.”
As reported by CNN, Trump trails Biden in likability. While the publication claims Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton was partly due to her low likability, in 2020, he purportedly faces an uphill battle against Biden, who has a higher net favorability rating in recent polls. CNN also claims that even the small portion of voters who approve of the job Trump is doing as president don’t view him in a favorable light.
NEW: Harvard Institute of Politics survey finds Joe Biden leading Trump 60% to 30% among voters 18-29.
Notably, that’s not much different than the 62% to 31% lead Bernie Sanders would have. pic.twitter.com/RgP6WribRy
— Kevin Robillard ?? (@Robillard) April 23, 2020
White House aides are reportedly worried that the COVID-19 press briefings are harming Trump’s popularity. One adviser allegedly told the president that the appearances are not providing him with any benefit and highlighted the fear that seniors are experiencing. The aide reportedly claimed that such seniors are not interested in watching the president clash with the press.
Despite many polls suggesting Trump has a tough road ahead against Biden, he leads the former vice president by five points in Texas, as reported by The Hill. Specifically, a Saturday University of Texas-Texas Tribune poll showed Trump with 49 percent support and Biden with 44 percent.
According to The Hill, the poll suggests that the 2020 election could be Texas’ tightest in decades. In 2016, Trump won the state by 9 points, while Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama by 16 points in 2012.
