In this week’s White House Report Card, President Trump can point to a series of initiatives, including his fight to reopen the economy, his pressure on the World Health Organization and Russia, and a new round of deregulation.
But our graders, as usual, were split. Conservative analyst Jed Babbin, grading a “B,” found positives for Trump and highlighted the president’s long battle to win Senate approval of his pick for the director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe, in a 49-44 party-line vote.
Democratic pollster John Zogby, however, graded Trump an “F,” writing that Trump is the president for only half the nation. “Some good things are happening,” said Zogby, “But the president is still an obstacle and an embarrassment.”
Jed Babbin
Weekly Trump Grade: B
Trump had a very good week, pressuring states to reopen, threatening to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty with Russia, ending all funding to the World Health Organization, and launching another round of deregulation.
Early in the week, Trump sent the liberals into a frenzy by announcing that he’s taking the antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, prophylactically. The media and many doctors are against hydroxychloroquine because they say there’s every danger and no benefit from taking it, but empirical evidence is mounting that it shortens the hospital stays of those infected with COVID-19. (Vice President Mike Pence reportedly is not taking the drug.)
Trump won a big battle in the Supreme Court when it denied Congress the right to examine secret grand jury testimony from the Mueller “Russia collusion” investigation. The Democrats said they needed it to try to impeach Trump — again.
Withdrawing from the Open Skies treaty (because the Russians are denying flights over Kaliningrad and Chechnya) is a positive step, as is Trump’s refusal to enter into more strategic arms agreements with just Russia. He wants, but won’t get, China’s agreement to join in a new round of treaties.
Trump’s nominee for the director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe, was confirmed by the Senate. He will probably continue the declassification of Obama-era documents begun by acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.
Late in the week, Trump announced that he will prevent the closing of the economy if there’s another round of COVID-19 infections nationwide. His pressure on states to reopen is having an effect on the electorate, if not (so far) many states.
Trump’s new push for deregulation comes at an opportune time. The economy, when people get back to work, will surge to prosperity quickly, thanks in part to Trump’s deregulatory actions.
Meanwhile, another 2.4 million jobless claims were made this week. Unemployment is reaching the highest percentages ever.
John Zogby
Weekly Trump Grade: F
We have another president of Half-America week, but the difference between Trump and President Abraham Lincoln is that Honest Abe sought the better angels of our nature and was unswerving in his desire to make the nation whole again after over half a million deaths in the Civil War.
Trump thrives on being the president of Half-America and nurtures it. His polling numbers are as high as a half will get you — 46% approval. And in his matchups with Biden, he gets 42%-45% of the vote. He continues to break all the rules, including the rules of common decency, in his efforts.
Can he win reelection in November? A) Sure. If he loses, will he charge corruption and conjure up his idea of facts to support a stolen election? B) Sure, why not? His supporters will stick with him in the process.
Is he the right person to heal a nation that is suffering? Of course not. He is a name-caller, a narcissist, a person whose idea of leading by example is to flout everything even he himself suggests citizens do. The U.S. is abandoning treaties, cutting off the one global body charged with handling the COVID-19 crisis, and he refuses to engage in a discourse that is the measure of leadership.
My mother taught my sister, brother, and me that if you can’t boost, don’t knock. I certainly cannot boost this week. I am having a very difficult time with all of this because I know (despite the president’s own words and actions) some good things are happening. But the president is still an obstacle and an embarrassment.
Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby
