President Trump said George Washington would’ve had difficulties beating him in a one-on-one political standoff.
During an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump estimated that his political standing before the coronavirus pandemic enabled him to run a competitive race against Washington, the first president of the United States who was unanimously elected by all electors in 1789.
“If Joe Biden somehow beat you, Mr. President, do you think he’ll bury this investigation into the bureau of the Intelligence Community, the dossier. Do you think it’ll be gone?” Hewitt asked of Trump after inquiring about U.S. Attorney John Durham’s criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation.
“Probably. I mean, probably. I think it’s another reason we should win. And we’re doing very well. I don’t know if you’ve seen, the polls have been going up like a rocket ship. George Washington would’ve had a hard time beating me before the plague came in, before the China plague,” Trump responded, noting that his response to the coronavirus damaged his electoral standing.
Trump, who won the Electoral College in 2016 but lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, has not been reluctant to compare his administration’s accomplishments to those of other U.S. presidents. Oftentimes, he has said his administration has done more for black people than any other president, with the exception of President Abraham Lincoln, who declared the Emancipation Proclamation and guided the Union to victory during the Civil War.
“My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln. Passed Opportunity Zones with @SenatorTimScott, guaranteed funding for HBCU’s, School Choice, passed Criminal Justice Reform, lowest Black unemployment, poverty, and crime rates in history,” Trump tweeted in early June. “AND THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
According to the RealClearPolitics average, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, holds a 6.9-point national lead ahead of the president. In January, before the onset of the pandemic, Biden held a slightly smaller lead over Trump.
