This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump in a prolonged slump. He is fighting to get part of the nation’s economy going, but he is receiving pushback from some governors and House Democratic leaders unwilling to lend a hand. Unemployment is soaring, and American faith in the economy is plummeting. The media has said he failed to act quickly enough to declare war against the coronavirus, and now, a Pew Research Center said the public thinks he failed to act quickly enough.
Trump announced a plan to get the country back to work and detailed how testing will be increased to help. But he got into spats with some governors, and the media’s focus turned to that instead of his plan.
His approval rating dropped, but not below his average. And while a handful of surveys found that Joe Biden would win the 2020 election if held today, the former vice president can’t get over 47%.
Our two graders were down on Trump’s week. Pollster John Zogby gave the president an “F” and slapped his daily briefings as campaign events. Conservative analyst Jed Babbin gave Trump a “D-” and hit the White House “spending spree” on further stimulus packages.
John Zogby
Grade F
No one had anything close to a good week. Many of us are very fortunate to have bypassed or been healed from COVID-19 and its widespread social and economic reach. But witnessing it in real time is a horror story with no foreseeable end.
Unfortunately, there are times when history presents humanity with the worst leaders at the wrong moments. Stated simply, that is President Trump. He has turned daily briefings into a cable television reality show. He continues to insult those who ask important and even routine questions. He interrupts the experts. He encourages well-organized disruptive demonstrations against duly elected governors of Democratic states and continues to enable white supremacists.
His polling numbers have slipped slightly, but he trails his likely Democratic opponent nationally. Last week, I suggested that perhaps the best that can be said about him is that he is in the way. That cannot even be said about him this week. I will see shortly what my own polls say about him, but I am the grader for now, and I don’t see how he gets a passing grade this week.
Jed Babbin
Grade D-
President Trump had another up-and-down week sprinting at high speed and all too often outrunning his headlights. There were things he has no control over, things he claimed control over (and had none), and a singular threat to adjourn Congress.
Unemployment was up again, totaling about 22 million lost jobs since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. Trump declared a national state of emergency, freeing up federal aid for every state.
Two very praiseworthy actions led the week. First, Trump’s deal with OPEC and Russia went a long way to restore the U.S. ability to produce oil profitably. The agreement cut production by 9.7 million barrels a day, which may raise oil prices enough to restore profitability to oil shale producers. Second, Trump’s reduction in funding to the World Health Organization (which has been turned into a shill for Chinese disinformation) was precisely the right move. If only he would cut funding of other U.N. agencies and commissions.
Early in the week, Trump asserted “total control” over when the economy would reopen. When governors disputed his claim, Trump proclaimed them “mutineers.” (Media immediately posted pictures of him as Captain Bligh.) He never had that control, which was recognized in the Thursday release of new guidelines for reopening the economy. The new guidelines pretty much said it was up to state governors, which it is. Later in the week, frustrated by the Senate’s failure to confirm dozens of his nominees, Trump threatened to adjourn the Congress and make recess appointments. That presidential authority, which apparently has never been used, is limited to times when the House and Senate disagree over the time to adjourn. That isn’t the case now, and Trump’s threat is obviously empty.
The president apparently believes that we can spend our way out of the pandemic crisis. In addition to the already-passed $2.2 trillion stimulus, Congress, with Trump’s apparent blessing, is ready to spend another $3 trillion to 4 trillion to help the economy. Trump is about to become the biggest spender ever. Future American generations will be much poorer because of this spending spree.
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
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
