This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump working to reopen the economy and push forward efforts for a treatment drug and vaccine to counter the coronavirus.
Our graders, conservative analyst Jed Babbin and pollster John Zogby, said the president did an average job this week, moving to keep meat plants open and encouraging states to open in areas where the virus hasn’t hit hard.
Jed Babbin
Grade B-
President Trump had a pretty good week despite his on-again, off-again coronavirus pandemic briefings, the continued surge of unemployment, and another stimulus package that awaits Congress’s return to town.
The number of COVID-19 cases passed 1 million worldwide, and deaths in the United States exceeded the number of service members killed in the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, progress continues for treatments and a vaccine. U.S. researchers (and those from the United Kingdom and Israel) seem to be far in the lead on both fronts.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
Trump, in light of fears that the food supply will be interrupted, ordered meatpacking plants to get back to work using his authority under the Defense Production Act. Whether that will be effective, because of industry inventory practices and the ability to get healthy workers, remains to be seen. Unemployment surged by another 3.8 million jobless claims this week, bringing unemployment to about 30 million since the pandemic hit.
Congressional Democrats are looking for a new stimulus package (hundreds of billions more in federal funds) to bail out states. Trump is open to another spending package, but only if it doesn’t pay for past liberal practices, including budget-busting union pay and pensions. It’s a bad idea: We can’t spend our way out of the crisis.
Trump is reportedly bashing heads in the White House over his falling reelection poll numbers. He’s way too sensitive. The election is six months off, so these polls are meaningless. Polling will only become a serious indicator of election trends in October.
John Zogby
Grade C+
President Trump is a very complicated student to grade. Daily deaths from COVID-19 seem to have flattened, but testing continues, and the number of people testing positive in the U.S. continues to grow. While lockdowns appear to be working according to medical and state officials, the president is encouraging governors and protesters to accelerate opening businesses.
Trump has signed legislation allowing for expanded assistance to small businesses and medical facilities, but so much more is needed. He has promised not to dominate daily White House briefings, but he is still showing up and still taking credit for everything. When people are trusting medical professionals and their cautious and transparent governors more than the president, Trump just can’t help himself from practicing his daily arias — you know, “I-I-I-Me-Me-Me.” It looks like there may be a breakthrough in treatment and cure, so the president just has to use the first-person pronouns to take all of the credit.
Evidence mounts daily that both the healthcare emergency and economic crisis will be with us for months (even years). That is not his fault. Progress is being made. But he shows not an ounce of empathy. He gives only vibes that his chief concern is that he is not getting a fair shake. His polling numbers have slipped a little, but there is new evidence that his election prospects may be rebuilding after some slippage. Trump ended the week watching his likely opponent, Joe Biden, on the ropes over an allegation of sexual assault. Polls still show Biden leading in most battleground states — but possibly slipping a little. Somewhere in all of this is the truth.
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
