This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence steadily working the coronavirus issue, which has yet to settle down. Our graders, Democratic pollster John Zogby and conservative analyst Jed Babbin, gave the president average grades this week.
Trump has also been buoyed by the big new jobs report, steadying polls and continued turmoil in the Democratic Party, both the 2020 race and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s attack on two conservative Supreme Court justices.
Jed Babbin
Grade C+
President Trump had an almost good week featuring a new peace deal with the Taliban, a strong response to the coronavirus problem, though his apparent successes were dimmed by a nose-diving stock market.
pic.twitter.com/QvDKY27t6h https://t.co/FenhyvcdBC
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2020
Trump spoke of the Taliban deal by saying that both sides were tired of war and that he had a good relationship with the Taliban’s leader. That may not be nearly enough. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had a more realistic view, saying that the deal — under which U.S. and coalition troops would begin withdrawing in 120 days and be fully withdrawn in 14 months — was “aspirational.” The deal is very unlikely to hold up the U.S.-backed Kabul government for much longer than it takes for the United States and coalition forces to withdraw because the Taliban cannot be expected to live up to any of the promises they made in the agreement. The echoes of Vietnam are loud.
Trump’s appointment of Pence and the promise of a “whole of government” response to the coronavirus problem appears to have a good chance of preventing a widespread epidemic. The manufacture of coronavirus testing kits is accelerating, and the promise of a coronavirus vaccine may be met sooner than expected. The Israelis have said they are weeks away from creating a vaccine. The question is whether they, or U.S. researchers, can speed its development and production in time to stem the tide of the growing global epidemic.
Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren, who was going nowhere except into Mini Mike’s head, just dropped out of the Democrat Primary…THREE DAYS TOO LATE. She cost Crazy Bernie, at least, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas. Probably cost him the nomination! Came in third in Mass.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020
The stock markets are roiled. A continuation of the losses, and a more widespread coronavirus epidemic in the U.S., may even threaten Trump’s reelection.
John Zogby
Grade C-
Another bifurcated week for Trump. The economic news was mixed and very strange. The Labor Department shows that 273,000 new jobs were created and unemployment dropped to 3.5%. But the stock market is puzzling and troubling because of the coronavirus, which is already having a direct impact on travel and tourism, worker productivity, and numerous industries.
When you call anything inconvenient to you a “hoax,” when you undermine facts and truth, and when you rid the government of experts who are loyal to science rather than to you, you’re going to have some problems. https://t.co/KdQRFMyEfZ
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 4, 2020
The people expect things to get worse, but no one knows exactly how much or exactly when. Hence, we can feel and see the panic setting in. Forgive me, Washington Examiner readers, but this is when you need an FDR — someone to generate confidence, inspiration, and clarity. Trump has formed his virus task force and named the vice president to lead it, thus revealing how important it is to him (and to us). But then he tweets about fake news reports about the numbers of deaths in China and Italy — which undermines public confidence and in his own leadership. This is a time for unity and trust-building, not insurgency.
This week, the U.S. signed a long-awaited peace with the Taliban that was rejected by U.S. allies in Afghanistan and undermined by Taliban attacks against allied forces in several villages. And now, the U.S. is conducting bombing raids against the Taliban. So the jobs report and the president’s approval numbers are good — but not much else.
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
