Republicans tout Trump's leadership on economy, despite coronavirus setbacks

By John Whitesides and Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the largely virtual 2020 Republican National Convention broadcast from Washington, U.S. August 25, 2020. 2020 Republican National Convention/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans pressed their case on Tuesday for U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election over Democrat Joe Biden, arguing that Trump's leadership was crucial to revitalize the economy and preserve religious freedom.

 

On the second day of their convention, Republicans sought to reshape the narrative around the economy, largely ignoring millions of jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic, which has cost more than 177,000 Americans their lives.

 

But capping the evening, first lady Melania Trump acknowledged the pain caused by the pandemic during an address to a crowd seated in the White House Rose Garden. Her husband sat in the front row.

 

"My husband's administration will not stop fighting until there is an effective treatment or vaccine available to everyone. Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this terrible pandemic," Melania Trump said.

 

An array of officials and everyday Americans cited Trump's efforts to loosen economic regulations, put "America First" in trade deals and support religious freedom as reasons to back him in the Nov. 3 election against Biden, Barack Obama's former vice president.

 

"Our economic choice is very clear. Do you want economic health, prosperity, opportunity and optimism, or do you want to turn back to the dark days of stagnation, recession and pessimism?" White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said.

 

Opinion polls show voters view Trump as strong on the economy despite the job losses during the pandemic.

 

John Peterson, who owns a Wisconsin metal fabrication business, said his company had struggled under Obama and Biden because of heavy federal regulation.

 

"We scrapped and clawed and hung on with everything we had for two years. And then everything changed. Because Donald Trump was elected president. He knew what it was like to build a company and to create jobs for American workers," he said.

 

The tone at times echoed Monday's opening day, when Republicans reached out to solidify their core support by painting a dire portrait of a future America under Biden's leadership.

 

Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of the late evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, said a Biden presidency would leave "no room for people of faith." Biden is Catholic, and his faith was highlighted at last week's convention.

 

Pete Buttigieg, a Democratic former Indiana mayor who ran for president before endorsing Biden, challenged that characterization on Twitter, recalling a walk Trump took to a nearby church during protests outside the White House to hold up a Bible for photographers.

 

"They would speak of faith? The choice here is so simple. One man waves a borrowed Bible around, the other actually reads it," Buttigieg tweeted.

A businessman and former reality-TV-star-turned-politician, Trump arranged for several made-for-television moments.

 

In an appeal to Black voters that touted his criminal justice bill despite pushing a law-and-order message and tough-on-crime policies, Trump in a video also issued a pardon to a convicted Nevada bank robber, Jon Ponder, a Black man who has become an advocate for other inmates.

 

"Jon's life is a beautiful testament to the power of redemption," Trump said in the video before signing the pardon.

 

Trump, assailed by rights activists for immigration policies that have included separating families at the southern border with Mexico, appeared in a video leading a naturalization ceremony for five immigrants becoming U.S. citizens.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking from a Jerusalem rooftop with the city lights visible in the background, praised a recent deal to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

 

He also highlighted the 2018 move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, which was popular with American evangelicals - a critical part of Trump's core support.

 

'BOLD INITIATIVES'

"This president has led bold initiatives in nearly every corner of the world," said Pompeo, believed to be weighing a run for the White House in 2024.

 

Another person who had been expected to speak to the convention was Mary Ann Mendoza, whose police officer son died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver who was in the country illegally. The Trump campaign said she was pulled from the program after tweeting a link to an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. She later apologized.

 

U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky reminded voters that Biden had voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq when he served in the U.S. Senate.

 

"I fear Biden will choose war again. He supported war in Serbia, Syria and Libya. Joe Biden will continue to spill our blood and treasure. President Trump will bring our heroes home," Paul said.

 

Trump's son Eric said Biden was a career politician who knew nothing about running a company or the government and told voters: "My father will continue to fight for you."

 

With 70 days remaining until the Nov. 3 election, Biden, 77, who served as vice president under Barack Obama, leads Trump, 74, in opinion polls. Democrats nominated Biden to challenge Trump at their party's convention last week.

 

Melania Trump's remarks and the speech by Pompeo, from a diplomatic trip to Israel, were criticized by Democrats.

 

They questioned the propriety of using the presidential residence for political purposes and of Pompeo making a political speech while on a government trip. Trump himself will deliver a speech from the White House lawn on Thursday.

 

Pompeo had warned diplomats in July that presidential appointees should not take part in partisan activity, in a cable sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts abroad.

 

The Trump campaign has shrugged off complaints about the use of federal properties as a partisan stage, and said it would ensure all staff and participants were in compliance with the 1939 Hatch Act restricting federal employees from engaging in certain political activities but which exempts the president.

 

A total of 17 million people watched the Republican convention's first night on Monday, according to Nielsen, fewer than the 19.7 million TV viewers who watched the first night of the Democratic National Convention last week.

 

(Reporting by John Whitesides and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Jason Lange, Doina Chiacu and Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-26

 

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trump......leadership???

 Lowest Black unemployment rate (before the Chinese Communist virus) in the history of the United States. 

Yes... leadership. 

 

MAGA 

9 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

 Lowest Black unemployment rate (before the Chinese Communist virus) in the history of the United States. 

Yes... leadership. 

 

MAGA 

Jeez dude, way to parrot Trump. Don't let reality get in the way of your delusions.

Hows the riots going.

That larry kudlow is in another world if he thinks trump came in at the start of a recession.

 

Eric trump thinks there is peace in the middle east.

 

Fact checkers have a lot of work to do today.

Trump has done exceptionally well with the economy.

 

Polls show that a majority of voters support his performance on the economy. But his approval rating does not match the support for the economy.

 

Obviously the reason is the Covid 19 issue and Trump is being blamed for mishandling it. Even though it was the CDC that did not produce tests on time, and then tests that did not work.

 

 

John Peterson, who owns a Wisconsin metal fabrication business, said his company had struggled under Obama and Biden because of heavy federal regulation.

 

"We scrapped and clawed and hung on with everything we had for two years. And then everything changed. Because Donald Trump was elected president. He knew what it was like to build a company and to create jobs for American workers," he said.

 

No comment necessary.

32 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Trump has done exceptionally well with the economy.

 

Polls show that a majority of voters support his performance on the economy. But his approval rating does not match the support for the economy.

 

Obviously the reason is the Covid 19 issue and Trump is being blamed for mishandling it. Even though it was the CDC that did not produce tests on time, and then tests that did not work.

 

 

Yes...right....let's pretend that that's what happened. Nothing to do with trump's complete lack of leadership skills....OK then!

1 hour ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Yes...right....let's pretend that that's what happened. Nothing to do with trump's complete lack of leadership skills....OK then!

Indeed, nothing to do with "lack of leadership" at all. Actually Trump showed great leadership in closing down flights long before most other countries did. However Trump alone can not fight the virus. That is down to scientists, and unfortunately the scientists at the CDC failed miserably. They produced tests too late, and when they did, they didn't work. It's normal that leaders get blamed for these things, same happened in the UK to Boris Johnson, and conversely leaders get credit when the Covid response worked, see Germany and New Zealand.

 

However, in terms of the economy Trump did very well indeed, and most voters acknowledge this. That would normally suffice to get him re-elected, but with this Covid19 issue he has an extra hurdle to jump, that's clear.

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by Logosone

13 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Indeed, nothing to do with "lack of leadership" at all. Actually Trump showed great leadership

 

Oh. I thought that Trump was known as someone who showed NO leadership at all till now. 

11 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Indeed, nothing to do with "lack of leadership" at all. Actually Trump showed great leadership in closing down flights long before most other countries did. However Trump alone can not fight the virus. That is down to scientists, and unfortunately the scientists at the CDC failed miserably. They produced tests too late, and when they did, they didn't work. It's normal that leaders get blamed for these things, same happened in the UK to Boris Johnson, and conversely leaders get credit when the Covid response worked, see Germany and New Zealand.

 

However, in terms of the economy Trump did very well indeed, and most voters acknowledge this. That would normally suffice to get him re-elected, but with this Covid19 issue he has an extra hurdle to jump, that's clear.

It must be the RNC lie fest fever that you are infected with.

 

US not first to close flights from China. It was not even a total ban on flights but a travel restriction 4 days after Italy has a total ban. US travel policy was only a restriction with wide exemptions. This exemptions brought in infected travelers from China as well as infected travelers from Europe which the administration was slow to clampdown. 

 

While it was true that CDC was slow to stumbled out of the blocks in early Feb and releasing a flawed test that took weeks to correct, it fault lies with the federal government with poor coordination, planning and communication. It was smothered by bureaucratic inertia and disinterest shown by Trump. He was not at all aggressive in acknowledging the dire situation of the pandemic and in fact downplayed the virus many times. He is to be blamed for the large number of infections and deaths and he still don't have a plan and has not talk about this at the RNC. If he has taken this more seriously, more lives and economy would have been saved.

 

Polls on his handling of the economy has been declining since July. You are out of touch.  

36 minutes ago, Logosone said:

he has an extra hurdle to jump, that's clear.

The hurdle is that all sane people know he does not have two brain cells to rub together.  He is depriving the village of it's working idiot.

40 minutes ago, fangless said:

The hurdle is that all sane people know he does not have two brain cells to rub together.  He is depriving the village of it's working idiot.

You got a source claiming he's a idiot

1 minute ago, riclag said:

You got a source claiming he's a idiot

Yes.

World opinion!!

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by fangless

1 minute ago, fangless said:

Yes.

World opinion!!

Opinion ! Thank you!

22 minutes ago, riclag said:

Opinion ! Thank you!

You're welcome. 

Thank you for agreeing that most of the world think he is a complete and abject failure who has inflicted great harm on the once proud and elevated status of the US around the world.

China is laughing all the way round Asia as a result.

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by fangless

4 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

 Lowest Black unemployment rate (before the Chinese Communist virus) in the history of the United States. 

Yes... leadership. 

If when you have to grasp onto that stat, knowing good and well Trump has done nothing to help black unemployment, it shows how few actual accomplishments he has. We saw a similar flailing as they tried to paint Obama's economy as stagnant and heading into recession and trying to say how trump revived it when even pre-covid that wasn't true, their economic growth was virtually identical between the two, and more jobs were created under Obama. Or like the ridiculous stunts with the immigration while they have done everything they can to curb immigration. 

The only person who I think came out well after that ordeal was Melania. 

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

It must be the RNC lie fest fever that you are infected with.

 

US not first to close flights from China. It was not even a total ban on flights but a travel restriction 4 days after Italy has a total ban. US travel policy was only a restriction with wide exemptions. This exemptions brought in infected travelers from China as well as infected travelers from Europe which the administration was slow to clampdown. 

 

While it was true that CDC was slow to stumbled out of the blocks in early Feb and releasing a flawed test that took weeks to correct, it fault lies with the federal government with poor coordination, planning and communication. It was smothered by bureaucratic inertia and disinterest shown by Trump. He was not at all aggressive in acknowledging the dire situation of the pandemic and in fact downplayed the virus many times. He is to be blamed for the large number of infections and deaths and he still don't have a plan and has not talk about this at the RNC. If he has taken this more seriously, more lives and economy would have been saved.

 

Polls on his handling of the economy has been declining since July. You are out of touch.  

No. Trump declared a public health emergency on 31 January, which was 24 hours after the WHO itself declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. That was the same day Italy declared a health emergency and suspended all flights to and from China. Italy suspended China flights long before any other EU country, however, the US suspended China flights only 2 days later. Which was quite foresighted and good leadership, since the US at that time had nowhere near the number of cases Italy did. 

 

I of course never said the USA was the first to close its borders, typical leftist misrepresentation, if you read the post carefully I said the USA was one of the first countries to close down air travel with China, and that was indeed the case. Sadly it was still not early enough and cases did spread in the US, as indeed was the case in Italy as well.

 

However, politicians will act based on scientists' advice. The fault here, lies with the scientists.

 

You can certainly not blame the White House for the CDC's terrible failures in producing test kits and then test kits that worked. That was one of the main reasons the virus spread so easily in the US. And that was the CDC's fault.

 

As for blaming Trump for the deaths caused by a virus, which has strangely killed millions outside the US as well, that is frankly preposterous and can hardly be taken seriously.

 

The totally false statement that Trump's poll numbers on the economy are in decline is again simply purposeful misstatement of reality:

 

Why Trump’s Approval Ratings on the Economy Remain Durable

 

Yet polling data and interviews with voters and political analysts suggest that a confluence of factors is raising Mr. Trump’s standing on the economy issue, which remains a centerpiece of his pitch for a second term. 

 

Polling suggests that Americans who form Mr. Trump’s voter base are less likely to have lost a job or income than Democratic or independent voters. That divergence is partially driven by race — the coronavirus crisis has disproportionately harmed Black and Latino workers, who lean heavily Democratic — but may also reflect regional divides. Small business owners in small, more rural states that backed Mr. Trump in the 2016 election report less economic damage from the crisis than those in larger blue states, according to an analysis of census survey data by the Economic Innovation Group in Washington.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/us/politics/trump-economy.html

 

Now it is of course true that Trump's approval rating for handling of the economy came down from a record-breaking and unprecedented 60% just prior to the virus but to say it has fallen, well, yes from an absolute record high level maybe to a still very good level that is higher than the one enjoyed by Obama, Bush and Biden.

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by Logosone

1 hour ago, Logosone said:

Indeed, nothing to do with "lack of leadership" at all. Actually Trump showed great leadership in closing down flights long before most other countries did.

Trump shut down flights because he had been looking for ways to curb immigration anyway and it gave him a convenient excuse, but that also doesn't make it the wrong move. What absolutely was the wrong move though is how said he was closing flights to Europe because they had not done as good of a job in securing their borders as the U.S.... That's not leadership that is Trump insulting our allies when that shot didn't need to be taken. And looking at where the U.S. is now in comparison to Europe and the virus, he really put his foot in his mouth on that one.

3 minutes ago, jcsmith said:

Trump shut down flights because he had been looking for ways to curb immigration anyway and it gave him a convenient excuse, <snip>

That's a new conspiracy theory.  Never heard it before.  Post your sources or retract as fake conspiracy news.  Let's talk facts and not imaginative BS.

7 minutes ago, jcsmith said:

Trump shut down flights because he had been looking for ways to curb immigration anyway and it gave him a convenient excuse, but that also doesn't make it the wrong move. What absolutely was the wrong move though is how said he was closing flights to Europe because they had not done as good of a job in securing their borders as the U.S.... That's not leadership that is Trump insulting our allies when that shot didn't need to be taken. And looking at where the U.S. is now in comparison to Europe and the virus, he really put his foot in his mouth on that one.

That policy of curbing immigration looks itself like good leadership and farsighted. Every country in the world is doing that now. Less risk of Covid19.

 

Yes, his handling of the EU travel ban was characteristically undiplomatic and could have been done more tactfully, clearly. But Trump was in fact right to close flights to China long, long before the EU did, with the sole exception of Italy.

 

So pretty good leadership in the midst of the Covid19 crisis by Trump.

4 hours ago, Logosone said:

Trump has done exceptionally well with the economy.

 

Polls show that a majority of voters support his performance on the economy. But his approval rating does not match the support for the economy.

 

Obviously the reason is the Covid 19 issue and Trump is being blamed for mishandling it. Even though it was the CDC that did not produce tests on time, and then tests that did not work.

 

 

There's enough fact checker reviews to disprove trump's claims of 'exceptionally well', the best, blah blah - only requires a little effort to get verified facts as opposed to trump hyperbole.

10 minutes ago, simple1 said:

There's enough fact checker reviews to disprove trump's claims of 'exceptionally well', the best, blah blah - only requires a little effort to get verified facts as opposed to trump hyperbole.

Actually Trump had a 60% approval rating on the economy just before the virus. Which was a record and unprecedented.

 

Even now his ratings on the economy are better than Obama, Biden or Bush. Read the NYT article above.

54 minutes ago, riclag said:

You got a source claiming he's a idiot

Well he keeps using the stock market as an example of a healthy economy when everyone knows it's in a huge bubble created by the fed. He's either crazy or he thinks the American public are stupid.  

Relax everybody. Easy win for Trump come November.

8 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Actually Trump had a 60% approval rating on the economy just before the virus. Which was a record and unprecedented.

 

Even now his ratings on the economy are better than Obama, Biden or Bush. Read the NYT article above.

For me behind a paywall, but no accounting for ignorance is there, plus a poll does not equate to fact checking...

3 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Relax everybody. Easy win for Trump come November.

I was not so sure myself, but the above NYT article is very illuminating. It shows that Covid19 has disproportionately affected blacks and latinos who would vote Democrat anyway. Whereas most of Trump's voter base in the mid-west suffered less due to Covid. It was the urban centres that mostly voted Democract that suffered the most, whereas rural areas suffered far less.

 

So actually, this is relatively good news for Trump's re-election chances. The latest polls show he is closing the gap to Biden considerably.

1 hour ago, riclag said:

You got a source claiming he's a idiot

Yes. just watch any video of him going off script. Literally ANY video at all.

QED.

5 minutes ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Yes. just watch any video of him going off script. Literally ANY video at all.

QED.

Sure, Trump is an idiot. That's why he's worth 2.1 billion USD and is the President of the United States of America, whilst you watch his videos on Youtube.

1 hour ago, riclag said:

You got a source claiming he's a idiot

Rex Tillerson, former secretary of state, actually called him a <deleted> moron. 

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by rudi49jr