Trump’s failure to control the spread of the virus by not creating a federal intervention plan has caused him to be viewed as a failed leader. Being seen as a loser is his greatest fear which is probably why he decided to deny the deadly threat that COVID presented to the American people. In his interview with journalist Bob Woodward back in January, Trump admitted he knew COVID-19 was a deadly virus. He admitted on tape to lying to the American people about the danger it posed. In reality, Trump was more concerned with preserving the performance of the stock market than he was concerned about saving lives. He had relied on a vibrant economy to give him the appearance of being a successful president and to distract from his racist, pro- autocratic, anti- democratic style of governing.
When Barack Obama entered office the Down Jones was at 7,949. On January 17, 2016 it was at 19, 827. These numbers reflect a 150% increase during Obama’s eight years in office. If Trump stays in office for 8 years the Dow would have to reach 49,369 to equal the percentage of increase achieved during Obama’s presidency. Trump inherited a thriving economy, while Obama inherited the George W. Bush recession. Two trillion dollars was added to the debt in the first two years of Trump’s term bringing it to an all-time high of $22 trillion. Economists say during a thriving economy, the national debt should not grow. So Trump’s debt increase of $2.3 trillion during the stable economy he inherited from Obama proves Trump diminishes the credibility of Republicans that claim he is fiscally conservative.
Former Governor Christie Todd Whitman wrote an article in the Courier News in September of 2020 announcing her decision not to vote for Trump’s re-election. She asserted confusion over the Republican’s praise of Trump’s economical prowess, with “tens of millions of people unemployed and his total abandonment of the fiscal principals Republicans have always held dear.” Trump’s economics, per Whitman “was deeply flawed before the pandemic.”
Governor Whitman says some of the damage Trump has wreaked on the economy are:
• Abysmal trade policy, starting a trade war, damaging farmers and making manufacturing less competitive
• Caused the trade deficit to go through the roof
• The tax cut for high income people in red states widened the wealth gap and exacerbated class tensions
• Failed attempt to save agriculture by raiding the treasury
• The tax break for the rich put a strain on the budget and ballooned the deficit
• Rejection of the conservative consensus by relying on tariffs instead of a free market of labor relying on healthy immigration, a balance budget, and the independence of the federal reserve
• Deploying monetary policy as a political weapon
• Regulatory rollbacks of auto industry pollution standards created billions of economic losses and loss of jobs
• Ignoring the real economic cost of pollution and not allowing NOAA to investigate the challenges of climate change
Whitman makes a plea in her article for Republicans to recognize not only the economic failures of the Trump Administration but also the damage done to the country by his “divisive racial rhetoric, flaunting of the rule of law, disregard for scientific information, his lack of empathy and narcissism, inconsistent policymaking.” Governor Whitman joined other Republicans, like former RNC Chair Michael Steele, Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger united around the goal of getting Trump out of office and healing.
