'This f---ing virus': Inside Donald Trump's 2020 undoing

[Klaralven]

Brad Parscale was on the phone with President Donald Trump and top White House officials in mid-February when someone on the line asked the campaign manager what worried him the most.

Parscale, speaking from his Arlington, Va. apartment, had just told the president how good his internal poll numbers looked. But now he had an urgent message: The coronavirus was a big problem – and it could cost him reelection.

Trump was perplexed. The economy was strong. The president had built an enormous political infrastructure and was raking in hundreds of millions of dollars. That month, Trump’s campaign conducted a $1.1 million polling project showing him leading prospective Democratic challengers even in blue states such as Colorado, New Mexico, and New Hampshire.

“Sir, regardless, this is coming. It’s the only thing that could take down your presidency,” Parscale told the president.

Trump snapped.

“This fucking virus,” Trump asked dismissively, according to a person with direct knowledge of the exchange, “what does it have to do with me getting reelected?”

That was exactly the attitude Joe Biden expected from the president. And Biden saw his task as unambiguous.

Create a contrast. Follow the scientists whom Trump ignored. Wear a mask, halt public events and reinvent campaigning to avoid putting people in harm’s way.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/07/this-f-ing-virus-inside-donald-trumps-2020-undoing-434716

[Chainfire]

1. Trump will never grasp that it was not the virus that sunk him

it was his reaction to it.

[Mike 03]

5. Yes, exactly.

And that's the most frustrating thing for normal people to understand about Trump: He's incapable of understanding that.

He will go to his grave not understanding what he did wrong, not just about the virus but about everything, from the Syria pull-out to the "perfect phone call" to the virus.

[sdfernando]

6. This!!!!

Had he taken the virus seriously and listen to the doctors and scientists and followed their recommendations he would have sailed to reelection easily.

[LisaM]

7. Not just his reaction...his not being prepared.

Dismantling the pandemic response team. That was an enormous blunder and it spoke to really how he handled everything.

I disagree that the economy was good. If it was that strong, it wouldn't have unraveled in 8 weeks. And people would have had a safety net of savings to get through it.

[Earthshine2]

9. So sad to say, that without the pandemic, he probably would have won re-election.

It's so painful to think that.

As evidence, look at how well the GOP did in the Senate, House, and local races.

[Bad Thoughts]

2. The virus could have made him a hero

He chose otherwise.
Fuck him.

[Steelrolled]

3. What is amazing is he could have easily won this election.

It wasn't so clear a week ago, but it's obvious now.

[Stallion]

4. Donnie You Have Never Been Popular-You are a 2 Time Loser of Popular Vote

if it wasn't for the virus America had a million reasons to fire you

[mwooldri]

8. Tale of two leaders...

Jacinda Ardern took the virus seriously. She won re-election and her party got an absolute majority in Parliament in a proportional representation system and with multiple parties.

Donald Trump didn't take the virus seriously. He's now a grumpy senior citizen about to be kicked out of government housing. Oh, and fired from his job as well.

[standingtall]

10. I think the virus might actually helped him

I bet there were a bunch of idiots who voted for him that would not have voted if they didn't feel like their freedumbs were being infringe upon, because they didn't want to wear a friggin mask.

[Buckeyeblue]

11. I'm not sure I agree that he would have easily won reelection

I actually think covid boosted his turn out. People who were frustrated with the restrictions that have been in place were especially motivated to GOTV.

Remember, 2018 was a massive repudiation of Trump. I think 2020 would have been a much different election obviously. It would have been about Trump still...but with different issues.