If you would have argued 2 years ago that our President would be in office the next six years, I, a devout liberal, would have grimly agreed. In fact, if you would've argued that on December 19th of 2019 (the day after he was impeached), I still would have agreed with you: Donald Trump was going to be the first impeached President to secure a second term. Now, for obvious reasons, I have no idea why you (presumably in your right mind) would argue that. But the point still stands. Whilst many believed Trump's legitimacy amongst his voters had been hacked away after he was impeached, it really wasn't. Little did we know, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi banged her gavel to announce that the impeachment articles had passed, somewhere desolate in the mired wet markets of Wuhan, a virus had been birthed. And that virus, more than any article of impeachment, would be the true final nail in the coffin for our President. Here's 3 reasons why COVID-19 was the real beginning of the end for Trump's one and only term.
1. He's brought about an arguably worse infection than coronavirus: misinformation
When President Trump was on the campaign trail, his embellished claims were usually of a much lower frequency and disregard for the truth They may have occurred at a rally or two, maybe even a press interview. For example, in an interview with Don Lemon, Trump claimed that he was "the least racist person you'll ever meet". And yet just a few months earlier he incited a "drain the swamp" chant at one of his rallies, the "swamp" being analogous to the influx of immigrants allegedly "stealing" the jobs of "real" Americans. If you were one of the least politically informed people in the nation, then you may have even believed him. Now, in the COVID-era, Trump's spouts of misinformation are an hourly occurrence and they're becoming pure, blatant lies. Just a few short weeks ago, he claimed that injecting disinfectants could prove a viable solution to the coronavirus. This is such a painfully obvious lie. It's a simple biological fact that disinfectants are not to be consumed, an apparently daunting concept that is taught to children in their pre kindergarten years. As the lies are harder and harder to spin for his henchmen, people are starting to take notice of the liar we have as the commander in chief of our military.
2. He's beginning to lack appeal to even the most staunch Republicans
Yes, you read that right. Even members of his own party are somehow finding their virtues and turning their back on the President. And it's not just Mitt Romney. Carly Fiorina, a GOP Presidential candidate in 2016, told The Ticket that, this election season, it is the Republicans' duty to oust the despotic leader from his abode on Pennsylvania Avenue. Not only that, some Republicans (such as those mentioned in this CNN article), are voting for Biden because of how drastically the Republican values have shifted with Trump as the party leader. Granted, these Republicans may be voting against Trump rather than for Biden, it still is a political decision that will ultimately put a Democrat in the Oval Office.
3. His emphasis is on power moves rather than policy decisions
Almost everything Trump has done for the past few months has solely been with one goal: to win re-election. Whether it be his "flamboyant" photo shoot that led to protesters being brutally tear-gassed, or his downright rebellion against CDC guidelines by hosting a no-mask-enforced rally in an enclosed environment, the President is pulling out all the stops to once again hammer home a modified version of the mantra in his initial bid for Presidency: keep America great. Sure, he did pass the police "reform" bill, and while many may argue this is a step in the right direction, it's the only step in that direction for Trump. And it's also true that almost every elected official does everything so that he or she can win re-election. But consider our President specifically. When he ran in 2016, his trademark policy promise was to "build the wall." Although I certainly didn't and still don't agree with needlessly placing a fence on our border with Mexico, it was still at least a policy promise. Now, on the other hand, there is but radio silence on what specifically he wants to do in his second term. If it's the narrative of "keep America as good as it is right now", that just promotes the idea of maintaining rising death rates, preserving systemic racism, and upholding the skyrocketing unemployment rates on a pedestal.
After all this, it's hard to imagine how lucky we were. You'd fare better winning the lottery than thinking that a global pandemic, economic recession, and movement for racial equality would occur all in the election year of our tyrannical ruler. But, fear not. The end is near. History will move past Trump and his damage to this great nation––all it takes is your vote this November.