Preparing their readers for Donald Trump's likely loss of the presidency on Election Day, the editors of the Wall Street Journal applauded some of his achievements over the past four years before bluntly stating he undercut his ability to finish the job by being his own worst enemy.
With reports that White House officials are preparing for the worst, the Journal painted a grim portrait of the president's re-election prospects by pointing out many voters like his policies -- but disliked the man.
"Mr. Trump has never had an approval rating higher than 50% in four years. The Occam’s razor explanation is that most people like Mr. Trump’s policy results but dislike the way he has conducted his Presidency," the editorial stated before praising, for example, his selection of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and his tax reform policies.
However, they took the president to task for his personal faults that undermined his presidency and would appear to be a major factor why he faces ouster after one term.
"Mr. Trump’s own chaotic governance has too often handed his enemies a sword. His narcissism made him think he could control FBI director James Comey, and his indulgent tweet about taping Mr. Comey triggered a special counsel. He is often reckless and makes needless enemies. He is not the only cause of America’s political divisions, but he has contributed to them. He has had four chiefs of staff, four national security advisers, and he often trashes good people as they depart," they wrote. "As we warned in 2017, Mr. Trump has also squandered his ability to persuade with false claims. That lack of credibility came home to haunt with Covid-19. Mr. Trump’s policies—on vaccines and resources—are better than his critics claim. But his habit of personalizing everything, engaging in petty feuds, and making Panglossian claims of 'rounding the turn' have cost him support, especially among seniors."
With that in mind, and noting that the election is more a referendum on Trump the man and not Trump the president, the editors suggested readers prepare for former Vice-President Joe Biden as the new president.
"There’s no reason to think Mr. Trump’s governance would change in a second term. His disruption worked in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, but he has returned to the same playbook this year when the public is in a different frame of mind. Americans want calm realism on Covid. For all of his cunning and marketing flair, he has missed this change in the national mood. By focusing so much on himself, he has helped Mr. Biden make the election a referendum on the incumbent rather than a choice," he wrote before predicting, "If Mr. Trump does lose, and takes a Republican Senate down with him, the cause will not be weak Republicans, incompetent campaign staff, or even the relentless partisanship of the press. Joe Biden and the Democrats couldn’t make Mr. Trump the third incumbent in a century to be fired after a single term. Only Donald Trump could do that."
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