Trump already blaming fraud for possible election loss — but fraud’s the only way he can win: op-ed

Writing in The Guardian this Friday, Art Cullen says that President Trump's reelection chances are facing big hurdles in the Midwest, partly due to the fact that the "second quarter of 2020 was the worst in history."

"Trump started trade wars with China, Mexico and Canada that have flattened manufacturing up and down the Mississippi River," Cullen writes. "Corn prices are at their lowest level in a decade. Meatpacking workers across the midwest were ordered on to unsafe kill floors, shoulder to shoulder, sending fear shuddering through communities as the coronavirus rages. It is all deeply unsettling, and the polls reflect it. Here in Storm Lake, Iowa, the police chief took a knee with Black Lives Matter protesters in Chautauqua Park. This is for real. This is not 2016."

Where Trump once enjoyed endless support, things are looking testy. Trump's relationship with Mitch McConnell appears strained after the two couldn't finalize a coronavirus relief package before the Friday deadline -- all while the pandemic continues to rage out of control.

"Trump says the only way he can lose is through election fraud. In fact, it seems more likely that the only way he can win is through fraud," Cullen writes. "In April, Wisconsin Republicans tried to stop voters in a key Wisconsin election for a supreme court justice that was a proxy on Trump – and Trump lost, as stubborn cheeseheads stood in line for hours at great personal infection danger to vote. He desperately needs Wisconsin. But the paper mills are shutting down, dairy operators are drowning in a glut of corporate milk, and furious teachers are organizing like never before."

In contrast, according to Cullen, Biden has offered a steady rollout of plans designed to fix problems, along with a "heavy dose of decency and respect."

"That’s what people want to hear, not whining," writes Cullen.

Read the full op-ed over at The Guardian.