Now that Donald Trump has far surpassed his first hundred in office, longtime New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof claims the president has provided his critics with enough ammunition –– if properly used –– to hamper and derail his second term.
In a column published on Memorial Day weekend, the journalist claimed he sees Trump as "immensely vulnerable" now that he has pursued his policies which have gone far beyond the fears of many voters.
According to Kristof, there are three lines of attack that Democrats can take to halt Trump's march to authoritarianism.
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Writing "Trump does give us a great deal to work with," he began with Trump's corruption and explained, "Trump is a felon who is using his office to enrich himself as no president has in history," adding, "The Times reported that more than $2 billion has flowed to Trump companies in just a month, and some of his ventures look alarmingly like opportunities for influence-peddling. How else do we explain his announcement that the biggest investors in his new cryptocurrency memecoin, $TRUMP, would get dinner with him? "
Kristof noted the second path to turn voters against Trump concerns pocketbook issues.
"One reason Trump won the presidency was voter resentment at inflation and economic weakness under Joe Biden. Now it’s Trump who is badly damaging the economy and hitting voters in the wallet," he wrote before pointing to the president's inexplicable trade war based upon tariffs that will reportedly cost the typical household an additional $1,400 in costs.
He added, "Trump may already have sent the economy spinning into a recession, and plans for huge increases in American debt are pushing interest rates upward — which for many Americans means putting off any hope of buying a home."
Lastly, he pointed to the president's barely concealed contempt for Americans –– including his own supporters.
Writing, "Trump looks down on you and thinks he can manipulate you," Kristof elaborated, " 'Look at those losers,' Trump once said of the people spending money at his Trump Plaza casino, according to Maggie Haberman’s biography of Trump, 'Confidence Man.' Haberman also quoted Trump telling White House aides that his supporters were '[expletive] crazy.'"
As for how to deploy these lines of attack, he advised, "Trump excels at storytelling, and Democrats could learn from his talent. He has a knack for devising withering nicknames for rivals, he can be funny, and he conjures heartbreaking stories (sometimes out of thin air) of brutal crimes committed by immigrants. Democrats need their own anecdotes, and they need to remember that even when the stakes are deadly serious, humor is sometimes the most effective tool."
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