America

  • The average Joe

    Joe Biden has run an interesting Presidency on the back of running against Donald Trump and securing an historic victory of 81,283,501 votes.

    This time around the stakes are as high.

    At the time of writing Biden has Covid. It’s an interruption he hinted at before but it comes as no surprise in an electoral cycle that has produced a few surprises before it.

    The performance of Biden at his first election debate is divisive. It went down in the American media as a mess even by the most forgiving of standards. It isn’t clear where Biden stands now.

    In the UK 81% of adults think Biden is too old to stand according to YouGov. This is not a good figure.

    If you take into account the events of last weekend it stands to be even bleaker. Trump’s supporters get emboldened by events or acts that happen against him.

    It remains to be seen if his turnout will be high.

    This may be Biden’s biggest problem. The ‘too old’ line may coalesce with a ‘can’t-be-bothered’ attitude of those less enthused.

    It may also be the so-called “millennial” generation who will need to pull its finger out to make a significant dent in this year’s election by voting as a proportionately large group. Let’s see if any of this happens.

  • Trump’s struggle

    This year is America’s 60th Presidential election and the stakes are high.

    Donald Trump is the lead contender for the Republicans and Joe Biden is the Democrat candidate on the other side. Their respective campaigns have not proved cordial in the past and this year has not indicated any change in tactic.

    The shooting on 13 July in Pennsylvania stood as a last ditch attempt by some on the nefarious side of politics to disrupt the ordinary political process.

    It’s ironic that its target was Donald Trump who at the time of writing is still under accusation of the same thing. His exhoneration from the classified documents case is beside the point.

    He is seen as an enemy and not a friend of the state.

    The road ahead is fraught with difficulty. A first Presidential televised debate aside, Trump faces an uphill struggle.

    His battle is not against his own party. He faces an onslaught of rebuke and recriminations that stretch back years from not just the Democrats but also their allies in the media.