'The problem is Trump': Republicans worry president will blow opportunity to calm nation amid unrest
by David M. Drucker
| June 02, 2020 12:00 AM
Republican insiders say the wave of civil unrest roiling American cities could boost President Trump in his reelection bid against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden if he can meet the moment with consistent leadership that is measured and reassuring. They doubt he can.
In interviews Monday, more than a half-dozen veteran Republican strategists told the Washington Examiner that the bloody, destructive riots that erupted from coast to coast over the weekend could push voters into Trump's arms. He has cultivated a law-and-order image since the earliest days of his first campaign, and suburban voters who fled the GOP because of a deep dissatisfaction with the president’s provocative style could reconsider amid fresh concerns about domestic security.
But in responding to the social conflagration primarily with a staccato of politically charged tweets, while picking fights with Democratic governors and mayors on the front lines of the mayhem, Republicans fear Trump has reinforced the long-held notion among persuadable voters in the suburbs that he is part of the problem. In so doing, they say, the president is on the verge of squandering a major opportunity to outflank Biden on a key issue.
“If you look at the suburban coalition, they’re not exactly fond of the cities getting torched. The problem, of course, is Trump,†said a Republican lobbyist, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly about the president.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/the-problem-is-trump-republicans-worry-president-will-blow-opportunity-to-calm-nation-amid-unrest
