Trump's No-Stimulus Stance Has Some Convinced He Really Wants To Lose
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Now that President Donald Trump has declared there won’t be any kind of coronavirus stimulus package until after the Nov. 3 presidential election, many people are wondering if he’s actually trying to lose.
The president said Tuesday that he has instructed his representatives to “stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.”
Although that announcement might appeal to very fiscally conservative types, it’s not good news for the millions of unemployed Americans who could use some help paying bills as the economic setbacks of the pandemic continue.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 600 points after the president’s decree.
Considering the timing of the announcement, many couldn’t understand what the president’s end game could be.
The president is broke as hell and also has COVID and also is in danger of losing his job and *still* responded to the idea of actually helping the country via a stimulus package with “no ❤️”
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) October 6, 2020
Wait, so Trump not only rejects stimulus funds that would probably have helped his re-election chances, but *also* does so in a way to make sure that he personally will take blame for it?
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 6, 2020
I truly don't understand this, and nor do a number of people who advise the president. It's like he's trying to lose. https://t.co/GNOwrZEhx9
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) October 6, 2020
Some people read between the lines to try to figure out what the president was really saying.
(Cracking knuckles): "Hey pal. That's a real pretty stimulus package you got there. It'd be a shame if something happened to it and it weren't pretty no more. Capiche?"
VOTE TRUMP!— Christian Christensen (@ChrChristensen) October 6, 2020
So the "Lying King" halts any stimulus package until after the election, which means in subtext, "if you don't vote for me, no moola for you!" That's extortion! #CoronavirusPandemic #VoteHimOut2020 #WhiteHouseVirus2020 https://t.co/vWM3KSnMJ0
— Rolando Gómez (@rolandogomez) October 6, 2020
One man pointed out that the president can’t expect to win the election by only appealing to his base.
Call me crazy, but I think someone should tell him that he needs some of those Democratic states to vote for him or he can't win the Electoral College. https://t.co/QWCcOz9r0b
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) October 6, 2020
In fact, the only people who may appreciate the president’s decision might be Democrats who probably appreciate his doing their job for him.
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Trump is ending stimulus talks saying he'll deal with it after the election and wants McConnell to focus on SCOTUS instead, effectively handing Democrats the talking point they've been signaling for days. https://t.co/u2uevljTrk
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 6, 2020
Still, one guy did give Trump credit where due.
Trump doesn't get enough credit for political courage. Not many incumbent presidents, facing a major deficit in the polls exactly four weeks out, would be bold and principled enough to deliberately take a step that would tank the markets https://t.co/8mdcFzxwrx
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) October 6, 2020
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
