Biden’s poll numbers rise as Trump keeps talking

To the Editor,

Politically we are living in interesting times. Although we are all understandably obsessed with any new revelations about COVID-19, there is the ongoing and increasingly strong undercurrent of the upcoming presidential election. President Trump has been consuming virtually all of the media oxygen. He is on national and cable news everyday: in fact, multiple times per day. Joe Biden, on the other hand, restricted to campaigning from the basement of his house, is doing virtual events and struggling for exposure. Interestingly, the more we hear from Trump and the less we hear from Biden, the better the polls are getting for the Democrat. A new national poll stunningly shows him up by 11 points over Trump. Could this portend an original campaign strategy for the non-incumbent candidate: stealthily maneuver your way to a win, not by maximizing your media exposure, but by minimizing it?

Perhaps Biden can let Trump’s failed response to the COVID-19 crisis, and his incessant lying about how well he has performed during the crisis, do the talking for him. The more Trump proclaims how he has made no mistakes and bears no responsibility for any negative outcomes, the bigger the hole he digs for himself. When your opponent’s words and actions are bringing him down, common sense dictates that you let him continue to do just that.

Donald Trump’s win in 2016 and his tenure as our president turned the political world upside down. Now the COVID-19 crisis has made things worse still. Wouldn’t it be amazing if President Trump, who cannot stop talking and lying, was defeated by an opponent who talked very little but always told the truth?

Ken Derow
Swarthmore