Opinion

Alex Kane: Donald Trump is unlikely to be re-elected but he has habit of defying predictions

Alex Kane

Alex Kane

Alex Kane is an Irish News columnist and political commentator and a former director of communications for the Ulster Unionist Party.

President Donald Trump pictured in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting about the coronavirus response. Photo by AP/Evan Vucci, Thursday, April 30, 2020 
President Donald Trump pictured in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting about the coronavirus response. Photo by AP/Evan Vucci, Thursday, April 30, 2020  President Donald Trump pictured in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting about the coronavirus response. Photo by AP/Evan Vucci, Thursday, April 30, 2020 

We need to talk about Donald. Again.

You'll remember this from a few weeks ago: "I asked Bill a question that probably some of you are thinking of, if you're totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting. So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous - whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light - and I think you said that that hasn't been checked, but you're going to test it. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you're going to test that too. It sounds interesting..."

Then, just in case our jaws hadn't already hit the floor, he added: "And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, you're going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds - it sounds interesting to me."

He's a man very fond of the word 'interesting'; which reminds me of an aunt who once warned me against politicians and church ministers with a similar fondness. Anyway, my take from reading and re-reading his comments was that the President of the United States, supposedly the most powerful political figure in the world, was suggesting that after washing down our worktops and toilets with disinfectant to lessen the chances of Covid-19 spreading throughout our house, we should then inject or ingest the cleaner into our bodies. Hmm. Well, if nothing else it would be a clean finish.

Mind you, this is the same man who declared that America wouldn't be getting the virus at all because of the 'enormous seas around us.' Did he think the virus couldn't swim? Did he imagine that it wasn't already in the systems of people arriving in American airports - some of the busiest in the world? Had he forgotten the US borders with Canada and Mexico? Did he believe that calling it the 'China virus' and threatening sanctions against the sources of the spread, would scare it away? Weeks later he is still trumpeting nonsense on a daily basis and responding to every challenge with 'fake news' or 'next question...no, not you."

I remember writing in a column a few weeks before the election in November 2016 that Trump, if he won, would probably keep columnists/commentators 'very busy' for the lifetime of his presidency. I didn't realise how busy, of course. Just when you thought that the medication would finally kick in and keep him on the right side of sanity he would skip the pills for a few days and then treat us to something epically bonkers in a press conference. That it was bonkers didn't matter. That, when deconstructed, it didn't amount to a hill of beans, didn't matter. That, when challenged, he would deny ever having said it, didn't matter. The normal rules don't apply to Trump because he, himself, isn't normal.

Surprisingly - or maybe not, when you realise how hopelessly devoted they seem to be to him - the vast majority of people who voted for Trump in 2016 seem intent on voting for him again in November. That's a good base to start from. But he was still over 3 million votes behind Hillary Clinton in 2016 - winning the Electoral College vote rather than the popular vote - and the Democrats have opted for Joe Biden this time, regarded as much less divisive and controversial than Clinton. Biden also has support from Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama,for whom he was Vice-President.

The only big cards Trump has to play are reducing unemployment figures (the Covid-19 crisis has sent them soaring to record levels) and regenerating, refuelling the economy (which has also plunged to record levels). Talk about building walls on the Mexican border, limiting immigration from other countries, 'fake news' and jailing 'crooked Hillary' isn't going to work for him this time. It would also help him enormously if a vaccine for Covid-19 was discovered by American scientists actually based in America.

As it stands right now, though, Trump looks like he won't win re-election. In saying that, he has defied just about every other prediction made about him. Very interesting.