Why Donald Trump Is Supporting The State Capitol Protestors

Donald Trump is sensing an opportunity. Despite the country’s ever growing number of COVID-19 cases, Trump believes that now is the time to strike politically. He knows that he has made the health of the economy the central focus of his reelection campaign and he must prevent its collapse at all costs. Not only this but Trump knows he must create alternative scapegoats to blame for the outbreak. These scapegoats must be created so that Trump’s core voters do not even entertain a shred of  doubt about Trump’s handling of the crisis. The idea that Trump’s early inaction on the virus could be responsible for the outbreak must be considered fake news. Instead Democratic Governors, the World Health Organization, China, and even Barack Obama can be blamed for the virus’ outbreak. Nothing can be the fault of Donald Trump. The buck must stop with anyone but Trump. There are many convenient scapegoats to blame and Trump must take full advantage of them.

Many of the states hardest hit by the coronavirus, such as Michigan, New York and Wisconsin, are run by Democratic Governors and Trump is eager to initiate a conflict with them. Trump has launched Twitter tirades against the Governors and signaled support for the growing number of fools advocating for an immediate end to the respective “stay at home” orders in each state. With these barbs, Trump is banking on riling up his conservative base and he is fairly likely to be successful in this endeavor. A segment of conservatives have become agitated with measures taken by Democrat and Republican Governors alike in attempts to quell the spread of Covid-19. These conservatives have taken to protesting outside their state capitals to protest their inability to golf, get a haircut or eat at Baskin Robbins. These protests will continue to occur as conservative groups are organizing more outreach events across the U.S.

These protests will put noticeable pressure on Governors within the next few days and weeks. While the number of protestors is relatively small, they are well funded and have received enough media attention to make them politically potent. Make no mistake that Governors will receive hundreds if not thousands of letters and phone calls demanding that their respective state be reopened. If the current stay at home orders persist then you can be sure the protest groups will become larger and more agitated. 

Trump will look to harness this energy into donations and votes to his campaign. He will seek to capitalize on any perceived slowness on the part of the Governors to reopen businesses in their states. Trump knows that he will have unlimited media coverage and his support for the protestors will only cause them to grow more. If the Governors do relent to the protestors, then Trump will be sure to jump in and claim credit for an end to the shutdowns in each state. You can be sure that Trump will utilize conservative angst throughout the remainder of the 2020 campaign and reference the shutdown at future campaign rallies. There is a benefit to be had for Trump since he needs conservatives to show up in droves on election day and this issue could be a rallying call to come out and vote. Getting these voters invigorated will help Trump greatly ramp up his campaign during a period where political campaigns have largely been frozen in place.  

There are certainly some perils to attempting to force the country open such as risking a potential second spike in COVID-19 cases. Additionally, the push to end the stay at home orders could backfire horrifically among suburban voters. Suburban voters swung hard against the Republican Party in 2018, and that trend could continue into the 2020 election. Republicans need to win a large portion of the suburban vote in order to compete not only at the presidential level but also in down ballot races. Voters in the suburbs have long been uneasy with Donald Trump and a premature push to open up the country may turn more of these voters away. Despite these potential risks, Trump believes that the political gain will outweigh the negatives and he will continue to push full speed ahead. Trump knows that the actions taking place in April could drastically shape the Presidential race come November and he will take full advantage of the protests to squeeze any amount of gain possible from them.