I dont really follow USA politics but will Donald Trump really be voted back in?

[Shosha1]

Personally the very idea terrifies me.
The man seems totally out of control. Refuses to answer any questions he dosnt like.
Takes no responsibility for anything he does.
And all this, as well as being a misogynist, bully.
I couldn't believe he was voted in, in the first place.
Was it because he ran against a woman?
Oh for this all to have happened when Obama held the reins. Whether things would have been much better or not I dont know. But I'm damn sure it would have been dealt with a lot more calmly.

It happened because the majority of Americans are utter crackpots. This is still the case, so it is likely to happen again. America is an absolute joke. Huge failed experiment as a nation.

I've been trying to read up about it. But a bit like the press here. It depends on which press you read.
I do not follow foreign politics to much degree at all. And would be hard pushed to tell you who was a Democrat and who a Republican most if the time.
I would like to read an unbiased account of the handing of the Pandemic in the USA. But dont know where to start.
My initial response to it all, is that there is a madman in charge. But I would like to know more.

I was also incredulous that he got elected in the first place. The only comfort I take was that he didn't win the popular vote, i.e. Hillary Clinton got more votes in total than he did. However, that's now how they work out who won. Each state gets a certain number of representatives to go to the Electoral College to vote for the President. He won the majority of representatives in the College, and that had quite a lot to do with being smarter about targeting swing states than the Clinton campaign.

My impression was that until the virus hit he was on track to win again because the economy over there has been doing quite well. That probably had very little to do with him but he would have taken credit for it. However, clearly everything is now up in the air.

The Democrats should have been able to make mincemeat of Trump, given his innumerable lies and flaws, but they don't seem to have been able to find and unite around a really strong candidate with popular appeal. From my perspective anybody would be better than Trump, but his diehard supporters won't see it like that, and some of those who voted for him last time while holding their noses may do it again.

You don't need to read up on it OP, your initial assumptions about him and his doings is correct. He is certifiably, dangerously, barking mad and his supporters are equally deranged. The whole of the West is in flux and we can do nothing about it. Pull the curtains and have a cup of tea and cross our fingers against worse.

It is really unusual for a sitting president not to be voted back in but who knows what could happen this time.

I actually wonder if he might spit the dummy and refuse to run again. Saying something like 'it's a rubbish job anyway' and 'people weren't grateful enough for his efforts'

@longwayoff That's exactly how I feel. (Except I dont like tea, can I have coffee?)
But as much as I really dont like him, feel I need to be informed of the likelihood or not of the World being held to hostage by a madman.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Thank You, that explains more. Do you think, some of it was that USA would not have a woman as President.
I remember hearing that some of the support for Obama, was that the misogynistic views were rather black man than a woman. Which in itself was a condemnation of that type of person.
Or is it that the Democrats cant find a strong enough candidate.
Is there no law in USA that in a time of war ( and this is a war, no doubt about that) that a previous leader could run again.
Obama's clear calm manner is much needed I feel.

Yes. His ignorance over covid has delighted his equally ignorant supporters so I fear he's getting another term

My usually placid and anti gun American mate had a huge outburst against Hilary in the last election. I can’t remember the exact details as was taken aback at the time but she agreed when Secretary of State to an operation or troop movements and Americans were killed. He was annoyed with what she did but was mainly annoyed because he knew those actions meant people would not vote for her.

I don’t get how ordinary republican representatives/senators can carry on backing him. It just seems that they have no moral backbone. I’ve read with despair about his actions/plans regarding environmental issues particularly, his ties with fossil fuel industries.
Surely they see that he’s made the country a laughing stock and that ultimately that’s not good for the country.

Well most polls show that Biden would win, but who knows what will happen. Certainly he could win again, especially as it is ridiculously easy to 'steal' an election. The voting is run by the individual states, and you already see tricks in lots of places like only putting in a couple polling places in large Democratic districts so people cannot get in to vote.

Trump will run and his administration will do everything possible/illegal to win because they know if he's out of office, a lot of people are going to jail.

There is a constituent amendment limiting presidents to two terms so unfortunately Obama cannot run again.

I'm afraid I think he'll get in again. Biden is an uninspiring candidate.

Sorry, constitutional amendment!

There are lots of obstacles put in the way of poor black voters, I believe. Tricky to get a postal vote, polling stations only open at times when blue collar workers are likely to be at work, the justice system is clearly skewed to make it more likely that you'll end up in prison if you're black, and in some states you can't vote with that on your record. As most poor black voters would vote Democrat, this is a pretty big problem for the Democrats. One of the things that's been very obvious since Trump was elected is how deep-seated racism is in much of the US. Plenty of it over here too, but my impression is it's a lot worse there.

@Valkadin that was Benghazi. I have American family and they are big Trump supporters because he 'says it how he is'.

Yes. He will. I am 99% sure. He appeals to a certain type of person and unfortunately there are a lot of them.

If he doesn't get re-elected, I expect that he will launch legal challenge after legal challenge, claiming fraud etc. He'll claim Russia and China are behind it.

If he does get a second term, then he will no doubt try to change the system to get rid of the 2 term limit (he will fail but he will try).

The man is a megalomaniac. He is a frustrated dictator. He will not go quietly.

I am reasonably sure he won't keep any sensitive information he was given during his term/s to himself either.

Part of his success is that he was running against a woman, wouldn't have mattered who, and America is simply not ready for a woman president. Part of it is that voting for a particular party, regardless of who the candidate is, can be handed down through families. I know quite a number of Americans who are mostly rational beings, but think Trump is sent by God and even quote bible passages to prove it. I was horrified to learn that my cousin and his wife both voted for him. He scares me witless.

I think he will win again. He appeals to a certain populist nationalist voter who are in vogue at present.
I blame the Democrats for failing, again, to put up a half decent candidate.
But then look at our politics over the past 5 years. We are in no position to point at others failings.

From here, it dosnt seem possible, that so called educated, rational people cannot see that the world who tend the see the USA as portrayed by their President, now see thier country as a joke and an embarrassment.
And will continue to as long as he leads them.

@VettiyaIruken your vision, is terrifying, but quite possibly what will happen.

The democrats will fail - they have backed some very silly issues.

What a choice! He is getting on, but the damage done to politics/society is just off the scale.

@KonTikki, shouldn't we be pointing at both countries failings. If we dont, wont we just be repeating these failings constantly.

Wow. You're all very opinionated on this subject. @Mucklowe is offensive and incorrect. Trump didn't win the popular vote so saying that about "most Americans" is not over the top, but also inaccurate.

Boris is obviously cleverer that trump, but more or less cut from the same cloth, plus brexit, so I wouldn't be looking too far down your noses at Americans.

I hate trump, trust me, but it's an ugly shift in politics in a lot of the world, ignorance fuelled by social media. Also America is a very difficult place to live compared to the rest of the 1st world; this breeds resentment and selfishness, which trump suits well.

Yank in the UK here.

I predicted a Trump win last time around and was told I was crazy, even paranoid. "Stop being so paranoid" I was told, "She'll win Florida and it'll be over." Nope. I 'knew' for sure about 8 pm UK time when we were watching BBC coverage in the US, which was very subdued. It felt like they were onto something. The US news channels were not picking it up at all, still quite bullish on Hillary. I'm not saying it wasn't horrendous to take in but I was not surprised overall.

I am not sure what will happen this time yet, because of Corona virus, but Biden could definitely win. It is not a done deal for Trump by any means. He knows this, too.

What could happen is that Biden wins an even larger portion of the popular vote - in states that are already 'blue' though, so loses the Electoral College again. Basically a doubling down of what happened to Hillary.

But I don't think so. I think he will win states that Hillary lost marginally last time - she some on very few votes indeed and the African American vote is much more solidly behind Biden. Hillary went into the election with a divided Democratic party, let alone nation. Biden has won the nomination convincingly. I think more Sanders supporters will back him.

Hillary was very unpopular with more people than her supporters care to admit. I have many friends who are Ride or Die Hillary and I do keep this to myself. One thing that has occurred to me about her is that she never really convinced as an Obama supporter either - it did feel like she was just waiting her turn, even then. My instinct is that this amplified Sanders' ability to play on a sense of Clinton bias in the party. I do think there is misogyny in the US too which means people won't vote for a woman President for some time yet. A conservative one - maybe.

Of course Hillary was the more qualified candidate and would have conducted herself with all the dignity Trump clearly lacks. But voting is often not rational, just instinctive.

The other factor is that if Trump loses - he's not going away. In fact, his day to day may not change very much at all. He'll be Tweeting even more continuously and going to Mar-a-Lago at the weekends for golf. The thought of that breaks me.

It'll be a version of Edward VIII in exile in Paris in his monarchy museum.

Poor Biden will be left to pick up the pieces of a terrible four years and managing Corona, which won't be gone. I like Biden but I am worried. However, what he will do is get good people working for him. He is not intimidated to have capable people around him, he won't worry how he looks in comparison to them, and good people will want to work for him.

@OVienna it was good to hear from an American. I do think we wo t have heard the last from him, even if he goes. As you say he will be tweeting, manspaining how ever decision that is made after he goes, that he would have done it better.
Or anything that happens that is good, was because of something he put in place now.

The one thing I find hard, which is something that is silly in the whole sphere of what has, and is happening.

But the man has no dignity whatsoever.