Analysis: Trump’s search for a turnaround
Trump and Senate Republicans had their sights set on fast-tracking Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court before the November election. After long days of questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee (with a number of non-answers from Barrett), she’s well on her way to a full Senate vote starting the week of October 26.
Some Republicans also changed their tune on Trump. That includes former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was released from the ICU after contracting Covid-19. Christie admitted he had made “a big mistake” by letting his guard down about the coronavirus pandemic on the White House grounds for Barrett’s nomination ceremony, “and it cost me in a significant way.”
Things didn’t go Trump’s way during his reimagined town hall, either.
The dueling town halls also delivered bad news to the infamously ratings-obsessed Trump: Biden’s affair drew more viewers, according to early results.
Amid all of this, relief for the millions of Americans slipping deeper into economic hardship is still out of reach. Coronavirus infection rates continue to climb across the country and hospitalization rates are increasing in new states. Experts are now warning against intimate family gatherings and urging vigilance about mask-wearing, hand-washing and opting for outdoors as the nation enters the eighth month of the pandemic.
The Point: Trump’s efforts to change the narrative in the final sprint to Election Day still have one stubborn obstacle: reality.
