litigation to affect the final outcome remains. Viable routes to victory remain for both candidates, even in the midst of several colossal failures that should have resulted in a trouncing of the incumbent Trump.
At various points during the campaign, both Trump and Biden referred to this election as a fight for the “soul” of America. If that is the case, Trump’s better-than-expected performance should hold a mirror up for Americans to see what that soul truly looks like.
After downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken more than 200,000 American lives, Trump still has rock solid support, even after contracting the illness himself. In the past four years, he has openly fawned vicious dictators such as Russian president Vladimir Putin, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un. He inappropriately deployed the military on American citizens during a moment of social unrest. He has failed to denounce white supremacy, separated immigrant parents from their children, consistently deployed racist rhetoric, and banned residents of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. None of this seems to have eroded his base, even voters of color—exit polls show that Trump support from Black and Latino or Hispanic voters is up from 2016.
Meanwhile, California’s raging wildfires highlight Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. His lack of transparency and demonization of the press can only be considered acceptable under an authoritarian regime. He regularly flaunts undemocratic values, and his narcissism seemingly knows no bounds. He has converted press briefings into a stage for his personal political reality CONTINUE READING: Win or lose, Trump was the mirror America needed
