The 2020 presidential election is about brands

The fight over Goya is how our politics works now

Joe Biden and President Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

By now, nearly a week into the latest presidential non-controversy we all know that “Black Beans Matter." I would be lying if I said that this had previously been a matter of serious debate in my own household. I like them; my wife is indifferent. Coconut water, or "the other liberal juice," as I like to describe it, is the Goya food product that is the most serious threat to our domestic felicity. Whether this has national security implications as well remains to be seen.

What is the 2020 presidential election about? Boring guff like which septuagenarian draft dodger is more likely to convince our NATO allies not to allow China to gain a foothold in Europe? Please. It is about brands.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.