Trump doubles down on the jerk vote
With less the two weeks to go until Election Day and the final face-to-face matchup between Donald Trump and Joe Biden looming in tonight's debate, we've entered the concluding stretch of the presidential contest, when candidates typically begin making what's referred to as their "closing arguments." What does the president want voters to have on their minds as they make their final decisions — about whom to vote for, and whether to vote at all? His campaign and its media cheerleaders evidently want them focused on the Democratic nominee's love for his only surviving son Hunter Biden.
Why in the world would Trump, his campaign, and its media cheerleaders think it would help them to raise suspicions about and even openly mock a father's affection and support for his troubled child? As Franklin Foer writes at The Atlantic, the president is "cruelly lashing Biden, not to explain the relevance of an esoteric scandal that doesn't directly indict the ethics of his opponent, but because he seems to hope that his raising the subject will induce an unbecoming outburst of emotion onstage." Trump, in other words, is a world-class jerk, and he apparently thinks that demonstrating this over and over again on a national stage will help him — because apparently he also thinks that America is filled with people who are jerky enough to be swayed by the president "engaging in a kind of psychological warfare."
Will it work? Almost certainly not. Trump demonstrated appalling levels of jerkitude in the first presidential debate, and his position in the polls has only weakened since then. I don't doubt there are some Americans — especially a certain class of American men — who think the only fitting response to a wayward child is tough love or worse (anger, the infliction of humiliation, the refusal of affection, renunciation). But my hunch is that many more Americans recoil at such cruelty, viewing it as exactly what it is: an expression of heartlessness, and in many cases the source of the child's problems rather than a solution to them.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Trump obviously disagrees. So expect him to make another play for the jerk vote from the debate stage on Thursday night — and then expect to see his stance in the polls sink even further as we approach the election's finish line.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.
-
'Cure for Trump amnesia might be his NY trial'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tesla cuts prices in 'intensifying' EV war
Speed Read Electric vehicle giant has struggled in the face of weakening demand, competition from China and technical setbacks
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay: unwind at this picture-perfect resort
The Week Recommends The retreat that's ideal for recharging your batteries while experiencing life on an Indonesian island
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Is the Supreme Court about to criminalize homelessness?
Talking Points The court will decide if bans on outdoor camping are 'cruel and unusual'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published