Will 'fragile' Trump drop out of 2020 election race if dwindling poll numbers show no chance of victory?
Amid the coronavirus chaos in the United States, there have been rising speculations that President Donald J. Trump may drop out of the 2020 presidential race if he believes there is no chance of his victory this time. The speculations were fuelled by a Republican Party operative, who reportedly told Fox News that multiple GOP insiders are concerned about Trump's 2020 run amidst his dwindling poll numbers.
The president's political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, currently holds an average lead of nine points over Trump, according to RealClearPolitics' 2020 polls tracker. The president is also trailing Biden in nearly all of the swing states.
The GOP operative, who wished to be anonymous, told the outlet: "It’s too early, but if the polls continue to worsen, you can see a scenario where he drops out." There were reportedly other GOP members who described Trump's current mood as "fragile" citing his apparent dim chances of securing a current win. One of outlet's sources stated: "I've heard the talk but I doubt it's true. My bet is, he drops if he believes there's no way to win."
However, critics and experts do not believe that the president will drop out of the race, especially considering his 2016 win against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Pollsters during the 2016 presidential election cycle had predicted a Clinton win, however, they were left stunned when Trump clinched a victory defying the poll numbers at the time.
"Trump is a volatile figure and things could get weird if he’s far behind in the final weeks of the campaign. But the idea that he is going to fall on his sword because the conventional wisdom has turned sharply against his chances runs starkly counter to his predilections and past actions," National Review editor Roch Lowry, in an op-ed in Politico magazine said. "The assumption behind the Trump-might-drop-out chatter is that the president would want to avoid the psychological sting of a loss, but he’s already signaled how he’ll handle a defeat—by saying he was robbed. With this rationalization in his back pocket, there’s no reason for Trump to forgo any chance whatever of remaining the most talked-about man on the planet for the next four years by dropping out based on early summer polling."
President Trump, over the recent weeks, has slammed polling numbers which show him behind Biden. The Republican leader, last month, had also slammed his favorite news network for showing him behind the former vice president. The president, in a recent attack on polling number, last week, had tweeted, writing: "Sorry to inform the Do Nothing Democrats, but I am getting VERY GOOD internal Polling Numbers. Just like 2016, the @nytimes Polls are Fake! The @FoxNews Polls are a JOKE! Do you think they will apologize to me & their subscribers AGAIN when I WIN? People want LAW, ORDER & SAFETY!"
Recent polls have shown high levels of disapproval over Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis and the ongoing anti-racism protests after the death of George Floyd in police custody in May.