Texans are 'losing confidence' in Trump over coronavirus response, state may vote blue for 1st time since 1976
HOUSTON, TEXAS: The editorial board of Houston's largest newspaper has released a scathing assessment of Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that the state could go blue in the presidential elections for the first time since 1976 because Texans are "losing confidence" in him.
Trump made his 16th trip to the state as president this week and will be visiting Midland, the one-time home of former Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush, for a photo-op at a Double Eagle Energy oil rig.
The White House said the visit will be to highlight how his administration has helped the country achieve "energy dominance by cutting regulations, simplifying permitting and encouraging private investment in energy infrastructure.” He will also be holding a fundraising luncheon for the Republican Party and his re-election campaign earlier on the same day.
But with fewer than 100 days to go before Americans decide who will lead the country for the next four years, the Houston Chronicle suggested that Trump's sub-par handling of the pandemic will doom his chances in the state despite it having been a Republican stronghold for the better part of half a century.
"There are a growing number of Texans you won’t encounter who are struggling to survive through the coronavirus pandemic, the economic collapse and the weight of keeping food on the table and a roof over their heads," the newspaper said. "Things have only gotten worse since you last visited in June."
The U.S has had more than 4.4 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and 150,000 deaths since the pandemic took hold in the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University's live-tracking dashboard, with Texas responsible for almost 400,000 cases and 6,000 deaths.
Texas had been one of the first states to reopen in early May but has since seen Republican Governor Greg Abbott take a stricter stance and backtrack on the reopening efforts because of the surge in cases that followed.
The Houston Chronicle suggested that the state had been "suffered from unwise and inconsistent leadership" and slammed Trump's "dismal failure" for "cheerleading on reopening businesses, slow testing results, and a feckless contact-tracing program."
The board said Trump "can’t take Texas for granted this time" because "a consensus is growing that Texans are losing confidence that you are the person to lead the nation out of the canyon that you and your administration have helped dig."
Indeed, a Morning Consult poll released earlier this week showed that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had gained nine points amongst Texas voters since May is now leading Trump by two points. A Quinnipiac University poll similarly found that Biden had a one-point lead over Trump by mid-July while FiveThirtyEight also estimated the 77-year-old had a narrow lead over the incumbent.
An average of five recent polls showed that the race was incredibly close, something that is no doubt concerning Trump's campaign considering he won the state by nine points in 2016. As his presidential visit to the state neared, #TrumpKillsTexas had begun trending on Twitter, and if that is the sign of things to come, Biden may very well claim victory.