"Please Believe Me. The Economy Will Recover Next Year"…Trump Revises Presidential Election Strategy

Change in Re-election Campaign Message Amid Expected Economic Recovery Delay
Trump Goes on Back-to-Back Golf Outings

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly likely to change his message ahead of the November presidential election. This strategy is based on the judgment that the expected timing for economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic has been delayed from this year to next year, and he is asking people to trust him as the right person to lead the economic recovery.

On the 24th (local time), the Associated Press (AP) reported in an article titled "Trust me. The economy will revive next year" that President Trump's reelection campaign message has changed. AP stated that instead of the initially promised V-shaped economic recovery within this year, Trump is now expecting economic recovery sometime next year and is attempting this new strategy.

This is due to setbacks in the original plan to run the reelection campaign by highlighting pre-COVID-19 economic achievements. AP analyzed this as a change reflecting the recognition that economic recovery cannot be guaranteed before the election.

Within the White House, the outlook for economic recovery is also bleak. Kevin Hassett, Senior Economic Advisor to the White House, responded "Yes" to a question in a CNN interview on the same day asking, "Is there a possibility that the unemployment rate will be in double digits by the November election?" He emphasized, "We will see a 'big bang' in 2021," but this can be seen as an acknowledgment that it will be difficult to restore the pre-COVID-19 economic conditions before the election. Last month, the U.S. unemployment rate surged from 4.4% to 14.7% due to the COVID-19 crisis. Eric Rosengren, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, also appeared on CBS that day and said, "Unfortunately, I expect double-digit unemployment to continue until the end of the year."

Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury, mentioning the possibility of an additional support bill is also cited as a reason for the low likelihood of economic recovery within this year. Although President Trump recently criticized the $3 trillion additional economic stimulus bill pushed by the Democrats as "dead on arrival" and showed overt opposition, the Treasury Secretary mentioned that there is a possibility of change.

Meanwhile, all U.S. states resumed economic activities on the 25th in observance of Memorial Day, but crowds gathering outdoors at beaches, swimming pools, and parks have raised concerns about a resurgence of COVID-19. Debbie Bux, Coordinator of the White House COVID-19 Task Force, said on the same day that the situation where "social distancing" is not being properly observed is "very worrisome."

President Trump also stirred controversy by playing golf at his own golf course for two consecutive days during the Memorial Day holiday.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.