MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who has done little to disguise his enmity for President Donald Trump, just gave in and admitted that it looks like Trump is on his way to winning the 2020 election.
Ignoring the obvious of the ongoing partisan impeachment charade, Matthews wondered why Trump was doing so well even as he pointed to such things as his improving approval ratings, the strong economy, Trump’s massive rally crowds, increased Republican voter registration in swing states, and even the dismal state of the current crop of Democratic candidates, the Washington Examiner reported.
“So many things moving right now in Trump’s direction”
During a break in the network’s coverage of the Senate impeachment trial this week, Matthews told his panel that the rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to the top of the Democratic field signals to Republicans that “they’ve got a good shot at re-electing this president whether they like him or not,” and suggested Republicans would “face hell” if they tried to oppose Trump right now.
“Just to finish my thought, 20,000 people in south Jersey the other day, and incredible show last night,” he said in reference to Trump’s packed rally in Wildwood, New Jersey. “I’ve talked to somebody about Pennsylvania who knows exactly about Pennsylvania … Registration is going through the roof up there with Republicans, and there’s issues like fracking, which will kill at least two of the Democratic candidates up there.”
“There’s so many things moving right now in Trump’s direction,” Matthews said. “The latest RealClearPolitics numbers on him are moving up. I don’t know why, exactly, but there’s something that makes people — if I’m a Republican, I’m saying, ‘Damn it, there’s only one party, it’s called the Trump Party, and I’ve got to live there.'”
That RealClearPolitics average of polls currently shows President Trump’s job approval at 44.6%, up from a low of 41.6% during the height of the House impeachment inquiry in Oct. of 2019. Furthermore, the Examiner noted that, among Republican voters, the president’s approval rating topped 90% in recent months.
Democrat “horse race” isn’t “thrilling” voters
It was noted by a panelist that virtually all media attention has been focused on Trump’s impeachment trial instead of the upcoming Iowa caucuses and broader Democratic primary race, which otherwise would be dominating broadcast and cable news, but Matthews argued that, at least according to his ratings, viewers were more interested in the impeachment trial than the Democratic “horse race” for the party’s nomination.
“Our horse race goes down a little bit because this is fascinating, what we’re doing right here up in New York and what’s going on in Washington in the Senate chamber. That’s fascinating people,” Matthews said.
“They are, for some reason, pulling back their focus on the election so far, and I don’t know why it is,” he continued. “Maybe they don’t have a candidate that thrills them, that could be it.”
“Thrills them like Hillary [Clinton] did for a lot of people, like Barack Obama certainly did. But maybe that’s it, nobody’s thrilling them, and I think that may be it,” Matthews added. “So I think the Trump thing may be moving a little bit in his direction this couple weeks, and I think that’s probably making it easier for a — look at the market again today!”
Four more years
It’s got to hurt Matthew to admit that Trump’s re-election chances look good, but even he isn’t so blindly anti-Trump that he can’t see how the booming economy, the increased support for an embattled president, and the less-than-compelling nature of the Democratic candidates are all coming together in Trump’s favor.
To be sure, there are months to go before the election, but if current trends continue,, Matthews and his media comrades better get ready for another four years of complaining about everything Trump says and does as president.
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