As pandemic surges and economy stalls, Trump fails to live up to dealmaker image [View all]

[Zorro]

As pandemic surges and economy stalls, Trump fails to live up to dealmaker image in face of partisan gridlock

Gridlock in Washington is hardening as the twin crises that have defined 2020 are rapidly worsening, with coronavirus cases setting fresh records and the economy beginning to stall again as millions remain out of work.

Just over two weeks before Election Day, America’s most pressing challenges are being exacerbated by its preexisting political paralysis, with Washington beset by partisan bickering and dysfunction.

Attempts to deliver a stimulus package have faltered in recent days as President Trump’s erratic approach to governing and Democrats’ eagerness to press a political advantage have repeatedly clashed at the negotiating table. The result has been a historic failure of the nation’s political class to mount a response to an approaching catastrophe, according to historians, public health experts, economists and lawmakers of both parties.

As a president whose reelection hangs in the balance, Trump faces the prospect of shouldering much of the blame and the blowback — despite his efforts to deflect responsibility onto his foes. As he trails Democratic rival Joe Biden significantly in the polls, Trump’s unwillingness to use his political capital to deliver a final bipartisan victory ahead of the Nov. 3 election has confounded strategists and undermined his image as a dealmaker.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-democrats-coronvirus-economy/2020/10/17/5533bcbe-102c-11eb-8a35-237ef1eb2ef7_story.html