November may still be a long way away, and the coronavirus has thoroughly scrambled American politics. But it’s increasingly clear that President Trump’s likeliest path to re-election runs through Beijing. With the economy in shambles and the pandemic ravaging the country, making the election a referendum on China is perhaps Mr. Trump’s only chance to extend his White House tenure past January 2021.
Why Beijing? In the first place, because Americans increasingly disapprove of its behavior. In 2019, before the coronavirus stormed out of Wuhan to shake the world, 57% of Americans already had an unfavorable opinion of Beijing. The most recent Gallup in February 2020, put that at figure at 67%.
But Americans go beyond distrust of the Chinese government. In a recent Pew 68% of Republicans and 62% of Democrats considered China’s power and influence a major threat to the U.S.
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