David Graham: “There’s nothing strange about Donald Trump seeking to exploit racial and cultural tension to advance himself; it’s the story of his career, and certainly of his political career. Yet the moment is also profoundly strange, even with all that history in mind. A president who ran and won a campaign built on racial grievance is now losing support because voters have turned against him on his core issue. Rather than adjust course, however, Trump is insisting on talking more about it, and appears to have given up on the idea of persuading voters altogether.”
“This is the deep irony of Trump’s reelection campaign. He captured the White House with a campaign based on racial backlash and now, after nearly four years of racist remarks and appeals, backlash to the backlash may doom his campaign.”
“Though Trump has long tended to view himself not as the president of the United States but as the president of Trump voters, the imperative to broaden his base of support is more urgent than ever. The president has pinned his reelection hopes on the enthusiasm of his fervent supporters, but now his base is shrinking. A growing body of polling shows voters favoring Democrat Joe Biden in November. The base strategy always required Trump to walk a narrow path, and now that path is narrower still.”