STAND BY YOUR MAN — The Senate GOP’s campaign arm recently put out a memo urging Republican candidates to “attack China” instead of “defend Trump.” But apparently, GOP senators didn’t get the memo. Republicans who are up for reelection this year are mounting a full-throated defense of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and praising his decision to shut down travel to China early — a clear sign they’re sticking with Trump.
Take GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who faces a tough reelection race in Iowa: “Generally, I feel [Trump’s] done a very good job,” she said. “He was right on it from day one prohibiting travel from certain countries and so forth.” Then there’s Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who predicted things will turn around by August. “We’ll be doing million and millions of tests, we’ll do the antibody tests, we’ll have good reports, I think, on the beginnings of economic progress,” Tillis said. “And I think all those things will benefit the president and they’ll benefit me.”
These candidates are betting that running from the president is a far riskier strategy than embracing Trump, even as he faces criticism for his response to the coronavirus. Plus, Trump’s approval ratings have been relatively stable during the coronavirus, with Gallup even showing him close to 50 percent at one point this spring. Other polls, however, have shown the public views his guidance during the coronavirus crisis as harmful. The dispatch from Burgess and Bres: https://politi.co/2SHewyI.
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Republicans who are up for reelection this year are mounting a full-throated defense of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and praising his decision to shut down travel to China early — a clear sign they’re sticking with Trump https://t.co/V2Is31TA6M
— POLITICO (@politico) May 7, 2020
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