Super Tuesday: Biden and Trump dominate
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have emerged strengthened from the Super Tuesday primaries in 15 US states. Nikki Haley is Trump’s only remaining rival in the race for the Republican nomination but won only one narrow victory in yesterday’s Super Tuesday primaries. Meanwhile, President Biden scored easy victories in the Democratic primaries. Commentators analyse the situation.
Economic situation leaves voters unconvinced
A sound economic track record is no longer key in the election campaign, the business newspaper Les Echos observes:
“The US no longer has a problem with unemployment, the stock markets are soaring, wages are rising and many companies are building new factories again. But none of this seems to convince voters: a large proportion of them (60 percent) disapprove of their president’s economic performance and are far more confident about Donald Trump’s ability to bring them prosperity. ... As the Super Tuesday primaries take place, this says a great deal about the way the US is developing. ... But it also sounds like a warning to our leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, who has always made the economy the yardstick by which his performance is measured.”
Price of burgers also a key factor
The phenomenon of "vibecession" should not be underestimated, notes La Stampa:
“For citizens, the big debates about the state of the economy are ultimately measured in terms of small, everyday things — and an increase in the price of a hamburger can influence public opinion about the state of the economy far more than a parliamentary report. ... This leads to ‘vibecession’, a perceived recession, a disconnect between the economic reality and its perception that fuels a powerful pessimism regarding the future. This is exactly what seems to be happening in the US.”
Only court cases can stop Trump now
Jutarnji list weighs up:
“In the circles that still believe it is possible to prevent Trump from becoming the Republican candidate, hopes are pinned on his age and possible health problems, but there is little hope there, because the desire to capture one of the most powerful offices in the world seems to work like a panacea. The second, more real hope lies in the series of court cases the ex-president faces. ... If the Supreme Court rejects his appeal and agrees that he can be prosecuted, the trial might be postponed for two months, which would still be before the November election. That would be the biggest blow for Trump, because according to polls most of the undecided voters wouldn’t vote for him in that case.”
Democrats lack good ideas
El Periódico de Catalunya is frustrated:
“We Europeans haven’t tried hard enough to understand the Trump phenomenon. ... It has to do with a certain idea of globalisation and its impact on local economies, and with the moral superiority of believers in progress who confuse ideology with common sense. ... We don’t have a Trump yet, but the causes that catapulted him to success can also be found in our countries. The crisis in agriculture is partly connected to this. ... What’s even more difficult to understand is the fact that the Democrats haven’t had any real leadership since Obama’s time. ... What is going on? Is it a lack of leaders or a lack of good ideas? Perhaps both.”
