Donald Trump and the Parties: Impeachment, Pandemic, Protest, and Electoral Politics in 2020

Abstract

To varying degrees, every postwar president has influenced opinions of, beliefs about, identification with, and voting for the president's party-just as partisanship has affected opinions of every president. During his three-plus years in office, Donald Trump has had a stronger impact on public reaction to his party-and partisan priors have had a stronger impact on opinions of him-than any of his predecessors. This article reviews a selection of the evidence for this conclusion, considers why it pertains, and examines how attitudes toward the president and the parties have shaped and been shaped by reactions to signal events of Trump's presidency: his impeachment and acquittal, the coronavirus crisis, and the protests against racial injustice. It also considers Trump's past and prospective influence on the electoral fates of down-ballot candidates and his longer-term impact on the party coalitions.

Restoring resilience through joy: The pursuit of happiness in the midst of unprecedented times

“…Americans watched the election and social unrest play out through presidential primary debates, the 24-hour news cycle, and a contingent presidential race that many hoped would result in change for Black communities across the nation. On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police was recorded and quickly went viral, sparking protests across the country and meeting the ire of Donald Trump, who throughout his presidency, took a staunch approach to systemic policing ( Bitecofer, 2020 ; Jacobson, 2020 ). Following the murders of both Breonna Taylor in March 2020 and George Floyd in May 2020, nationwide protests called for the defunding of local police leading to major U.S. cities like Los Angeles and New York City to cut millions of dollars in police funding ( Cobbina-Dungy et al, 2022 ).…”

US Political Leadership and Crisis Communication During COVID-19

“…These political leaders intend to "question conventions and conventional authorities … to change the balance of power, undermine their rivals' structural position, rebuild institutions or exchange them for new ones" (Körösényi et al, 2016, p. 99). President Trump's assertion that the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was stolen is representative of the voluntaristic political leadership approach (Hart, 2020;Jacobson, 2020). Trump started a false narrative that the presidential election would only be fair if he won before the first votes were cast (Jacobson, 2020).…”

“…President Trump's assertion that the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was stolen is representative of the voluntaristic political leadership approach (Hart, 2020;Jacobson, 2020). Trump started a false narrative that the presidential election would only be fair if he won before the first votes were cast (Jacobson, 2020). He continued to perpetuate the story before, during, and after the election.…”

The “PERFECT” Call: Congressional Representation by Tweet in the Midst of the Ukraine Whistleblower Scandal

“…In the pre-election component of the 2020 Cooperative Election Study (CES) (Schaffner et al, 2021) Long before the details of Watergate and the Lewinsky affair became public knowledge, rival partisans of these respective embattled presidents favored their impeachment in the 30-percentile range (Jacobson, 2020). In contrast, as early as January 2018, over 70% of Democrats favored impeaching Republican President Trump (Jacobson, 2020). In other words, in the mid-1970s and in the late-1990s, outparty support for impeachment did not rise to the level of a majority until the events surrounding these scandals were manifested.…”

“…6. We are aware that by the summer of 2020, with the emergence of multiple crises involving the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative impact on the economy and the rise of mass protests over racial injustice in the wake of a police officer's killing of African American George Floyd, public opinion finally indicated a shift against President Trump's leadership, and it registered a discernible decline in his approval rating (see Jacobson, 2020). 7.…”