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Letters | Will Biden’s midterm election strategy offer Trump an opening?
- Readers discuss Biden’s approach during the midterm elections, the UK’s central bank needing to step in to stabilise government bond prices, and the oil industry’s interest in events in Iran
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US President Joe Biden’s September speech on the threat of the “make America great again” movement and former president Donald Trump, while intending to shore up his Democratic base and salvage his second-term prospects, was counterproductive.
About 70 per cent of self-identified Republicans believe Trump is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election. Biden tried to drive a wedge between MAGA and establishment Republicans, but it is unclear if he had much success. MAGA Republicans are not in the minority of their party, contrary to what Biden suggests.
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If Democrats continue with their current agenda and Biden keeps emphasising that the future of US democracy is at risk, they will struggle to gain the desired resonance and buy-in from Americans.
Biden has long pushed the message of the soul of the country being at stake, but the dynamics on the ground are different as voters have been disheartened by the tone of politics and politicians themselves. If Biden’s goal is to energise his party’s base and bring in more support from independent voters, he appears to be failing. He could have used other talking points that could sway voters, such as the price of petrol.
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Meanwhile, the China threat is a hot-button issue that has resonated with voters. There are increasing calls for action to halt Chinese espionage in the US and other aggressive tactics.
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