Xinhua News Agency, Washington, June 20 (International Observation) Multiple pressures haunt Trump to restart campaign rally

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Jianmei Sun Ding Deng Xianlai

　　President Trump, who has locked in the nomination of Republican presidential candidates, held his first campaign rally after the outbreak of the new US crown epidemic in Tulsa, Oklahoma's second largest city on the 20th.

　　There are still four and a half months before the polling day of the November 3 election. The Democratic Party basically locked former Vice President Biden as the presidential candidate. The new crown epidemic that lasted for several months and the resulting economic shock and high unemployment rate, coupled with the wave of protests caused by the death of African-American George Floyd, have placed great pressure on Trump’s re-election, and Inevitably, it has become the focus of competition between the two parties.

"Restart" under the epidemic

　　Oklahoma is a deep red state governed by the Republican Party, and Trump won 65% of the votes in the state four years ago. The 20th election rally was held in a stadium in Tulsa that can accommodate 19,000 people. According to several US media reports, at least one-third of the seats in the venue are empty, and the actual number of participants is lower than expected.

　　Organizers distribute masks and hand sanitizers at the assembly site and measure the temperature of the participants, but most people in the venue do not wear masks and it is difficult to maintain social distance. A few hours before the campaign rally began, six Trump campaign personnel tested positive for the new crown virus. Outside the stadium, some protesters displayed the banner "The life of a black man is also life".

　　In recent weeks, including Oklahoma, approximately 20 newly diagnosed cases in the United States have shown an upward trend every day. Several federal and state public health officials have warned that "super spreaders" of the new crown virus may appear at election rallies. Analysts from both parties believe that the current epidemic in the United States is still serious, and the campaign rally is "high-risk gambling" and "risk".

　　Why do we still insist on holding rallies? Based on the views of American media and analysts, large-scale rallies are considered a "magic weapon" for elections, and some media described it as "political adrenaline." At this time, the Republican Party restarted large-scale election rallies, which not only mobilized voters and boosted morale, but also an opportunity to readjust the campaign strategy and determine the pace of the election. It can also explore the way for the Republican National Congress scheduled for August. Oklahoma Republican Rep. Kevin Hearn said: "A successful rally will lay the foundation for the next campaign season."

　　However, some analysts believe that if the concerns of public health experts become a reality and the rally restarts to intensify the development of the epidemic, the future elections of the two parties, especially the National Congress of the two parties, will be affected.

Encounter multiple pressures

　　At the campaign rally, Trump delivered a speech about 105 minutes long, talking about the New Crown epidemic response, current anti-violent law enforcement and anti-racist demonstrations in the United States, tax cuts, diplomatic and immigration policies.

　　Today, the United States is experiencing a "three consecutive attacks" on public health crises, economic shrinkage crises, and social crises triggered by racial inequality. The general election situation is very different from that before the outbreak. The confirmed and dead cases of the new crown of the United States rank first in the world; more than 40 million people were unemployed in the epidemic, and the unemployment rate rose to the highest level since the Great Depression in the 1930s; the Freud incident triggered the United States since the 1968 black civil rights leader Martin Lu The most widespread and lasting wave of protests since De King’s assassination... In the latest polls, only about a quarter of American voters believe that the country is moving in the right direction.

　　Prior to the campaign rally, the US Supreme Court ruled that the “President Repatriation of Childhood Arrivals” plan formulated by former President Barack Obama could not be immediately abolished, causing Trump’s core campaign commitment on immigration to suffer setbacks.

　　The poll results released by the US Fox News Channel on June 18 show that the gap between Trump and Biden continues to widen. 50% of the respondents said they would vote for Biden, and 38% would vote for Trang general. The poll was conducted in the context of weeks of protests triggered by racial issues and police violent law enforcement. According to a poll last month, 48% of the respondents supported Biden and 40% supported Trump.

"The worst division"

　　However, Trump's approval rating within the Republican Party remains above 90%. The US "Wall Street Journal" / National Broadcasting Corporation news program polls show that in terms of dealing with economic issues, voters prefer Trump to Biden.

　　Observers believe that the differences between the two parties' politicians and the public on the prevention and control of the epidemic, economic restart, and ethnicity stand out. In the general election year, the polarization of American parties and social divisions will become more serious.

　　On the same day, Trump showed some of the main ideas of his campaign strategy in the rally speech: catering to the right-wing conservatives, emphasizing law and order, and shaping the Democratic Party’s excessive left-leaning image, in order to mobilize Republican voters to vote actively; playing economic cards, emphasizing before the epidemic Good news, such as economic performance and the recent drop in unemployment rate, expect the economy to recover as soon as possible to drive elections; adhere to anti-establishment, anti-immigration and other policy propositions...

　　Some American media believe that the Republican Party’s campaign strategy is to intensify “split and anger”, in order to inspire Republican voters and swing state voters to vote. Some observers believe that this year's election may turn into a rare fierce confrontation.

　　There are still days before the November elections, and there are many unknown factors that affect the election. Some media believe that the United States is currently in "the most severe state of division since the Civil War." No matter what the election situation is this year, the opposition between the two parties in the United States will continue. This kind of tense opposition will undoubtedly further aggravate the contradictions in American society. .