Guest of Europe 1, the Franco-American political scientist Nicole Bacharan deciphers on the eve of the Democratic convention in the United States the keys to the success of Joe Biden, presented as the big favorite of the presidential election against Donald Trump. The former vice-president of Barack Obama has the whole Democratic camp with him, while President Trump has lost his electoral capital due to the health crisis.

INTERVIEW

No jubilant crowd, no flyers, no goodies. Monday is held in the United States a virtual democratic convention - health crisis obliges - key stage of the American presidential election. It should indeed formalize the candidacy of Joe Biden against Donald Trump. While the coronavirus epidemic is still not contained in the country, the current tenant of the White House is declining a little more each day in the polls, which now give him 12 points difference on average from his future opponent. Invited Sunday in Europe 1, Nicole Bacharan, Franco-American political scientist, details the reasons that explains the flight of the Democrat in the face of the impetuous billionaire.

A party united behind its candidate

"The Democratic Party is a wide range, which brings together relatively liberal conservatives and figures frankly on the left," explains Nicole Bacharan. "But the lesson of 2016 (the defeat of Hillary Clinton, however widely given the winner against Donald Trump, editor's note ) was very brutal for the party. A part of the voters favorable to Bernie Sanders (leader of the left wing of the party Democrat, editor's note ) did not vote for Hillary Clinton, "recalls our specialist. "Today, on the eve of the convention, the party appears relatively united behind Joe Biden, who knew how to work with the left wing, with Bernie Sanders, to adopt certain positions and open up his perspectives", she welcomes . "The common project now is to beat Donald Trump."

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A president who lost his electoral capital in the face of the Covid-19 crisis

"The health crisis, state management and the plunge in the economy deprived Donald Trump of his first argument. For three years, he governed and campaigned on the basis of a flourishing economic situation: unemployment at its lowest, stock market prices at their highest, fairly solid growth, "lists Nicole Bacharan. However, "all that has disappeared. Today, there remains only the personality of the president." A personality who certainly continues to appeal to 40% of Americans, but whose divisive nature is slowing down the expansion of this electoral base. The hesitant voters do not feel that this man is rational, responsible, able to face the challenges which present themselves today. "

A part of American opinion that longs for a return to the Obama years

"What dominates among many Americans is great anxiety and immense fatigue," reports Nicole Bacharan. "People want to get back to a normal, calm situation, not being worried every day about what the president is doing. What did he say? Who did he insult? What scandal has- did he provoke? " In this regard Joe Biden, 78, former vice-president of Barack Obama, embodies this return to normalcy, to the years before Donald Trump, while having been able to look to the future. Because "he is now flanked by a future vice-president, Kalama Harris, who is younger, more glamorous and who embodies a multicultural, multiethnic America", points out our specialist.