theguardian--2020-10-18--'It's not fair': workers in a poor Mississippi county pay more tax than Trump

Clumps of white fluff drift across the highway on the west side of the Mississippi Delta town of Belzoni .
Cotton now grows from the beds of former catfish ponds .
When catfish ponds in the self-proclaimed Catfish Capital of the World dried up , jobs went with them .
Humphreys county , where Belzoni is located , has an unemployment rate double the national level .
But it is not entirely a forgotten southern backwater – at least , not to one government agency .
Last year ProPublica reported that the Internal Revenue Service audits Humphreys county taxpayers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
About 12 out of 1,000 tax returns are audited each year in the county , according to the ProPublica analysis .
That ’ s 53 % higher than the national average and raises the question of why such a place is the subject of such IRS attention , rather than the haunts of millionaires and billionaires , like Manhattan and its one-time resident Donald Trump .
But in the most heavily audited county in the US , the recent shock news that Trump paid just $ 750 in federal income taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Joe Jackson , who was elected mayor of Belzoni last month .
“ Most people around here are kind of adjusted to the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer , ” he said .
“ That ’ s not surprising to people in our area.
” The local economy was already in a shambles when the coronavirus hit .
The catfish industry was nearly wiped out around 2008 when restaurants across the US started buying cheaper fish imported from Asia .
Ethanol demand drove up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to catfish , at the same time .
But the pandemic has made things worse .
There are only a handful of restaurants in town , but they are now closed to discourage social gatherings , Jackson said .
Many of the storefronts on Hayden Street , the main drag in Belzoni , are closed and , the paint is chipping from the catfish sculptures outside the police station , city hall and pharmacy .
Yet the county ’ s residents have been targeted by the IRS for claiming a tax credit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty .
The IRS audits about 300,000 taxpayers who claim the earned income tax credit , or EITC , each year .
These taxpayers are targeted more often than high-income and high-wealth taxpayers because the audits of EITC claimants are easier to do , according to a 2019 letter written by the IRS Commissioner .
An analysis by Kim Bloomquist , who retired from the IRS Office of Research in 2018 , found that the IRS ’ s policy has resulted in higher rates of tax audits in poor communities of color than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most heavily audited counties in the country are in Mississippi .
In Humphreys county , 76 % of the 8,000 residents are Black .
The IRS audits most EITC claimants by mail , but wealthy taxpayers are typically audited in person and the audits require more training .
In the 2019 fiscal year , about 80 % of individual taxpayer audits were done by mail .
But 52 % of the $ 6.9bn recovered from these tax audits came from audits done in person , which are typically performed on wealthier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rettig , wrote that the IRS needs more money to hire and train auditors in order to balance the number of audits across all income levels .
Between 2010 and 2017 , the IRS budget was cut by about $ 2bn .
The budget cuts shifted the focus of IRS audits from high-income taxpayers to low- and middle-income EITC claimants , according to Bloomquist ’ s research .
Bloomquist acknowledged Rettig ’ s reasoning for why the IRS audits more EITC claimants , who tend to be more rural , lower-income taxpayers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as in the case of Trump .
“ It ’ s an excuse but it ’ s not a good excuse , ” he said .
One of the few open establishments in Belzoni is the Catfish Museum .
The museum includes placards about the height of the catfish industry , ceramic catfish sculptures and posters from the annual World Catfish Festival , which was canceled this year because of the pandemic .
What was once a homage to the biggest industry in town is now a history museum .
Cotton and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in where catfish ponds once were .
But there ’ s little stable work in the area , said Latoya Skinner , who runs a tax preparation service in Belzoni called Tax Genie .
Most workers are self-employed and do side gigs to get by , which makes it difficult to produce the documentation necessary for the EITC .
“ If 50 % of the town doesn ’ t know how to produce the documentation , it doesn ’ t mean they didn ’ t have the business .
It just means they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Skinner said .
In 2016 , the Democratic presidential nominee , Hillary Clinton , received 72 % of the vote in Humphreys county .
As the last day to register to vote approached in Mississippi , Humphreys county Democratic party chair , Joyce McNair , held registration events across the county .
McNair went through a tax audit about a decade ago .
The audit was brought on by a paperwork mistake .
The National Research Program estimates that about half of EITC returns have errors .
Going through an audit was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McNair pays between $ 3,000 and $ 4,000 back to the federal government in taxes .
That is far more than Trump ’ s $ 750 .
“ I have an issue with someone who is making more than quadruple my income paying less in taxes , ” she said of Trump ’ s federal income taxes .
“ The average American is paying more.
” But there are some signs of hope in Belzoni , despite what seems like tough times and an unfair treatment by a federal government that is meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggling communities .
Joann Wilson and her husband , Joseph Wilson , bought one of the local Belzoni restaurants about six months ago .
The restaurant , previously called the Lunch Basket , was a buffet .
But the couple ripped out the buffet table before they reopened as Da Soulfood Palace .
Among Belzoni cooks making the best fried catfish is still “ a competitive thing ” , Joann Wilson said .
Wilson ’ s batter recipe is a tightly held secret that she doesn ’ t write down .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
They hope to put the buffet table back when it ’ s safe to do so .
“ We ’ re turning a profit , but it could be a lot better , ” Joseph Wilson said .

Clumps of white fluff drift across the highway on the west side of the Mississippi Delta town of Belzoni. Cotton now grows from the beds of former catfish ponds.
When catfish ponds in the self-proclaimed Catfish Capital of the World dried up, jobs went with them. Humphreys county, where Belzoni is located, has an unemployment rate double the national level.
But it is not entirely a forgotten southern backwater – at least, not to one government agency. Last year ProPublica reported that the Internal Revenue Service audits Humphreys county taxpayers at a higher rate than anywhere else in America.
About 12 out of 1,000 tax returns are audited each year in the county, according to the ProPublica analysis. That’s 53% higher than the national average and raises the question of why such a place is the subject of such IRS attention, rather than the haunts of millionaires and billionaires, like Manhattan and its one-time resident Donald Trump. But in the most heavily audited county in the US, the recent shock news that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 was no surprise, said Joe Jackson, who was elected mayor of Belzoni last month.
“Most people around here are kind of adjusted to the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” he said. “That’s not surprising to people in our area.”
The local economy was already in a shambles when the coronavirus hit. The catfish industry was nearly wiped out around 2008 when restaurants across the US started buying cheaper fish imported from Asia. Ethanol demand drove up the price of corn, which is fed to catfish, at the same time. But the pandemic has made things worse. There are only a handful of restaurants in town, but they are now closed to discourage social gatherings, Jackson said.
Many of the storefronts on Hayden Street, the main drag in Belzoni, are closed and, the paint is chipping from the catfish sculptures outside the police station, city hall and pharmacy. Yet the county’s residents have been targeted by the IRS for claiming a tax credit that aims to lift working parents out of poverty.
The IRS audits about 300,000 taxpayers who claim the earned income tax credit, or EITC, each year. These taxpayers are targeted more often than high-income and high-wealth taxpayers because the audits of EITC claimants are easier to do, according to a 2019 letter written by the IRS Commissioner.
An analysis by Kim Bloomquist, who retired from the IRS Office of Research in 2018, found that the IRS’s policy has resulted in higher rates of tax audits in poor communities of color than the rest of the country. Eight of the most heavily audited counties in the country are in Mississippi. In Humphreys county, 76% of the 8,000 residents are Black.
The IRS audits most EITC claimants by mail, but wealthy taxpayers are typically audited in person and the audits require more training. In the 2019 fiscal year, about 80% of individual taxpayer audits were done by mail. But 52% of the $6.9bn recovered from these tax audits came from audits done in person, which are typically performed on wealthier taxpayers.
The IRS commissioner, Charles Rettig, wrote that the IRS needs more money to hire and train auditors in order to balance the number of audits across all income levels. Between 2010 and 2017, the IRS budget was cut by about $2bn. The budget cuts shifted the focus of IRS audits from high-income taxpayers to low- and middle-income EITC claimants, according to Bloomquist’s research.
Bloomquist acknowledged Rettig’s reasoning for why the IRS audits more EITC claimants, who tend to be more rural, lower-income taxpayers. Auditing millionaires and billionaires can take years, as in the case of Trump.
“It’s an excuse but it’s not a good excuse,” he said.
Belzoni is the self-proclaimed Catfish Capital of the World, although the catfish industry has struggled in recent years. Photograph: William Widmer/The Guardian
One of the few open establishments in Belzoni is the Catfish Museum. The museum includes placards about the height of the catfish industry, ceramic catfish sculptures and posters from the annual World Catfish Festival, which was canceled this year because of the pandemic. What was once a homage to the biggest industry in town is now a history museum.
Cotton and other row crops have started to fill in where catfish ponds once were. But there’s little stable work in the area, said Latoya Skinner, who runs a tax preparation service in Belzoni called Tax Genie. Most workers are self-employed and do side gigs to get by, which makes it difficult to produce the documentation necessary for the EITC.
“If 50% of the town doesn’t know how to produce the documentation, it doesn’t mean they didn’t have the business. It just means they don’t have the documentation,” Skinner said.
In 2016, the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, received 72% of the vote in Humphreys county. As the last day to register to vote approached in Mississippi, Humphreys county Democratic party chair, Joyce McNair, held registration events across the county.
McNair went through a tax audit about a decade ago. The audit was brought on by a paperwork mistake. The National Research Program estimates that about half of EITC returns have errors. Going through an audit was stressful, she said.
Most years McNair pays between $3,000 and $4,000 back to the federal government in taxes. That is far more than Trump’s $750. “I have an issue with someone who is making more than quadruple my income paying less in taxes,” she said of Trump’s federal income taxes. “The average American is paying more.”
But there are some signs of hope in Belzoni, despite what seems like tough times and an unfair treatment by a federal government that is meant to help, not hinder, such struggling communities.
Joann Wilson and her husband, Joseph Wilson, bought one of the local Belzoni restaurants about six months ago. The restaurant, previously called the Lunch Basket, was a buffet. But the couple ripped out the buffet table before they reopened as Da Soulfood Palace. Among Belzoni cooks making the best fried catfish is still “a competitive thing”, Joann Wilson said.
Wilson’s batter recipe is a tightly held secret that she doesn’t write down. “It’s just in my head,” she said.
They hope to put the buffet table back when it’s safe to do so.
“We’re turning a profit, but it could be a lot better,” Joseph Wilson said.


theguardian--2020-10-18--The upset of 2020? Jaime Harrison push to oust Lindsey Graham central to US Senate battle

Jaime Harrison , the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in South Carolina , has raised a staggering $ 57m in the third quarter of 2020 , a new record for a single Senate race in the southern state , and anywhere else in America for that matter .
But Harrison ’ s race is also winning attention for a host of other reasons .
His opponent is incumbent Lindsey Graham , a close Donald Trump ally and vocal cheerleader for the president .
In conservative South Carolina , Graham was meant to be a certainty to retain his seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat at a time when anti-racism protests have roiled America .
But 2020 is anything but a normal election year .
Not only has Harrison set new money-raising records , but his polling has hauled him into unexpected contention in a state no one saw as vulnerable for the Republicans .
That in itself could help Democrats win a victory in the Republican-controlled Senate that few saw as likely even a year ago and radically alter the direction of America ’ s politics .
Harrison ’ s candidacy is proving historic and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beats Graham , South Carolina would become the first state with two sitting African American senators ever .
The South Carolina senator Tim Scott is one of the few African American senators in the chamber , and the only Black Republican .
Other states have been represented by African Americans but never at the same time .
There have been 1,974 members of the US senate since it was established in 1789 – only 10 have been Black .
South Carolina has emerged , surprisingly , as one of the best chances Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats needed to retake control of the Senate .
Although there is intense interest in the race for the White House the battle to control the Senate which will also have a huge impact on the shape of the next presidency .
If Trump was to win the Presidency but Republicans lose control of the Senate it would severely limit the legislation that he could get passed .
Similarly , if Biden was to win the White House but the Democrats failed to win control of the Senate , it would mean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislative programme would be dead on arrival in Washington DC .
As Molly Reynolds , of the DC-based think tank Brookings said recently , “ The presidential race has captured most of the recent election-related headlines .
But a set of key Senate races will have significant consequences for the ability of former Vice President Joe Biden to govern if he defeats President Donald Trump.
” It is not too long ago that the prospects of Democrats winning control of the Senate seemed somewhat outlandish .
But the shifting dynamics of the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The influx of campaign funding that has eclipsed Republicans in South Carolina has also been mirrored elsewhere .
Democratic candidates in a diverse list of states such as Maine , Montana , Colorado , Iowa and even reliably red Kansas , find themselves with healthy war chests in the last few weeks before the 3 November election .
The 44-year old South Carolina Democrat has run in Democratic circles for years .
But it didn ’ t start out that way .
Harrison was born when his mother was 15 .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school boyfriend and out of the picture for much of his childhood .
His grandparents played a large role in raising him .
Harrison grew up poor in Orangeburg , a town of tens of thousands , and went on to graduate from Yale University on scholarship and Georgetown University ’ s law school .
Harrison was a teacher , served as a chairman of the South Carolina Democratic party , an aide to the South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn , and then a lobbyist .
Harrison ’ s association with Clyburn is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the most influential African American Democrat in Congress and his endorsement was a critical point in helping resuscitate Joe Biden ’ s presidential campaign during the Democratic primary .
Clyburn has shown cautious optimism of Harrison ’ s chances .
“ I think things are breaking in his favor .
If we get the kind of turnout that we ’ ve been working on in South Carolina , ” Clyburn said in an interview with Politico .
At first , the 2020 South Carolina Senate race seemed like a long shot for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats in the state for 15 years .
But Graham ’ s close association with Trump and , for others , with the late Arizona senator John McCain as well as his defense of now-supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh during the justice ’ s confirmation hearings are what Republicans and Democrats now attribute to strong antagonism toward the senator .
Graham is also a golf buddy of Trump ’ s .
“ I think the reason we ’ re here is primarily twofold .
One , the Democrats are just hellbent on controlling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said South Carolina Republican strategist Walter Whetsell , who is helping advise a Super Pac backin Whetsell said Democrats “ hate Lindsey Graham for what he did on Kavanaugh .
They despise this guy .
They want vengeance .
They want revenge .
And you combine these two things and it ’ s like smoking in a fireworks stand .
It ’ s going to explode , right ?
” In an interview with the Guardian Harrison pointed out that Graham ’ s seat is one that had been occupied by some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history .
It would be a dramatic contrast for an African American to inherit it .
“ The seat that I ’ m vying for also is a seat that has its own history .
This is the seat of John C Calhoun , of Strom Thurmond , of a man called Ben Tillman who talked about lynching black folks on the US Senate.
” With his most recent fundraising haul , Harrison will also show what a Democratic campaign in South Carolina can do with such a huge amount of money .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the money to flood the zone in an all-out effort to win the seat for Democrats .
Most recent polls of the Senate race show a low-single-digit margin between Harrison and Graham .
A New York Times/Siena College poll of the race published on Thursday found Graham leading Harrison by six percentage points .
Harrison ’ s chances in South Carolina now rest in part on whether enough Republicans decide not to vote for Graham , either by not voting at all or backing the former Constitution party candidate Bill Bledsoe , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots even though he dropped out and endorsed Graham .
Harrison said the success of his party in competing in traditionally conservative states is because of a shift in the kinds of candidates Democrats are nominating .
“ We ’ re actually competing.We ’ re putting people who aren ’ t just Republican-lite but folks who can reflect and motivate and energize the base of the party but appeal to the Independents of the state and moderate Republicans .
That ’ s part of it , ” Harrison said .
Harrison continued : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anchor we have is that Democratic parties in the south have not been appropriately resourced so candidates like myself and Stacey Abrams and Beto O ’ Rourke not only have to do the same thing that candidates normally do but we also have to do more party function [ s ] as well .
I ’ m very proud that my time as chair of the partywe spent time in the past few years rebuilding and revitalizing the party .
But that does not take into account the years of lack of proper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all that back up.
” There have been demographic shifts as well , Harrison said , pointing to African Americans leaving the “ industrial midwest ” moving back to the south .
White , college-educated retirees are also moving to urban centers in the state , which tend to be reliably Democratic .
“ White , college-educated retirees , ” Harrison said .
“ They ’ re assembling in places like Greenville and Charleston , South Carolina .
And bringing a much more moderate politics with them as well .
So it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Harrison , when asked what he thought of the prospect of South Carolina becoming the first state with two sitting black senators said “ It ’ s appropriate.
” “ It ’ s about showing the progress that is made in this country and there has been a lot of progress .
I ’ ve been saying out in the field – this is about closing the book on the old south and writing a brand new book on the new south , ” Harrison said .
He went on to outline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bold and inclusive and diverse .
It ’ s appropriate .
When you think about the history of this nation the first black senators came from the south .
So why wouldn ’ t the first state to get two African American senators be from the south ?
” he said .
“ It makes a lot of sense to me .
I feel good that we ’ re going to be able to pull it off and make history .
”

Jaime Harrison, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in South Carolina, has raised a staggering $57m in the third quarter of 2020, a new record for a single Senate race in the southern state, and anywhere else in America for that matter.
But Harrison’s race is also winning attention for a host of other reasons. His opponent is incumbent Lindsey Graham, a close Donald Trump ally and vocal cheerleader for the president. In conservative South Carolina, Graham was meant to be a certainty to retain his seat, especially against a nationally little-known Black Democrat at a time when anti-racism protests have roiled America.
But 2020 is anything but a normal election year. Not only has Harrison set new money-raising records, but his polling has hauled him into unexpected contention in a state no one saw as vulnerable for the Republicans. That in itself could help Democrats win a victory in the Republican-controlled Senate that few saw as likely even a year ago and radically alter the direction of America’s politics.
Harrison’s candidacy is proving historic and has caught major national attention. If he beats Graham, South Carolina would become the first state with two sitting African American senators ever. Tim Scott is one of the few African American senators in the chamber, and the only Black Republican. Other states have been represented by African Americans but never at the same time. There have been 1,974 members of the US senate since it was established in 1789 – only 10 have been Black.
South Carolina has emerged, surprisingly, as one of the best chances Democrats have to get the three or four seats needed to retake control of the Senate. Although there is intense interest in the race for the White House, the battle to control the Senate will also have a huge impact on the shape of the next presidency.
If Trump were to win the presidency but Republicans lose control of the Senate it would severely limit the legislation that he could get passed. Similarly, if Biden were to win the White House but the Democrats failed to win control of the Senate, it would mean that much of the new president’s legislative programme would be dead on arrival in Washington DC.
As Molly Reynolds, of the DC-based thinktank Brookings said recently: “The presidential race has captured most of the recent election-related headlines. But a set of key Senate races will have significant consequences for the ability of Joe Biden to govern if he defeats Donald Trump.”
Not long ago, the prospect of Democrats winning control of the Senate seemed somewhat outlandish. But the shifting dynamics of the 2020 race have put the Senate into play.
The influx of campaign funding that has eclipsed Republicans in South Carolina has also been mirrored elsewhere. Democratic candidates in a diverse list of states such as Maine, Montana, Colorado, Iowa and even reliably red Kansas, find themselves with healthy war chests in the last few weeks before the 3 November election.
Senator Lindsey Graham leaves the White House for a round of golf with Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, in July. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters
The 44-year old South Carolina Democrat has run in Democratic circles for years. But it didn’t start out that way. Harrison was born when his mother was 15. His father was his mother’s high school boyfriend and out of the picture for much of his childhood. His grandparents played a large role in raising him. Harrison grew up poor in Orangeburg, a town of tens of thousands, and went on to graduate from Yale University on scholarship and Georgetown University’s law school. Harrison was a teacher, served as a chairman of the South Carolina Democratic party, an aide to the South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn, and then a lobbyist.
Harrison’s association with Clyburn is a boon in South Carolina. Clyburn is the most influential African American Democrat in Congress and his endorsement was a critical point in helping resuscitate Joe Biden’s presidential campaign during the Democratic primary. Clyburn has shown cautious optimism of Harrison’s chances.
“I think things are breaking in his favor. If we get the kind of turnout that we’ve been working on in South Carolina,” Clyburn said in an interview with Politico.
At first, the 2020 South Carolina Senate race seemed like a long shot for Democrats. Republicans have controlled both Senate seats in the state for 15 years. But Graham’s close association with Trump and, for others, with the late Arizona senator John McCain as well as his defense of now-supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh during the justice’s confirmation hearings are what Republicans and Democrats now attribute to strong antagonism toward the senator. Graham is also a golf buddy of Trump’s.
“I think the reason we’re here is primarily twofold. One, the Democrats are just hellbent on controlling the Senate and pining for power,” said South Carolina Republican strategist Walter Whetsell, who is helping advise a Super Pac backing Graham.
Whetsell said Democrats “hate Lindsey Graham for what he did on Kavanaugh. They despise this guy. They want vengeance. They want revenge. And you combine these two things and it’s like smoking in a fireworks stand. It’s going to explode, right?”
In an interview with the Guardian Harrison pointed out that Graham’s seat is one that had been occupied by some of the most vocal segregationists in American history. It would be a dramatic contrast for an African American to inherit it.
“The seat that I’m vying for also is a seat that has its own history. This is the seat of John C Calhoun, of Strom Thurmond, of a man called Ben Tillman who talked about lynching black folks on the US Senate.”
With his most recent fundraising haul, Harrison will also show what a Democratic campaign in South Carolina can do with such a huge amount of money. Harrison said his campaign planned to use the money to flood the zone in an all-out effort to win the seat for Democrats.
Jaime Harrison addresses the Democratic national convention remotely in August. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Most recent polls of the Senate race show a low-single-digit margin between
Harrison and Graham. A New York Times/Siena College poll of the race published on Thursday found Graham leading Harrison by six percentage points.
Harrison’s chances in South Carolina now rest in part on whether enough Republicans decide not to vote for Graham, either by not voting at all or backing the former Constitution party candidate Bill Bledsoe, a conservative whose name will still appear on ballots even though he dropped out and endorsed Graham.
Harrison said the success of his party in competing in traditionally conservative states is because of a shift in the kinds of candidates Democrats are nominating.
“We’re actually competing.We’re putting people who aren’t just Republican-lite but folks who can reflect and motivate and energize the base of the party but appeal to the Independents of the state and moderate Republicans. That’s part of it,” Harrison said.
Harrison continued: “But I think part of the anchor we have is that Democratic parties in the south have not been appropriately resourced, so candidates like myself and Stacey Abrams and Beto O’Rourke not only have to do the same thing that candidates normally do, but we also have to do more party function[s] as well. I’m very proud that my time as chair of the party we spent time in the past few years rebuilding and revitalizing the party. But that does not take into account the years of lack of proper resourcing. So you have to make all that back up.”
There have been demographic shifts as well, Harrison said, pointing to African Americans leaving the “industrial midwest” moving back to the south. White, college-educated retirees are also moving to urban centers in the state, which tend to be reliably Democratic.
“White, college-educated retirees,” Harrison said. “They’re assembling in places like Greenville and Charleston. And bringing a much more moderate politics with them as well. So it’s giving us the ability to compete.”
Harrison, when asked what he thought of the prospect of South Carolina becoming the first state with two sitting black senators, said: “It’s appropriate.”
“It’s about showing the progress that is made in this country and there has been a lot of progress. I’ve been saying out in the field – this is about closing the book on the old south and writing a brand new book on the new south,” Harrison said.
He went on to outline that vision. “One that is bold and inclusive and diverse. It’s appropriate. When you think about the history of this nation the first black senators came from the south. So why wouldn’t the first state to get two African American senators be from the south?” he said.
“It makes a lot of sense to me. I feel good that we’re going to be able to pull it off and make history.”


theguardian--2020-10-18--‘Biden gets Ireland’: why Joe in the Oval Office would thrill Joe in Mayo

It was a telling line that almost got drowned out in the acrimony of the first US presidential debate .
Donald Trump , Joe Biden said , belonged to a caste of aloof plutocrats .
“ They look down their nose on people like Irish Catholics and like me.
” It was an appeal to the middle-class and blue-collar voters who will decide next month ’ s election – and a statement of the value Biden places on his Irish heritage .
With polls giving the Democrat a wide lead there has been much attention on how his age ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alliances might shape his administration and draw a line under the Trump era .
Often overlooked is a side to Biden hiding in plain sight : a sense of Irishness that colours his character and views on foreign policy issues of vital interest to the UK .
Hello , Brexit.The former vice-president is five-eighths Irish , a lineage that leads to the Blewitts of County Mayo in the west of Ireland and to the Finnegans of County Louth on the Cooley peninsula overlooking the Irish Sea .
His ancestors fled hunger and poverty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steeped in Biden when he grew up in Scranton , Pennsylvania , which he has described as called an overwhelmingly Irish parish .
Catholic , too , and Biden is still observant .
“ He always said his mother raised him with such Irish values , ” said Laurita Blewitt , 37 , a fourth cousin who helped gather the clan for a lunch when Biden visited Mayo in 2016 .
“ It ’ s not just something he created for the election , it ’ s very much part of him.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploring family roots on visits to Ireland , a precedent followed by Ronald Reagan , Bill Clinton and even Barack Obama , who visited Moneygall in County Offaly in 2011 after a genealogist discovered his great-great-great grandfather came from the village .
The president joked about how the O ’ Bamas lost an apostrophe .
Biden has visited Ireland multiple times , often privately , without fanfare , and charmed his hosts .
They are rooting for him to win on 3 November .
Artists in Ballina , in Mayo , have painted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospice where he turned the sod .
Joe Blewitt , a plumber , has endorsed his third cousin with a sign on his van : “ Joe Biden for the White House , Joe Blewitt for your house.
” A picture of the van spread on social media , prompting abuse from some Trump supporters .
“ One guy started roaring down the phone , but my number has gone worldwide , what do you expect ?
” said Blewitt .
“ Locals love it .
Times are hard , you need something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has met Biden several times .
“ He ’ s a really nice fellow , big into his family .
He ’ s not daft.
” Supporters launched an Irish for Biden campaign in a pub in Carlingford , home of the Finnegan wing of the Biden ancestry .
The campaign is urging Irish people to “ call a cousin , phone a friend , ring a relative ” to mobilise Irish American voters .
“ He hasn ’ t got the gig yet , we ’ ve got to be very careful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public relations man heading the initiative .
“ It ’ s a great opportunity to get another Irishman in the White House.
” Biden opposed Brexit and has warned Downing Street that if it undermines the Good Friday agreement , it can kiss goodbye to a trade deal with the US – a grim scenario for Boris Johnson .
This is politics , not sentiment .
Biden considers Northern Ireland ’ s peace deal a success of US foreign policy and globalism , which he has long espoused .
He sees the EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Powerful congressional Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi have bashed Britain ’ s Brexit policy for similar reasons .
“ The actions of the Boris Johnson government , in trying to escape its obligations under the Good Friday agreement ... have awakened and energised many Irish Americans who had previously thought Northern Ireland was on the path to lasting peace , ” said Daniel O ’ Connell , head of the non-partisan Ancient Order of Hibernians in America .
Dublin envisages close cooperation should there be a Biden White House .
“ He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d look forward to working with him , ” said Neale Richmond , a foreign affairs spokesperson for Fine Gael , one of Ireland ’ s ruling parties .
Ministers such as Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney have personal ties with Biden , said Richmond .
“ If he ’ s elected they will have the ear of the next president.
” Biden ’ s avowal of his roots – he often cites Seamus Heaney and WB Yeats in speeches – comes with a big caveat : it won ’ t help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans claim Irish ancestry , but they are as divided as the rest of the nation and don ’ t vote based on heritage .
Once a Democratic bloc , many drifted to the Republicans under Reagan and many voted for Trump in 2016 .
Trump claims affinity with Irish Americans – “ I think I know most of them , because they ’ re my friends ” – and has appointed many to senior posts .
This won ’ t help him win either .
“ You have the ‘ liberal ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the ‘ conservative ’ Irish Catholics all around Trump , ” said Trina Vargo , author of Shenanigans : the US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times .
“ So I don ’ t find ‘ Irish ’ has anything to do with it .
”

It was a telling line that almost got drowned out in the acrimony of the first US presidential debate. Donald Trump, Joe Biden said, belonged to a caste of aloof plutocrats. “They look down their nose on people like Irish Catholics and like me.”
It was an appeal to the middle-class and blue-collar voters who will decide next month’s election – and a statement of the value Biden places on his Irish heritage.
With polls giving the Democrat a wide lead there has been much attention on how his age (77), personal views and political alliances might shape his administration and draw a line under the Trump era.
Often overlooked is a side to Biden hiding in plain sight: a sense of Irishness that colours his character and views on foreign policy issues of vital interest to the UK. Hello, Brexit.The former vice-president is five-eighths Irish, a lineage that leads to the Blewitts of County Mayo in the west of Ireland and to the Finnegans of County Louth on the Cooley peninsula overlooking the Irish Sea.
His ancestors fled hunger and poverty in the 1850s, a folk memory steeped in Biden when he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which he has described as called an overwhelmingly Irish parish. Catholic, too, and Biden is still observant.
“He always said his mother raised him with such Irish values,” said Laurita Blewitt, 37, a fourth cousin who helped gather the clan for a lunch when Biden visited Mayo in 2016. “It’s not just something he created for the election, it’s very much part of him.”
Joe Blewitt, third cousin of Joe Biden, promotes his plumbing business alongside his presidential campaign. The picture went viral. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images
JFK began the tradition of US presidents exploring family roots on visits to Ireland, a precedent followed by Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and even Barack Obama, who visited Moneygall in County Offaly in 2011 after a genealogist discovered his great-great-great grandfather came from the village. The president joked about how the O’Bamas lost an apostrophe.
Biden has visited Ireland multiple times, often privately, without fanfare, and charmed his hosts. They are rooting for him to win on 3 November.
Artists in Ballina, in Mayo, have painted a mural of the candidate near a hospice where he turned the sod. Joe Blewitt, a plumber, has endorsed his third cousin with a sign on his van: “Joe Biden for the White House, Joe Blewitt for your house.”
A picture of the van spread on social media, prompting abuse from some Trump supporters. “One guy started roaring down the phone, but my number has gone worldwide, what do you expect?” said Blewitt. “Locals love it. Times are hard, you need something for a bit of craic.” Blewitt has met Biden several times. “He’s a really nice fellow, big into his family. He’s not daft.”
Barack Obama shares a Guinness with the locals during his 2011 visit to Moneygall, the ancestral home of his great-great-great grandfather. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP
Supporters launched an Irish for Biden campaign in a pub in Carlingford, home of the Finnegan wing of the Biden ancestry. The campaign is urging Irish people to “call a cousin, phone a friend, ring a relative” to mobilise Irish American voters. “He hasn’t got the gig yet, we’ve got to be very careful,” said Paul Allen, a public relations man heading the initiative. “It’s a great opportunity to get another Irishman in the White House.”
Biden opposed Brexit and has warned Downing Street that if it undermines the Good Friday agreement, it can kiss goodbye to a trade deal with the US – a grim scenario for Boris Johnson.
This is politics, not sentiment. Biden considers Northern Ireland’s peace deal a success of US foreign policy and globalism, which he has long espoused. He sees the EU as a partner for the US. Powerful congressional Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi have bashed Britain’s Brexit policy for similar reasons.
“The actions of the Boris Johnson government, in trying to escape its obligations under the Good Friday agreement ... have awakened and energised many Irish Americans who had previously thought Northern Ireland was on the path to lasting peace,” said Daniel O’Connell, head of the non-partisan Ancient Order of Hibernians in America.
Dublin envisages close cooperation should there be a Biden White House. “He’s someone who gets Ireland and we’d look forward to working with him,” said Neale Richmond, a foreign affairs spokesperson for Fine Gael, one of Ireland’s ruling parties. Ministers such as Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney have personal ties with Biden, said Richmond. “If he’s elected they will have the ear of the next president.”
Biden’s avowal of his roots – he often cites Seamus Heaney and WB Yeats in speeches – comes with a big caveat: it won’t help him win.
More than 33 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, but they are as divided as the rest of the nation and don’t vote based on heritage. Once a Democratic bloc, many drifted to the Republicans under Reagan and many voted for Trump in 2016.
Trump claims affinity with Irish Americans – “I think I know most of them, because they’re my friends” – and has appointed many to senior posts. This won’t help him win either.
“You have the ‘liberal’ Irish Catholics like Biden, then you have the ‘conservative’ Irish Catholics all around Trump,” said Trina Vargo, author of Shenanigans: the US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times. “So I don’t find ‘Irish’ has anything to do with it.”


theguardian--2020-10-18--Trump is right: this election is a choice between Thanos and Mr Rogers | Matthew Cantor

Last December , a campaign video superimposed Donald Trump ’ s face on the body of Thanos , the Avengers villain who sought to kill half of all life .
In May , Trump ’ s then campaign manager aligned his re-election effort with the Death Star .
Among Trump ’ s opponents , such moments sparked consternation : does the president see it as his mission to do harm ?
On Thursday , the Trump campaign added a new wrinkle to the story , adviser Mercedes Schlapp attacking Joe Biden by … comparing him to Mr Rogers , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loves you just the way you are .
From anyone else , anywhere else , it would have been a compliment .
But in Trumpworld , where down is up and left is right , bad is good and good is , apparently , bad .
What is it like to watch a movie with this man ?
Does he think Sauron is the protagonist of the Lord of the Rings ?
Does he root for Voldemort throughout Harry Potter ?
Does he think Disney movies invariably end in tragedy ?
What ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team is essentially , and gleefully , confirming that their opponents are correct .
In the immortal words of Mitchell and Webb , they are indeed the baddies .
The conflict isn ’ t over the means to achieve a better world .
If Trump ’ s own comparisons and those of his advisers accurately represent his mindset and theirs , the conflict is simpler , and straight out of such works of cinematic fiction : a question of good versus evil .
Why would Trumpworld embrace this position ?
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s mind .
But if we consider Darth Vader instead , a simple lust for power might explain it .
The president and his allies , as Derek Robertson has written in Politico , are fueled by the simple drive to win .
And for the first two acts of most “ good v bad ” movies , that drive gives the bad guys the upper hand , thanks to their disregard for the rules and comfort with destruction .
The trouble for Trump is that about two hours into such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Rogers is held up as a multigenerational icon .
The Death Star , as many pointed out on Twitter when Brad Parscale bragged about it , blows up .
But plenty of people still love Darth Vader – and he has a way of sucking attention from Luke Skywalker .
As election day approaches , the question is whether the forces of good can be as effective in real life as they are in the movies .

Last December, a campaign video superimposed Donald Trump’s face on the body of Thanos, the Avengers villain who sought to kill half of all life. In May, Trump’s then campaign manager aligned his re-election effort with the Death Star. Among Trump’s opponents, such moments sparked consternation: does the president see it as his mission to do harm?
On Thursday, the Trump campaign added a new wrinkle to the story, adviser Mercedes Schlapp attacking Joe Biden by … comparing him to Mr Rogers, the beloved children’s TV host who loves you just the way you are.
Well @JoeBiden @ABCPolitics townhall feels like I am watching an episode of Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. https://t.co/bC8fIZPxHR — Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) October 16, 2020
From anyone else, anywhere else, it would have been a compliment. But in Trumpworld, where down is up and left is right, bad is good and good is, apparently, bad.
What is it like to watch a movie with this man? Does he think Sauron is the protagonist of the Lord of the Rings? Does he root for Voldemort throughout Harry Potter? Does he think Disney movies invariably end in tragedy?
What’s so remarkable is that the Trump team is essentially, and gleefully, confirming that their opponents are correct. In the immortal words of Mitchell and Webb, they are indeed the baddies.
The conflict isn’t over the means to achieve a better world. If Trump’s own comparisons and those of his advisers accurately represent his mindset and theirs, the conflict is simpler, and straight out of such works of cinematic fiction: a question of good versus evil.
Why would Trumpworld embrace this position? It’s difficult to fathom the workings of the president’s mind. But if we consider Darth Vader instead, a simple lust for power might explain it.
The president and his allies, as Derek Robertson has written in Politico, are fueled by the simple drive to win. And for the first two acts of most “good v bad” movies, that drive gives the bad guys the upper hand, thanks to their disregard for the rules and comfort with destruction.
The trouble for Trump is that about two hours into such films, the bad guys lose. Mr Rogers is held up as a multigenerational icon. The Death Star, as many pointed out on Twitter when Brad Parscale bragged about it, blows up.
But plenty of people still love Darth Vader – and he has a way of sucking attention from Luke Skywalker. As election day approaches, the question is whether the forces of good can be as effective in real life as they are in the movies.


theguardian--2020-10-18--Trump and Barrett's threat to abortion and LGBTQ rights is simply un-American | Robert Reich

Trump and many Republicans insist that whether to wear a mask or to go to work during a pandemic should be personal choices .
Yet what a woman does with her own body , or whether same-sex couples can marry , should be decided by government .
It ’ s a tortured , upside-down view of freedom .
Yet it ’ s remarkably prevalent even as the pandemic resurges – America is back up to more than 60,000 new cases a day , the highest rate since July , and numbers continue to rise – and as the Senate considers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court .
By contrast , Joe Biden has wisely declared he would do “ whatever it takes ” to stop the pandemic , including mandating masks and locking down the entire economy if scientists recommend it .
“ I would shut it down ; I would listen to the scientists , ” he said .
Biden also wants to protect both abortion and same-sex marriage from government intrusion – in 2012 he memorably declared his support of the latter before even Barack Obama did so .
Trump ’ s opposite approaches , discouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government intrusion into the most intimate decisions anyone makes , have become the de facto centerpieces of his campaign .
At his “ town hall ” on Thursday night , Trump falsely claimed that most people who wear masks contract the virus .
He also criticized governors for ordering lockdowns , adding that the Michigan governor , Gretchen Whitmer , “ wants to be a dictator ” .
He was speaking just one week after state and federal authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Whitmer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again contesting Trump for the most wacky analogy – has called state lockdown orders the “ greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history ” since slavery .
Yet at the very same time Trump and his fellow-travelers defend people ’ s freedom to infect others or become infected with Covid-19 , they ’ re inviting government to intrude into the most intimate aspects of personal life .
Trump has promised that the supreme court ’ s 1973 Roe v Wade decision , establishing a federal right to abortion , will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justices on the court ” .
Much of the controversy over Trump ’ s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett hinges on her putative willingness to repeal Roe .
While an appeals court judge , Barrett ruled in favor of a law requiring doctors to inform the parents of any minor seeking an abortion , without exceptions , and also joined a dissent suggesting an Indiana law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains was constitutional .
A Justice Barrett might also provide the deciding vote for reversing Obergefell v Hodges , the 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only three members of the majority in that case remain on the court .
Barrett says her views are rooted in the “ text ” of the constitution .
That ’ s a worrisome omen given that earlier this month justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito opined that the right to same-sex marriage “ is found nowhere in the text ” of the constitution .
What ’ s public , what ’ s private and where should government intervene ?
The question suffuses the impending election and much else in modern American life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as do Trump and his allies , that government can not mandate masks or close businesses during a pandemic but can prevent women from having abortions and same-sex couples from marrying .
The underlying issue is the common good , what we owe each other as members of the same society .
During wartime , we expect government to intrude on our daily lives for the common good : drafting us into armies , converting our workplaces and businesses , demanding we sacrifice normal pleasures and conveniences .
During a pandemic as grave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less intrusion , in order that we not expose others to the risk of contracting the virus .
But we have no right to impose on others our moral or religious views about when life begins or the nature and meaning of marriage .
The common good requires instead that we honor such profoundly personal decisions .
Public or private ?
We owe it to each other to understand the distinction .
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His new book , The System : Who Rigged It , How We Fix It , is out now .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

Trump and many Republicans insist that whether to wear a mask or to go to work during a pandemic should be personal choices. Yet what a woman does with her own body, or whether same-sex couples can marry, should be decided by government.
It’s a tortured, upside-down view of freedom. Yet it’s remarkably prevalent even as the pandemic resurges – America is back up to more than 60,000 new cases a day, the highest rate since July, and numbers continue to rise – and as the Senate considers Trump’s pick for the supreme court.
By contrast, Joe Biden has wisely declared he would do “whatever it takes” to stop the pandemic, including mandating masks and locking down the entire economy if scientists recommend it.
“I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists,” he said.
Biden also wants to protect both abortion and same-sex marriage from government intrusion – in 2012 he memorably declared his support of the latter before even Barack Obama did so.
What’s public, what’s private and where should government intervene? The question suffuses the impending election
Trump’s opposite approaches, discouraging masks and other Covid restrictions while seeking government intrusion into the most intimate decisions anyone makes, have become the de facto centerpieces of his campaign.
At his “town hall” on Thursday night, Trump falsely claimed that most people who wear masks contract the virus.
He also criticized governors for ordering lockdowns, adding that the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, “wants to be a dictator”. He was speaking just one week after state and federal authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Whitmer.
The attorney general, William Barr – once again contesting Trump for the most wacky analogy – has called state lockdown orders the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” since slavery.
Yet at the very same time Trump and his fellow-travelers defend people’s freedom to infect others or become infected with Covid-19, they’re inviting government to intrude into the most intimate aspects of personal life.
Trump has promised that the supreme court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision, establishing a federal right to abortion, will be reversed “because I am putting pro-life justices on the court”.
Much of the controversy over Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett hinges on her putative willingness to repeal Roe.
While an appeals court judge, Barrett ruled in favor of a law requiring doctors to inform the parents of any minor seeking an abortion, without exceptions, and also joined a dissent suggesting an Indiana law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains was constitutional.
A Justice Barrett might also provide the deciding vote for reversing Obergefell v Hodges, the 2015 supreme court decision protecting same-sex marriage. Only three members of the majority in that case remain on the court.
Barrett says her views are rooted in the “text” of the constitution. That’s a worrisome omen given that earlier this month justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito opined that the right to same-sex marriage “is found nowhere in the text” of the constitution.
What’s public, what’s private and where should government intervene? The question suffuses the impending election and much else in modern American life.
It is nonsensical to argue, as do Trump and his allies, that government cannot mandate masks or close businesses during a pandemic but can prevent women from having abortions and same-sex couples from marrying.
The underlying issue is the common good, what we owe each other as members of the same society.
During wartime, we expect government to intrude on our daily lives for the common good: drafting us into armies, converting our workplaces and businesses, demanding we sacrifice normal pleasures and conveniences. During a pandemic as grave as this one we should expect no less intrusion, in order that we not expose others to the risk of contracting the virus.
But we have no right to impose on others our moral or religious views about when life begins or the nature and meaning of marriage. The common good requires instead that we honor such profoundly personal decisions.
Public or private? We owe it to each other to understand the distinction.


theguardian--2020-10-18--Biden says Trump 'gone round the bend if he thinks we've turned corner' on Covid as cases surge – as

Biden says Trump 'gone round the bend if he thinks we've turned corner' on Covid as cases surge – as it happened

The Washington Post is already looking ahead to the contest to become the Republican party ’ s presidential nominee in 2024 , regardless of whether Donald Trump sinks or swims on 3 November .
In an opinion piece Sunday penned by the respected political analyst and talk show host Hugh Hewitt , the newspaper lists 20 names of prominent and not-so-prominent Republican governors , senators , congressmen and women and two Trumps – Don Jr and Ivanka – he thinks are likely to throw hats into what promises to be a crowded ring .
Some of the names are to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former challengers Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz , both currently US senators , among them .
Others have served in the Trump administration , such as secretary of state Mike Pompeo , former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows .
And then there are some , including several friends and close allies of the president , considered “ rising stars ” , including governors Ron DeSantis ( Florida ) and Kristi Noem ( South Dakota ) , and senators Rick Scott , Tom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pat Toomey and Ben Sasse , with whom Trump is currently feuding .
“ You ’ re gon na need a bigger boat , ” Hewitt writes , quoting the Amity Island police chief Martin Brody from the movie Jaws .
“ Republicans are going to need bigger stages than even 2015 ’ s massive debate venues.
” He says the race will begin in earnest on the morning of 4 November .
Interestingly , Hewitt notes the field could drop by two if Trump loses next month .
His theory ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Joe Biden and runs again for a second term in 2024 , prompting his children to drop out of the race and try again in 2028 .

Bryan Armen Graham in New York (now), Tom Lutz and Martin Pengelly (earlier)

18 Oct 2020 22.17 BST Richard Luscombe The Washington Post is already looking ahead to the contest to become the Republican party’s presidential nominee in 2024, regardless of whether Donald Trump sinks or swims on 3 November. In an opinion piece Sunday penned by the respected political analyst and talk show host Hugh Hewitt, the newspaper lists 20 names of prominent and not-so-prominent Republican governors, senators, congressmen and women and two Trumps – Don Jr and Ivanka – he thinks are likely to throw hats into what promises to be a crowded ring. Some of the names are to be expected, vice-president Mike Pence and former challengers Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both currently US senators, among them. Others have served in the Trump administration, such as secretary of state Mike Pompeo, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. And then there are some, including several friends and close allies of the president, considered “rising stars”, including governors Ron DeSantis (Florida) and Kristi Noem (South Dakota), and senators Rick Scott, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Tim Scott, Pat Toomey and Ben Sasse, with whom Trump is currently feuding. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” Hewitt writes, quoting the Amity Island police chief Martin Brody from the movie Jaws. “Republicans are going to need bigger stages than even 2015’s massive debate venues.” He says the race will begin in earnest on the morning of 4 November. Interestingly, Hewitt notes the field could drop by two if Trump loses next month. His theory? Donald Trump seeks revenge after his defeat by Joe Biden and runs again for a second term in 2024, prompting his children to drop out of the race and try again in 2028.
18 Oct 2020 21.48 BST Donald Trump has arrived at the Orange County home of Palmer Luckey, the 28-year-old tech entrepreneur who designed the Oculus Rift head-mounted virtual reality display, for tonight’s private fundraiser. A White House pool report sets the scene as both critics and supporters have rallied nearby: En route, the motorcade passed a half dozen Biden supporters holding a sign that read: “Honk if you vote Democrat.” As the motorcade drove through Newport Beach, thousands of Trump supporters lined the streets. The throng of supporters included people with hoisting U.S. flags, Trump flags and Trump placards. Many people wore MAGA hats and other Trump apparel. Some chanted “USA” as the motorcade passed. A large crowd lined the street outisde the fundraiser in Newport Beach, apparently waiting to get into the residence. Scores of people shouted at disparaging comments about the news media as the pool exited the press vans and walked passed them. Several men yelled: “Fake news!” A man called out: “Where’s Hunter!” Another man yelled: “The computer is real” and “Don’t spin this event.” An older woman sitting in a golf cart called out: “The lying press has arrived.” Supporters of Donald Trump are seen as Trump arrives at a private residence for a fundraising event on Sunday in Newport, California. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters
18 Oct 2020 21.21 BST The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 53,157 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 8,081,489. The number of deaths has risen by 593 to 218,511, the health protection agency said. The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
18 Oct 2020 20.53 BST A peaceful protest in a sleepy and affluent suburb that is home to the head of the California national guard was among four demonstrations monitored by national guard spy planes, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The planes flew over several cities in early June, to monitor street protests following the police killing of George Floyd, triggering concerns the military was improperly gathering intelligence on US citizens, the newspaper reported. Three reconnaissance planes watched demonstrations in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington DC that drew large crowds and were marred by violence. But the target of the fourth plane was the prosperous Sacramento suburb of El Dorado Hills, where much smaller rallies were entirely peaceful, the Times said. Local and state authorities have not explained how and why that neighborhood was chosen when other cities that saw property destruction and street clashes amid large protests, including Los Angeles and Oakland, were not.
18 Oct 2020 20.22 BST Twitter has removed a “misleading” tweet by a top US coronavirus adviser for violating its Covid-19 information policy. Dr Scott Atlas has downplayed the importance of masks in stopping the spread of infection – despite the health experts widely endorsing the containment measure. On Sunday, he tweeted: “Masks work? NO.”
Twitter Inc removed the tweet on Sunday, saying it violated its misleading information policy on Covid-19, which targets statements that have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter experts.
Donald Trump’s advisor – whose views align with the president’s own on mask-wearing, if not with the medical establishment – has been criticized by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for spreading misinformation. “Everything he says is false,” Robert Redfield said about Atlas, NBC reported. Redfield later confirmed he had been talking about Atlas.
18 Oct 2020 19.55 BST Biden: ‘This guy’s gone around the bend if he thinks we’ve turned the corner' Joe Biden urged North Carolina residents to cast ballots as soon as possible at a drive-in rally on Sunday in Durham, part of the Research Triangle region that is a traditional Democratic stronghold. “Go vote today and don’t just vote for me and Senator Harris,” the former vice-president said in his 20-minute remarks at Riverside High School. “You’ve got a Governor’s race and a Senate race. A record number of black women on the ballot, Congress and Lt Governor, Labor Commissioner and the courts. Folks they’re ready to deliver for North Carolina families. So vote, vote. It’s time.” Biden also criticized Donald Trump for saying over the weekend that the United States had “turned the corner” in the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the rate of new cases across the country has risen to the highest level in months. “As my grandfather would say, ‘This guy’s gone around the bend if he thinks we’ve turned the corner,’” Biden said. “Things are getting worse, and he continues to lie to us about circumstances.” Biden’s pick for vice president, California senator Kamala Harris, canceled in-person events over the weekend as a precaution after an aide tested positive for Covid-19. She will return to the campaign trail on Monday with a visit to Florida to mark that state’s first day of early in-person voting. North Carolina, a battleground state where 1.4m (or 20%) of the state’s registered voters had already voted as of Sunday morning, is considered criticial to Donald Trump’s re-election hopes. Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden sit on top of their vehicles as they listens to him speak on Sunday at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 20.05 BST
18 Oct 2020 19.22 BST Healthcare workers and high-risk populations will be prioritized for vaccination against the coronavirus in New York when a candidate is approved, governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday. He announced details of a preliminary five-stage vaccine rollout plan – here’s a summary:
Phase 1: healthcare workers in patient-care settings, long-term care facility workers and some long-term care residents
Phase 2: first responders, school staff, other public-facing frontline workers and people whose health conditions put them at extreme risk
Phase 3: people over 65
Phase 4: all other essential workers
Phase 5: healthy adults and children
Prioritization would also vary by geographic location based on the prevalence of the virus, the governor said.


theguardian--2020-10-18--Trump attempts to save himself in battleground states as Covid cases surge

With little more than two weeks to reverse his dismal standing in the polls , and amid a coronavirus resurgence that could sink his pursuit of a second term , Donald Trump has embarked on a tour of battleground states .
New US daily cases of Covid-19 are averaging above 55,000 , their highest level since July , according to government figures , and rising in more than 40 states , including many the Republican president must win on 3 November .
Yet despite trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits in almost every national poll , all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over handling the pandemic , Trump is continuing to host large rallies with few supporters wearing masks and little social distancing .
Trump was in Nevada on Sunday , attending church in Las Vegas before a rally .
Thousands were expected at events in other swing states on Monday ( Arizona ) , Tuesday ( Pennsylvania ) and Wednesday ( North Carolina ) .
Trump is expected to continue to prioritise hopes for economic recovery above measures including new lockdowns .
In an interview on a Wisconsin radio station , Trump was asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are packed tightly together sent the wrong message .
“ I don ’ t think so because I ’ m not a big shutdown believer , ” he said .
“ If you take a look at your state , they ’ ve been shut down and they ’ ve been locked down and locked up and , you know , they ’ ve been doing it for a long time.
” Trump won Wisconsin by less than one point in 2016 but trails there now by more than seven , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday the president insisted again that the fight against the pandemic was being won , despite statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continually showing the opposite .
Only Vermont and Missouri have reported a decrease in the average number of reported cases over the past week .
Connecticut and Florida lead the nation , with increases by 50 % or more .
Another 27 states rose between 10 % and 50 % , according to Johns Hopkins University .
More than 8.1m US cases have been confirmed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re doing great , we ’ re doing really well , ” Trump said in Wisconsin .
“ We ’ re rounding the corner .
We have unbelievable vaccines coming out real soon.
” On NBC ’ s Meet the Press on Sunday , the health secretary , Alex Azar , pleaded with the American people to “ hang in there with us .
We are so close .
We are weeks away from monoclonal antibodies for you , for safe and effective vaccines .
We need to bridge to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit more time of your individual , responsible behavior of washing your hands , watch your distance , wear your face coverings when you can ’ t watch your distance.
” Azar dodged questions about why the president could not deliver such advice .
In North Carolina on Sunday , Biden told supporters : “ As my grandfather would say , ‘ This guy ’ s gone around the bend if he thinks we ’ ve turned the corner ' .
Things are getting worse , and he continues to lie to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running mate , California senator Kamala Harris , canceled events over the weekend after an aide tested positive for Covid-19 .
She will return to the trail in Florida on Monday , that state ’ s first day of early in-person voting .
Trump is targeting several states he won in 2016 and can not afford to lose if he is to secure the 270 electoral college votes he needs to stay in the White House .
Polling continues to suggest he is in serious trouble .
His deficit to Biden in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by fewer than 45,000 of 6m votes , is currently more than six points .
In Arizona , he trails by about four , the margin by which he won in 2016 .
Ronna McDaniel , chair of the Republican National Committee , said she did not believe the polls .
“ I am seeing more enthusiasm than I saw in 2016 , ” she told ABC ’ s This Week .
“ I study the data every day .
We know that our voters are going to turn out on election day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in balloting as much .
They are getting out in these early vote states right now.
” Trump will face Biden on Thursday in a final debate in Nashville , Tennessee , following a first meeting marked by the president ’ s interruptions and evasions .
A second debate was cancelled after Trump contracted coronavirus and spent three days in hospital , then refused to hold the debate virtually .
The resurgence of Covid-19 is one of a number of issues plaguing Trump ’ s campaign .
On Sunday Gretchen Whitmer , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subject of a rightwing plot to kidnap and possibly kill her over lockdown measures , accused Trump of “ inspiring and incentivising domestic terrorism ” .
Whitmer spoke after campaign surrogate Lara Trump insisted her father-in-law was merely “ having fun ” when he attacked Whitmer and responded to chants of “ Lock her up !
” at a rally on Saturday .
Whitmer told NBC : “ It ’ s incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States , 10 days after a plot to kidnap me , put me on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivising and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism .
“ It is wrong .
It ’ s got to end .
It is dangerous not just for me and my family , but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans .
People of goodwill on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.
” Thirteen men have been charged in connection with the plot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the nomination of rightwing judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court .
Democrats have criticised the speed at which Republicans are pushing Barrett into the vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
But if Republican support holds , they will not be able to stop it .

Richard Luscombe in Miami, Martin Pengelly in New York and Kenya Evelyn in Washington

With little more than two weeks to reverse his dismal standing in the polls, and amid a coronavirus resurgence that could sink his pursuit of a second term, Donald Trump has embarked on a tour of battleground states.
New US daily cases of Covid-19 are averaging above 55,000, their highest level since July, according to government figures, and rising in more than 40 states, including many the Republican president must win on 3 November.
Yet despite trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits in almost every national poll, all of which show a substantial deficit in approval over handling the pandemic, Trump is continuing to host large rallies with few supporters wearing masks and little social distancing.
Trump was in Nevada on Sunday, attending church in Las Vegas before a rally. Thousands were expected at events in other swing states on Monday (Arizona), Tuesday (Pennsylvania) and Wednesday (North Carolina). Trump is expected to continue to prioritise hopes for economic recovery above measures including new lockdowns.
In an interview on a Wisconsin radio station, Trump was asked if rallies at which mostly maskless supporters are packed tightly together sent the wrong message.
I’m not a big shutdown believer Donald Trump
“I don’t think so because I’m not a big shutdown believer,” he said. “If you take a look at your state, they’ve been shut down and they’ve been locked down and locked up and, you know, they’ve been doing it for a long time.”
Trump won Wisconsin by less than one point in 2016 but trails there now by more than seven, according to FiveThirtyEight.com. At a rally in Janesville on Saturday the president insisted again that the fight against the pandemic was being won, despite statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continually showing the opposite.
Only Vermont and Missouri have reported a decrease in the average number of reported cases over the past week. Connecticut and Florida lead the nation, with increases by 50% or more. Another 27 states rose between 10% and 50%, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 8.1m US cases have been confirmed, the death toll near 220,000.
“We’re doing great, we’re doing really well,” Trump said in Wisconsin. “We’re rounding the corner. We have unbelievable vaccines coming out real soon.”
On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the health secretary, Alex Azar, pleaded with the American people to “hang in there with us. We are so close. We are weeks away from monoclonal antibodies for you, for safe and effective vaccines. We need to bridge to that day, so please just give us a bit more time of your individual, responsible behavior of washing your hands, watch your distance, wear your face coverings when you can’t watch your distance.”
Azar dodged questions about why the president could not deliver such advice.
As my grandfather would say, ‘This guy’s gone around the bend if he thinks we’ve turned the corner' Joe Biden
In North Carolina on Sunday, Biden told supporters: “As my grandfather would say, ‘This guy’s gone around the bend if he thinks we’ve turned the corner'. Things are getting worse, and he continues to lie to us about circumstances.”
Biden’s running mate, California senator Kamala Harris, canceled events over the weekend after an aide tested positive for Covid-19. She will return to the trail in Florida on Monday, that state’s first day of early in-person voting.
Trump is targeting several states he won in 2016 and cannot afford to lose if he is to secure the 270 electoral college votes he needs to stay in the White House. Polling continues to suggest he is in serious trouble. His deficit to Biden in Pennsylvania, which he won from Hillary Clinton by fewer than 45,000 of 6m votes, is currently more than six points. In Arizona, he trails by about four, the margin by which he won in 2016.
Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, said she did not believe the polls. “I am seeing more enthusiasm than I saw in 2016,” she told ABC’s This Week. “I study the data every day. We know that our voters are going to turn out on election day. They don’t trust the mail-in balloting as much. They are getting out in these early vote states right now.”
Trump will face Biden on Thursday in a final debate in Nashville, Tennessee, following a first meeting marked by the president’s interruptions and evasions. A second debate was cancelled after Trump contracted coronavirus and spent three days in hospital, then refused to hold the debate virtually.
An aide asks Governor Roy Cooper to step back as he greets Joe Biden and his granddaughter Finnegan Biden in Morrisville, North Carolina on Sunday. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
The resurgence of Covid-19 is one of a number of issues plaguing Trump’s campaign. On Sunday Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan who was the subject of a rightwing plot to kidnap and possibly kill her over lockdown measures, accused Trump of “inspiring and incentivising domestic terrorism”.
Whitmer spoke after campaign surrogate Lara Trump insisted her father-in-law was merely “having fun” when he attacked Whitmer and responded to chants of “Lock her up!” at a rally on Saturday.
Whitmer told NBC: “It’s incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States, 10 days after a plot to kidnap me, put me on trial and execute me was uncovered, the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivising and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism.
“It is wrong. It’s got to end. It is dangerous not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans. People of goodwill on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.”
Thirteen men have been charged in connection with the plot.
Also on this week’s agenda is the nomination of rightwing judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court. Democrats have criticised the speed at which Republicans are pushing Barrett into the vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But if Republican support holds, they will not be able to stop it.


theguardian--2020-10-18--Rightwing populists place their bets on four more years of Trump

In Budapest , Hungary ’ s far-right prime minister , Viktor Orbán , says he is “ rooting for another victory for Donald Trump ” .
In Rio de Janeiro , Jair Bolsonaro has been pictured in a Trump 2020 campaign hat .
Rightwing nationalist politicians around the globe are abandoning the usual diplomatic etiquette of hedging bets before foreign elections and instead are throwing their support firmly behind Trump in November ’ s US vote in the hope that he can confound the pollsters for a second time and win another four years in power .
While surveys suggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population disapproves of Trump , insurgent far-right movements are wary of a return to geopolitics as usual if he leaves the White House .
“ We are very familiar with the foreign policy of US Democratic administrations , built as it is on moral imperialism , ” Orbán , who has positioned himself as Europe ’ s leading proponent of “ illiberal democracy ” , wrote in a recent essay .
“ We have tasted it – albeit under duress .
We didn ’ t like it and we don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s challenger , Joe Biden , said “ all the thugs in the world ” were drawing inspiration from Trump , name-checking the governments in Hungary and Poland and drawing a furious response from Hungarian officials .
For Orbán and other nationalist leaders , there may be concrete policy benefits in a second Trump term , but the biggest draw would be the immeasurable psychological benefit of having a politician like Trump occupying the world ’ s most important office .
If Biden wins , it may be taken as a sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It would be seen as a major failure of populist nationalism as a governing ideology , particularly at a time when societies are looking for competent leaders who can steer their countries through the Covid crisis , ” said Erin Kristin Jenne , a professor of international relations at Central European University .
During his divisive 2016 campaign and throughout his time in office , Trump has offered a blueprint and a psychological boost for rightwing nationalists .
Ágoston Mráz , who runs the pro-government Nézőpont Institute in Budapest , said Orbán @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carefully over the last few years , for example adopting and adapting his “ America First ” rhetoric .
Orbán , who has been in office for more than a decade , now frequently speaks about “ Hungary first ” policies .
“ Trump is the trendsetter and what Trump managed in the US , even a party like Fidesz can learn from .
It is observed what kind of tools Trump uses , and through polls in Hungary it is checked if it works here , ” he said .
Of particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the phrase “ fake news ” and his rants against the media .
In Orbán ’ s government frequently accuses critical outlets of peddling fake news , and its coronavirus measures have included potential jail time for journalists spreading misinformation about the pandemic .
The “ fake news ” phrase has also been used by authorities to justify regulations and prosecutions in South Korea , Thailand , Saudi Arabia , Bahrain and Brazil .
Egypt ’ s government passed a law in 2018 criminalising the spread of “ false news ” , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 journalists as well as bloggers and even people who post videos online decrying problems such as sexual harassment .
In the Philippines , Rodrigo Duterte has railed against “ fake news ” outlets and introduced steep fines for news that damages “ the interest or the credit of the state ” .
A recent European poll found that no more than 20 % of respondents in each of seven countries surveyed wanted Trump to win .
However , among some central European governments and many far-right parties on the fringes of politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Aside from Orbán , the US president ’ s biggest European supporters are in Warsaw , where the ruling Law and Justice ( PiS ) party has pursued an agenda based on so-called “ family values ” that has involved a sustained anti-LGBT campaign .
In June Andrzej Duda , a PiS ally , travelled to Washington for an endorsement from Trump just days before a tightly contested presidential vote that he eventually won .
Duda has not yet repaid the compliment , though in August the PiS MEP Dominik Tarczyński compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Polish pope , and wrote on Twitter : “ Polish people will support you on November 3rd.
” Other admirers in Europe include Janez Janša , the populist prime minister of Slovenia , who takes a Trump-like approach to the media and his political opponents .
After the Trump-Biden TV debate last month , Janša wrote that Trump had “ won big ” , and he has frequently praised the US president ’ s policies and speeches .
Some western European far-right parties , such as Spain ’ s Vox and the increasingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoken of Trump and his strategy as a direct inspiration .
“ It ’ s an inspiration in various ways : it ’ s about using patriotism to confront globalism , ” said Iván Espinosa de los Monteros , Vox ’ s parliamentary spokesman and deputy secretary for international affairs .
“ It ’ s also about defying political correctness – which has never been successfully challenged – and the ideas promoted by a very globalist left , which has imposed a series of mantras and ideas that everyone accepted and treats as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that and he ’ s challenged it very successfully.
” A Trump loss , he added , would be bad news “ not for Spain or for Vox but for the traditional western values that have made the west the best place to live in history ” .
Before the US elections in 2016 , Matteo Salvini , the leader of Italy ’ s far-right League , travelled to the US and posed for a photo with Trump in Philadelphia .
Trump later denied they ever met , but that hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week he declared his endorsement by wearing a “ Trump 2020 ” face mask during a protest outside a tax office in Rome .
He said that when it came to the economy , despite the coronavirus pandemic wrecking havoc , Trump was “ number one ” .
Giorgia Meloni , the leader of Brothers of Italy and a former deputy prime minister , travelled to the US in February to hear Trump speak , and afterwards said : “ This is the recipe we want to bring to Italy , where we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our companies , our borders and our families.
” Perhaps Trump ’ s biggest fan among world leaders is Bolsonaro , who basks in his portrayal as the “ tropical Trump ” .
The Brazilian leader touts a supposedly unbreakable bond with the US president , taking ministers to celebrate US Independence Day at the ambassador ’ s residence in Brasília and repeatedly posting photos of the pair on social media even as Trump ’ s re-election hopes fade .
His politician son Eduardo has called for Trump to be given the Nobel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s election propaganda on Twitter .
Observers say Bolsonaro seeks inspiration and domestic legitimacy from his North American counterpart .
Bolsonarista officials trumpet Trump ’ s approval as proof that their rightwing revolution is on the right track and part of a broader global conservative and Christian movement being led by Washington .
Unlike Bolsonaro , Duterte has not consciously positioned himself as a Trump-like figure , but the two share the same ideological outlook and sometimes vulgar rhetoric .
The Philippine president said this year that Trump deserved to be re-elected , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praised his counterpart for doing an “ unbelievable job ” in his fight against illegal drugs – a campaign that some groups estimate has led to tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings .
This White House sanctioning of controversial policies is one reason that even populists who may not align ideologically with Trump see benefits to the disruption caused by his presence in the White House .
Analysts say Turkey ’ s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is rushing through various policies – such as a domestic crackdown and the acquisition of Russian S-400 missiles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration may take a tougher line .
In Mexico , the left-leaning populist president , Andrés Manuel López Obrador , known as Amlo , has forged an unlikely bond with Trump , who launched his first presidential campaign by badmouthing Mexicans .
Amlo even travelled to Washington as election season heated up to celebrate a new trade deal and thank Trump for treating Mexico with “ respect ” .
Trump , in turn , has repeatedly lauded Amlo a “ great guy ” – a point of pride for the Mexican president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unorthodox as Trump allows Amlo to get away with things that a more normal American president wouldn ’ t let him get away with , ” said Carlos Bravo Regidor , a political analyst in Mexico City .
For leaders in Hungary and Poland , who are frequently reprimanded by EU politicians for democratic backsliding , having the White House as an ally provides a powerful counterbalance to criticism from Brussels , particularly in domestic messaging .
“ If Trump is on my side then nobody can call me a leader that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Péter Krekó , who runs the Political Capital thinktank in Budapest , explaining Orbán ’ s thinking .
If Trump is no longer there , that equation changes .
Under Biden , what Orbán called “ moral imperialism ” and what Democrats would call a values-based foreign policy may make a return .
During the course of the campaign , Biden has accused Bolsonaro ’ s Brazil of tearing down its rainforests , and has lashed out at the Polish government ’ s anti-LGBT policies .
Critics of rightwing politicians cosying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are setting their countries up for an even rougher ride under a Biden administration .
As the political commentator Eliane Cantanhêde warned in the conservative Estado de São Paulo this week : “ Without Trump , Brazil could become an international zombie.
” Additional reporting by David Agren in Mexico City , Angela Giuffrida in Rome , Sam Jones in Madrid , Rebecca Ratcliffe and Michael Safi

In Budapest, Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, says he is “rooting for another victory for Donald Trump”. In Brasília, Jair Bolsonaro has been pictured in a Trump 2020 campaign hat.
Rightwing nationalist politicians around the globe are abandoning the usual diplomatic etiquette of hedging bets before foreign elections and instead are throwing their support firmly behind Trump in November’s US vote in the hope that he can confound the pollsters for a second time and win another four years in power.
While surveys suggest that a comfortable majority of the global population disapproves of Trump, insurgent far-right movements are wary of a return to geopolitics as usual if he leaves the White House.
“We are very familiar with the foreign policy of US Democratic administrations, built as it is on moral imperialism,” Orbán, who has positioned himself as Europe’s leading proponent of “illiberal democracy”, wrote in a recent essay. “We have tasted it – albeit under duress. We didn’t like it and we don’t want a second helping.”
Last week Trump’s challenger, Joe Biden, said “all the thugs in the world” were drawing inspiration from Trump, name-checking the governments in Hungary and Poland and drawing a furious response from Hungarian officials.
For Orbán and other nationalist leaders, there may be concrete policy benefits in a second Trump term, but the biggest draw would be the immeasurable psychological benefit of having a politician like Trump occupying the world’s most important office. If Biden wins, it may be taken as a sign that the populist moment is over.
“It would be seen as a major failure of populist nationalism as a governing ideology, particularly at a time when societies are looking for competent leaders who can steer their countries through the Covid crisis,” said Erin Kristin Jenne, a professor of international relations at Central European University.
During his divisive 2016 campaign and throughout his time in office, Trump has offered a blueprint and a psychological boost for rightwing nationalists.
Ágoston Mráz, who runs the pro-government Nézőpont Institute in Budapest, said Orbán and his Fidesz party had watched Trump carefully over the last few years, for example adopting and adapting his “America First” rhetoric. Orbán, who has been in office for more than a decade, now frequently speaks about “Hungary first” policies.
“Trump is the trendsetter and what Trump managed in the US, even a party like Fidesz can learn from. It is observed what kind of tools Trump uses, and through polls in Hungary it is checked if it works here,” he said.
Of particular note is Trump’s popularisation of the phrase “fake news” and his rants against the media. In Orbán’s government frequently accuses critical outlets of peddling fake news, and its coronavirus measures have included potential jail time for journalists spreading misinformation about the pandemic.
The “fake news” phrase has also been used by authorities to justify regulations and prosecutions in South Korea, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Brazil. Egypt’s government passed a law in 2018 criminalising the spread of “false news”, and has used it to charge at least 19 journalists as well as bloggers and even people who post videos online decrying problems such as sexual harassment. In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has railed against “fake news” outlets and introduced steep fines for news that damages “the interest or the credit of the state”.
A recent European poll found that no more than 20% of respondents in each of seven countries surveyed wanted Trump to win. However, among some central European governments and many far-right parties on the fringes of politics elsewhere, there is admiration for Trump.
Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump at the White House in May 2019. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Aside from Orbán, the US president’s biggest European supporters are in Warsaw, where the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has pursued an agenda based on so-called “family values” that has involved a sustained anti-LGBT campaign. In June Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, travelled to Washington for an endorsement from Trump just days before a tightly contested presidential vote that he eventually won. Duda has not yet repaid the compliment, though in August the PiS MEP Dominik Tarczyński compared Trump to John Paul II, the Polish pope, and wrote on Twitter: “Polish people will support you on November 3rd.”
Other admirers in Europe include Janez Janša, the populist prime minister of Slovenia, who takes a Trump-like approach to the media and his political opponents. After the Trump-Biden TV debate last month, Janša wrote that Trump had “won big”, and he has frequently praised the US president’s policies and speeches.
Some western European far-right parties, such as Spain’s Vox and the increasingly popular Brothers of Italy, have also spoken of Trump and his strategy as a direct inspiration. “It’s an inspiration in various ways: it’s about using patriotism to confront globalism,” said Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, Vox’s parliamentary spokesman and deputy secretary for international affairs.
“It’s also about defying political correctness – which has never been successfully challenged – and the ideas promoted by a very globalist left, which has imposed a series of mantras and ideas that everyone accepted and treats as absolute truths. But he has challenged that and he’s challenged it very successfully.”
A Trump loss, he added, would be bad news “not for Spain or for Vox but for the traditional western values that have made the west the best place to live in history”.
Before the US elections in 2016, Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right League, travelled to the US and posed for a photo with Trump in Philadelphia. Trump later denied they ever met, but that hasn’t diminished Salvini’s admiration. Last week he declared his endorsement by wearing a “Trump 2020” face mask during a protest outside a tax office in Rome. He said that when it came to the economy, despite the coronavirus pandemic wrecking havoc, Trump was “number one”.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy and a former deputy prime minister, travelled to the US in February to hear Trump speak, and afterwards said: “This is the recipe we want to bring to Italy, where we too want to defend our products, our companies, our borders and our families.”
Perhaps Trump’s biggest fan among world leaders is Bolsonaro, who basks in his portrayal as the “tropical Trump”. The Brazilian leader touts a supposedly unbreakable bond with the US president, taking ministers to celebrate US Independence Day at the ambassador’s residence in Brasília and repeatedly posting photos of the pair on social media even as Trump’s re-election hopes fade. His politician son Eduardo has called for Trump to be given the Nobel peace prize and often shares Trump’s election propaganda on Twitter.
Observers say Bolsonaro seeks inspiration and domestic legitimacy from his North American counterpart. Bolsonarista officials trumpet Trump’s approval as proof that their rightwing revolution is on the right track and part of a broader global conservative and Christian movement being led by Washington.
Jair Bolsonaro having dinner with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in March this year. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters
Unlike Bolsonaro, Duterte has not consciously positioned himself as a Trump-like figure, but the two share the same ideological outlook and sometimes vulgar rhetoric. The Philippine president said this year that Trump deserved to be re-elected, and leaked phone call records show Trump praised his counterpart for doing an “unbelievable job” in his fight against illegal drugs – a campaign that some groups estimate has led to tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings.
This White House sanctioning of controversial policies is one reason that even populists who may not align ideologically with Trump see benefits to the disruption caused by his presence in the White House. Analysts say Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is rushing through various policies – such as a domestic crackdown and the acquisition of Russian S-400 missiles – in the anticipation that a Biden administration may take a tougher line.
In Mexico, the left-leaning populist president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as Amlo, has forged an unlikely bond with Trump, who launched his first presidential campaign by badmouthing Mexicans. Amlo even travelled to Washington as election season heated up to celebrate a new trade deal and thank Trump for treating Mexico with “respect”. Trump, in turn, has repeatedly lauded Amlo a “great guy” – a point of pride for the Mexican president’s supporters.
“A president as unorthodox as Trump allows Amlo to get away with things that a more normal American president wouldn’t let him get away with,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a political analyst in Mexico City.
For leaders in Hungary and Poland, who are frequently reprimanded by EU politicians for democratic backsliding, having the White House as an ally provides a powerful counterbalance to criticism from Brussels, particularly in domestic messaging.
“If Trump is on my side then nobody can call me a leader that is excluded from the foreign policy community,” said Péter Krekó, who runs the Political Capital thinktank in Budapest, explaining Orbán’s thinking.
If Trump is no longer there, that equation changes. Under Biden, what Orbán called “moral imperialism” and what Democrats would call a values-based foreign policy may make a return. During the course of the campaign, Biden has accused Bolsonaro’s Brazil of tearing down its rainforests, and has lashed out at the Polish government’s anti-LGBT policies.
Critics of rightwing politicians cosying up to the US president say they are setting their countries up for an even rougher ride under a Biden administration. As the political commentator Eliane Cantanhêde warned in the conservative Estado de São Paulo this week: “Without Trump, Brazil could become an international zombie.”
Additional reporting by David Agren in Mexico City, Angela Giuffrida in Rome, Sam Jones in Madrid, Rebecca Ratcliffe and Michael Safi