Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2020 Campaign / Trump Played a Good Hand Poorly
Members should sign in for the full experience.

Trump Played a Good Hand Poorly

October 22, 2020 at 8:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Aaron Blake: “If you had said at the start of the election that a president like Trump would have close to a majority — or even a majority, period — on both the economy and the are-you-better-off question, the conventional wisdom would have held that he would be a strong favorite for reelection.”

“The fact that he’s decidedly far from that is merely the latest evidence that Trump may have squandered what should have been a winning hand in his reelection campaign, if he could just have avoided all the noise. And it provides the latest evidence that perhaps we should readjust our political assumptions in the Trump era.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

Upgrade Now

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, a trending news page, a private podcast, no advertising and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Joni Ernst on Retirement Watch

July 10, 2025 at 5:12 pm EDT

“Senate Republicans are bracing for another one of their colleagues to possibly call it quits: Joni Ernst,” Politico reports. “The two-term Iowa senator hasn’t officially announced her plans for 2026,…

Trump to Use His Authority to Send Weapons to Ukraine

July 10, 2025 at 5:10 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 5:13 pm EDT

“President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, a move suggesting new interest…

Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes Herself Heard

July 10, 2025 at 5:09 pm EDT

“Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote just five majority opinions in the Supreme Court term that ended last month, the fewest of any member of the court. But her voice resonated…

Dimon Rips ‘Idiot’ Democrats Focused on Ideology

July 10, 2025 at 4:30 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 3:38 pm EDT

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said the Democratic Party went too far in its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, prioritizing ideology over practical solutions, Bloomberg reports. Said Dimon: “I…

Bankers Rush to Build Anti-Mamdani War Chest

July 10, 2025 at 4:15 pm EDT

“Some of New York’s wealthiest financiers are uniting against Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani, with a plan to raise $20 million to fight the surging progressive candidate,” the Wall…

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

July 10, 2025 at 4:09 pm EDT

“We just lecture people too much.” — James Carville, quoted by the New York Post, on the Democratic party alienating men. Save to Favorites

So You Want to Own Greenland?

July 10, 2025 at 4:02 pm EDT

Juts published: So You Want to Own Greenland? by Elizabeth Buchanan.  Why do despots over the centuries keep wanting to own Greenland? The fascinating, calamitous story of the many who’ve…

State Department Braces for Mass Layoffs

July 10, 2025 at 3:45 pm EDT

“State Department employees are bracing for mass layoffs as soon as Friday after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to proceed with reorganization and downsizing,” Semafor…

Trump’s Obsession

July 10, 2025 at 3:35 pm EDT

Vanity Fair has catalogued all the times Donald Trump complained about not winning a Nobel Peace Prize. Save to Favorites

Trump Loses Appeal of E. Jean Carroll Case

July 10, 2025 at 3:33 pm EDT

“A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday upheld a civil jury verdict that found President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll,…

Trump Terror Chief Was Probed Over Teen Love Triangle

July 10, 2025 at 3:26 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 3:29 pm EDT

“The 22-year-old Donald Trump superfan put in charge of countering domestic terrorism has faced understandable questions over his experience with law enforcement,” the Daily Beast reports. “Now, The Daily Beast…

A Note to Readers

July 10, 2025 at 3:15 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 3:23 pm EDT

I know you’re inundated—with headlines, notifications, and endless demands on your time and wallet.  But here’s the hard truth: the billionaires and broligarchs aren’t going to rescue journalism. They’ve flooded…

Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks

July 10, 2025 at 3:02 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 3:05 pm EDT

“Israel has concluded that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived American and Israeli attacks last month and may be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers,” the New…

Mahmoud Khalil Files $20 Million Suit Against U.S.

July 10, 2025 at 2:58 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 2:59 pm EDT

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration for months, filed a claim for $20 million in damages against the administration, alleging…

Senate Poised to Confirm First Judge of Trump’s 2nd Term

July 10, 2025 at 2:48 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 2:49 pm EDT

“The Senate is poised to vote Monday to confirm the first judicial nominee of President Donald Trump’s second term,” Politico reports. “The Senate voted 51-43 along party-lines to end debate…

Justice Department Purge Has Created a Climate of Fear

July 10, 2025 at 2:40 pm EDT

“The Trump administration is firing and pushing out employees across the Justice Department and FBI, often with no explanation or warning, creating rampant speculation and fear within the workforce over…

A Deep Dive Into Two Swing Seats

July 10, 2025 at 2:25 pm EDTJuly 10, 2025 at 2:33 pm EDT

Just for members: The latest edition of Inside Elections. This issue includes a deep dive into two of the most competitive House races in the country. Join now to continue…

Trump to Stay Out of Texas Primary for Now

July 10, 2025 at 1:59 pm EDT

“President Donald Trump huddled Wednesday evening in the Oval Office with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and top Senate GOP campaign officials about the 2026 midterm elections,” Punchbowl News reports….

Ken Paxton’s Wife Files for Divorce

July 10, 2025 at 1:51 pm EDT

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton (R) has filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), KUT News reports. “Ken Paxton is running for U.S. Senate against…

Anything Goes with Trump’s Tariff Policy

July 10, 2025 at 1:38 pm EDT

“Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil over its domestic political affairs, the most extreme case yet of the US president weaponizing trade policy to make unrelated…

« Quote of the Day
New Battleground State Polls »

Get Smarter About Politics

Members get exclusive analysis, a trending news page, the Trial Balloon podcast, bonus newsletters and no advertising. Learn more.

Subscribe

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • A Deep Dive Into Two Swing Seats
  • Not Ordinary Times
  • Incompetence Is Part of the Crisis
  • Trump Has a Jeffrey Epstein Problem
  • Trumpcare Claims Its First Victim

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2025 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC