Navigating Coronavirus — May 29

In today’s email, we take a deep look into how people feel about Trump and the coronavirus economy, as more than 40 million have lost their jobs.

Read on for today’s Navigating Coronavirus…

It’s been 92 days since President Trump said we’d soon have zero cases in the U.S. We now have 1.7 million cases and more than 103,000 deaths.

TOP TREND…

• The vast majority of people who approve of Trump on the economy, but disapprove overall, have negative views of how he’s handled coronavirus. This key group of “conflicted” voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s response to the pandemic.

THE LATEST

Message guidance on the latest developments with President Trump’s handling of the crisis.

1. TRUMP IS LYING ABOUT AND COVERING UP THE ECONOMIC DAMAGE CAUSED BY HIS FAILURE TO ACT.

Trump didn’t take the virus seriously, downplayed the threat, refused to act, and now 1 in 4 American workers are unemployed.

• USA TODAY: “2.1M more Americans file for unemployment, bringing 10-week total to more than 40 million amid coronavirus”
• NOTABLE NEW NAVIGATOR DATA >> Even Americans who have lost their job or had their hours cut due to coronavirus largely oppose reopening soon. 58% oppose reopening the economy in the next few weeks, while just 36% support it — indicating worries about health still supersede the rush to reopen, even among those financially hurting.
• WSJ: “U.S. Economy Contracted 5% in the First Quarter as Coronavirus Hit”

Trump is now lying about and trying to cover up the damage caused by his failed response.

• LYING >> WAPO: “Trump campaign is creating an alternate reality online about coronavirus”
• COVERUP >> AP: “The White House took the unusual step on Thursday of deciding not to release an updated economic forecast as planned this year, a fresh sign of the administration’s anxiety about how the coronavirus has ravaged the nation just months before the election.”

2. TRUMP IS MAKING IT HARDER TO STOP THE SPREAD.

From refusing to wear a mask, which not only doesn’t set an example for the country but actually encourages dangerous behavior at odds with expert guidance, to demanding businesses with outbreaks like meatpacking plants open up, Trump is making it harder to control coronavirus and making Americans less safe.

• TRUMP: there are “so many different viewpoints” on masks. (That is the opposite of what experts say.)
• REPUBLICAN IOWA GOVERNOR >> “Still in substantial spread” of COVID-19
• NBC: “Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed at least 555 employees at the Tyson pork plant in Storm Lake have tested positive for COVID-19.”

NAVIGATOR TRACKING NUMBERS . . .

TODAY’S POLLING DECK >> HERE

TOPLINES >> HERE

• Pay attention to nostalgia for the pre-coronavirus economy, and whether Trump could benefit from it. While Trump’s overall approval and coronavirus approval are deeply underwater, the public is more split on his handling of the economy — and half the country says the economy was working well pre-coronavirus and buy Trump’s argument that he can restore us to that.
• BUT >> Majorities do agree that Trump isn’t doing enough to help the economy now and get people on their feet, and that Trump made mistakes responding to coronavirus that have hurt the economy.
• SO >> Continuing to emphasize the failed response and how it impacts job losses, business closures, and the economic downturn is critical.

• Americans have serious concerns about what Trump is doing now and how it could further hurt the economy in the future. As he rushes to reopen the country before it’s safe, 65% are concerned that these actions will prolong the economic pain.

• Trump’s attacks on measures to expand voting and make it safe aren’t working, as Americans largely support them. In talking about these measures, emphasizing safety is critical for success.

ECONOMIC CRISIS IN CONTEXT

The latest on how the economic crisis sparked by coronavirus is actually fueled by years of President Trump’s conservative economic policies, focusing today on new unemployment numbers and Trump’s refusal to act.

As millions of workers and families continue to suffer through Trump’s economic crisis, he would rather prevent the bad economic news from coming out than do anything to actually address it.

• Trump and his allies’ foot-dragging and refusal to extend desperately-needed unemployment benefits or deliver additional aid is not only devastating for workers, but will also prevent the economy from truly recovering.
• NEW >> The economy shrank even even more than initially reported in the first three months of the year and is expected to shrink by as much as 40% in the second quarter.
• While Wall Street and big businesses got bailed out, the most marginalized workers and communities continue bearing the brunt of Trump’s economic crisis.
• MUST-READ: The impact of this crisis on a family already stretched thin in Trump’s economy.
• Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Patrick Harker: “Both as a health and an economic crisis, COVID-19 has the cruel effect of hurting those who were already most vulnerable.”

These latest unemployment numbers underscore the need for Congress to move quickly to extend support for workers and families and to make sure benefits continue until the crisis is over.

— -

Navigating Coronavirus is a joint project of Governing for Impact, Groundwork Collaborative, The Hub Project, and Navigator Research.

Know someone else who should be on our list? Have them SUBSCRIBE HERE