NEWINGTON, Connecticut, U.S.A. – Let’s face it, it’s been a tough few weeks for Donald Trump. After a fantastic convention – where Trump showed he could be professional and stick to policy – he received a sizable bump in the polls.
But his spat with Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan who was killed serving in Iraq, received endless attention, which hurt him. Then last week at a campaign event, Trump called on Second Amendment voters to do something about his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. To me, it was clearly a call to action for Second Amendment voters to vote against Clinton, but within hours, Clinton supporters were claiming Trump had called for her assassination. The sad part is that a lot of people, voters specifically, are buying that spin.
After this series of events, Trump finds himself in large holes in many swing states. Some polls coming out as early as the end of last week show Trump down as much as 10 points in Florida, a state he had a solid lead in a few weeks ago.
Despite all of this, Trump still has a chance.
Trump supporters such as Newt Gingrich and Dr. Ben Carson have articulated the simple reason for this: Trump may make a handful of gaffes, but for every Trump flub, Clinton has a scandal or impropriety she has been part of.
Whether it is unanswered questions about Benghazi, or not being able to manage more than one email, there are serious questions about whether Clinton can handle the duties of the presidency. Trump needs to focus on that, not outside noise.
When we get to debate time, Trump will question Clinton like she has never been questioned before regarding her scandals, whether they are legitimate or only political.
Besides her interview with Chris Wallace last week on Fox News, Clinton has not had a real in-depth or tough interview during this campaign.
Another reason to count Trump out is the formation of the Together for America organization made up of prominent Republicans supporting Clinton. Members of this organization, however, such as former United Nations Ambassador John Negroponte, are unknown by casual political followers and represent the establishment Trump is fighting anyway.
If certain Republicans are endorsing Clinton because of Trump’s gaffes, when will Democrats begin endorsing Trump due to Clinton’s scandals?
Max Turgeon is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
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