Trump’s “Slow the Testing Down” Comments Send Reelection Odds Further South

• Following an underwhelming rally in Tulsa, incumbent Donald Trump’s odds to retain the Presidency grew longer yet again
• Trump’s betting line jumped to +123 from +113. Is now the time to wager on the Donald, or is his ship doomed to sink?
• Analysis of the latest developments along the 2020 election trail are assessed in the following story

Donald Trump and the word “slow” were quickly making news on Saturday night.

First off, Trump suggested during his rally in Tulsa that he’d advised officials within his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because of the rising number of cases in America.

Secondly, Trump sought to defend his much-criticized slow walk down a ramp as he left the stage after addressing cadets at West Point last week.

Finally, there was a haunting image of a defeated-looking Trump, red tie askew, MAGA hat crumpled in his right hand, walking dejectectedly away from Marine One following his return from Tulsa.

It’s all adding up to a continued freefall of Trump’s 2020 election odds.  For the fourth successive week, his betting line gew longer. He’s now at odds of +123.

2020 US Presidential Election Odds

Odds as of June 21st.

Joe Biden remains the favorite. The Democratic challenger saw his odds shorten from -130 to -145 over the same span.

Trump Tulsa Time Running Out

A crowd of just 6,200 in the 19,109-seat  arena welcomed Trump to the stage in Tulsa for his first rally since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Outside, workers moved to disassemble a second stage. It was designed for Trump to address an expected overflow crowd that never materialized.

Inside, it didn’t take long for Trump to stumble.

Opponents pounced quickly on his slow-the-testing remark. Trump officials later claimed the President was kidding, as if joking about a deadly virus that’s killed 120,000 Americans was going to shine a better light on their man.

This is art. https://t.co/ZPJxHu20TV

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 21, 2020

Later, Trump tried to explain away his slow-footed walk at West Point. All he did, though, was serve up more ammunition for the Biden camp.

They rapidly assembled and released an attack ad. It finished with video of Biden running up the ramp to the podium when he spoke at West Point while serving as Barack Obama’s Vice-President.

TikTok Goes The Clock

Trump boasted of some 800,000 requests for tickets to the rally. It turns out this group, which in 2016 relied heavily on bots and artificial intelligence to create a frenzy for their candidate, had been hoodwinked by K-pop stans and teens.

Best thing about the TikTok & Kpop fans reserving tickets is that it actually didn’t block anyone from attending, the tickets don’t reserve seats. That small crowd was legit. They just blew up Trump’s expectations and killed their data haul. #tiktokteens #Emptyseats

— Caitlin Bennett (@caitlinfxbg) June 21, 2020

They organized a TikTok campaign to mass request hundreds of thousands of the free tickets. This created the illusion of immense Trump popularity.

The vast expanse of empty seats within Tulsa’s BOK Center confirmed that this was fake news.

Biden Isn’t Hillary

During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Trump would wail negative slogans about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. It played well because, with a mass of Americans, the Clinton name is toxic.

Biden doesn’t resonate that way. People don’t generally hold a jaundiced view of him. Trump can’t win reelection simply by continuing to mock his opponent.

I can’t stop watching this. Trump is pathos incarnate. Staggering, defeated, and alone. https://t.co/SxEKt2H8z2

— Greg Olear (@gregolear) June 21, 2020

Incumbents must run for reelection on their record. At the present time, that record is displaying an utter vacuum of leadership at a time when America is in dire crisis.

For Trump, it must be a terrifying reality to stare into that abyss.