Will Teflon-Trump Survive The Novel Coronavirus?

The coronavirus outbreak isn’t something politically whipped up by the “fake” media or by  liberals or, God forbid, by members of the elusive deep state—although I’m sure there are a number of conspiracy theories taking root on YouTube and beyond as I write. Let’s face it, if people can believe tragedies like the Sandy Hook Massacre were cooked up inside an anti-gun wing of the U.S. government, then coronavirus conspiracy theories are surely fair game.

With that said, the $65 million question is whether Donald Trump will survive yet another Presidency-toppling scandal? The simple answer that quickly comes to mind: Of course he will! We have simply no reason to think otherwise and must continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. The man is indestructible and that is mainly because he is a master chess player when it comes to manipulating his pieces around the media chessboard. Just when you think you’ve got him trapped, he has already moved on to the next event! If you think about it, he has a lot in common with the novel coronavirus!

Having said that, the more difficult answer is slightly longer and might have more merit: Considering this is the first true test of his presidency, he will fail only because his previous strengths—purely media-based, extremely aggressive, partisan, not relying heavily on facts and somewhat reality shifting—will serve as his central weaknesses.

As we are all simultaneously realizing, the coronavirus is not a normal scandal or event that will simply pass like an impeachment trial or an FBI investigation. The effects of the coming coronavirus storm will reverberate through economy and society for at least the next couple months, if not longer. First, the effects will be psychological and then it will be followed by the even more painful tangible effects that fan the flames of an inevitable economic downturn fueling job losses, divorces, and bankruptcies (personal and corporate)—all on top of the widely expected negative health effects!

Regardless of all the theories formulating out there, an impending global pandemic was the very black swan event that has the power to bring down a transformative figure like Donald Trump. The effects of the virus are already showing signs: the long-running bull market is officially on life support, the era of “alternative facts” is coming to an end as people place more emphasis on experts, and finally, the government will will shine again as it comes to the rescue of average people. Yes, the same government that repeatedly gets trampled over by the very people who depend on it the most. Excuse the tangent, but this totally reminds me of a book I read a couple years ago—Michael Lewis’s “The Fifth Risk,” which examines the potential dire effects of an administration that fails to invest in critical government agencies—most notably by hiring the most qualified people for the job. Check it out from the library today and you’ll see how it ties into what is happening right now with coronavirus.

At the end of the day, man with a hammer syndrome effects us all and Donald Trump is only human (don’t laugh, liberals!). Either he will need to buy new tools or start relying on tools other people bring to the table, but I have a feeling he will fail on both counts and that, my friends, will lead to the downfall of Teflon Trump!