The 2020 presidential election is heating up as a number of prominent Democratic candidates, namely Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, all prepare to challenge President Donald Trump in November. Recent polls have shown these three candidates to be all within striking distance of the incumbent, with Biden currently maintaining a narrow lead, according to the most recent RealClearPolitics Poll.
These polls have led many opponents of the president to seize on the opportunity to challenge Trump and his re-election campaign. A key focus of critics has been Trump’s acuity, or ability to think clearly and make decisions. Among the most vocal voters in this regard has been Sen. Warren, D-Mass., who has been a fierce advocate for the president’s political accountability since his election.
In a speech at Brown University last month, the 2020 presidential candidate called Trump’s “acuity” into question, saying, “It’s been clear for a long time that Donald Trump is not an especially intelligent man. He is ignorant and impulsive. He lurches from one wild conspiracy theory to the next. This isn’t business acumen—it’s recklessness.”
Sen. Sanders has also criticized the president’s acuity, saying in a recent debate that Trump “…has not been a very good negotiator, not been a very good decision-maker, frequently relying on unreliable information and oftentimes making decisions that are not long-term in their vision.”
Former Vice President Biden also touched on this subject in an address to the Center For American Progress last week, saying that “The American people deserve a leader who is thoughtful, careful, and knows how to think through difficult decisions. That’s not Donald Trump.”
These three primary Democratic challengers have all used their forums to bring to light what they view as Trump’s lack of acuity, a point that is furthermore echoed by their campaign surrogates and by supporters of these rival politicians.
Of course, the president’s most ardent backers continue to strongly defend his capabilities, particularly in business dealings. Estimates of his net worth remain extremely contested, however, and several politicians and analysts have indicated that his decisions are often marked my drastic shifts and changes in strategy.
The topic of Trump’s acuity is, therefore, a divisive one, as his critics use it to score political points while the president’s supporters remain firmly committed to the notion that he is a competent leader.
Regardless of personal opinion, Trump’s acuity is sure to remain a critical topic as the 2020 election draws nearer. His Democratic rivals have seized on the moment with their own critiques of the president’s intelligence and decision-making processes, and Americans will soon have the opportunity to render their own verdict at the ballot box.
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