Growing global expectations of second Trump presidency

MUCH of the world outside the US, with some exceptions such as Russia, Hungary and Turkey, had long favoured a second term for President Joe Biden. However, there is now growing international acknowledgement that Donald Trump is poised to win.

This growing global acknowledgement that the presidential race has been reshaped reflects not only Biden’s recent poor debate performance, but also the aftermath of the horrific assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday (Jul 13).

While the full impact is still unclear of that deplorable incident, which has been rightly condemned on a bipartisan basis, it is most likely to benefit Trump poll-wise, at least in the immediate term. After the most recent comparable assassination attempt, more than four decades ago, Ronald Reagan benefitted from significantly higher approval ratings.