United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has urged Democrats to put up a unified front to defeat US President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 presidential elections.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Pelosi said that it would be unimaginable for Trump to be reelected although current polls suggest that his chances of winning are good.
“I can’t even envision a situation where he would be reelected. But we are not, we don’t take anything for granted. As I say, we have to have our own vision for the future. But everybody knows that we must be unified in making sure that he does not have a second term,” Pelosi said.
The likelihood of re-election
According to Trump’s campaign team, the possibility of Trump being reelected is high given the general advantage that incumbents have.
In 2016, Trump’s Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by three million votes but Trump won the electoral college with 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232.
Trump’s campaign team believes that their advertising in key states has generated interest, including from minorities.
Trump “not acquitted”
Pelosi also claims that Trump was not acquitted in his impeachment trial due to the absence of a trial.
“You can’t have an acquittal unless you have a trial and you have witnesses and documents. So he (Trump) can say he is acquitted and the headlines can say he is acquitted. But he is impeached forever,” Pelosi said.
Internal conflict within the democratic party
The internal struggle between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party in the US is likely to throw a wrench into democrats’ plans for a “unified front.”
Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is the overwhelming favorite among young voters and after popular vote victories in Iowa and New Hampshire many consider him the democratic front-runner.
Sanders labels himself a democratic socialist and endorses progressive ideas like free college and Medicare for All. These policies have won him the support of the party’s liberal base as well as the hearts of young voters, but he is widely opposed by the party establishment and has been criticized by former nominee Hillary Clinton.
Billionaires Steyer and Bloomberg spend big
Most of the advertising to date in the democratic presidential race has been bought by two billionaire candidates, businessman Tom Steyer and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Steyer has reportedly carved out US$186 million on advertising while Bloomberg is believed to have spent nearly US$386 million on advertising alone.
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