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August 27, 2020
Balance of Power
Bloomberg

A nation still in the grips of a pandemic that's killed at least 179,000 Americans. Consumer confidence at a six-year low. Fresh unrest prompted by the treatment of Black people at the hands of police. A vicious storm threatening the Gulf Coast.

For Donald Trump, who, as a Washington outsider four years ago promised to lead the U.S. "back to safety, prosperity, and peace," the backdrop of this year's Republican National Convention is — to put it mildly — challenging.

As Justin Sink writes, the president gets his chance tonight to make his best case for re-election with a speech seeking both to reverse perceptions of his handling of the crises and paint himself as the most solid steward of an economic recovery.

Trump will accept the Republican nomination from the South Lawn of the White House, an accommodation forced on him by the pandemic. His remarks will end a four-day convention that's featured repeated denunciations of Democrats as radicals who seek to exploit the virus for political gain.

The speech will serve in part as an answer to Democratic nominee Joe Biden's indictment of the Trump administration in his own nomination acceptance speech last week. And the president will look to position himself — as he did in 2016 — as the only person able to address the nation's ills.

The question is whether voters remain receptive to that pitch after four years with Trump in charge.

— Kathleen Hunter

A car displaying support for Trump in Charlotte during the Republican National Convention on Monday.

Photographer: Micah Green/Bloomberg

Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.

Global Headlines

Top lieutenant | Vice President Mike Pence went to the birthplace of the "Star-Spangled Banner" yesterday to plant a flag in America's culture wars, offering an unequivocal defense of police and the administration's handling of racial unrest, even as turmoil again gripped the nation.

Campaign 2020

There are 68 days until the election. Here's the latest on the race for control of the White House and Congress.

Biden said he supports peaceful protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake but denounced the "needless violence" that followed. And, despite Trump's warnings, officials say they see little evidence of coordinated voter fraud or efforts by foreign adversaries to manipulate mail-in balloting.

Other developments:

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Pulling the plug | TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer quit just months after starting at the viral short video app, stepping out of the crossfire as the Trump administration targets the business owned by China's ByteDance. Mayer, who joined TikTok from The Walt Disney Co, had been expected to smooth ties with Washington and enforce the notion that TikTok operates as a separate entity from its Beijing-based parent.

  • The U.K. may impose restrictions on TikTok's activities but is unlikely to block plans to set up an international headquarters in London.
  • Read how European chip makers don't rely heavily on U.S. know how for the chips they supply to Huawei but could still take a hit from Washington's curbs on the Chinese company.

Powerful signal | China's latest volley of missiles into the world's most hotly contested body of water served as a warning to two key U.S. targets: aircraft carriers and regional bases. Launched into the South China Sea yesterday, the missiles are central to Beijing's strategy of deterring any military action off its eastern coast, challenging American military superiority in Asia for the first time since World War II.

Trade chief quits | Top European Union negotiator Phil Hogan stepped down after days of criticism that he broke virus regulations in his native Ireland when he attended a golf function. The EU now has to fill a critical role that has become even more high profile as a result of Trump's "America First" challenge to the global commercial order and a pandemic-induced shock to supply chains.

Internal turmoil | Prime Minister Boris Johnson forced out Britain's top education civil servant, seeking to distance himself from a series of mishaps and policy U-turns that have prompted outrage from his own party. It follows the resignation of the head of England's exams regulator after the government was forced to regrade results for final-year students.

  • A plan to entice customers back into restaurants may cost more than the $660 million initially estimated by the Treasury.

What to Watch

  • Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should be able to serve out his term as party leader that ends in about a year, his right-hand man told Bloomberg TV, after questions were raised about his health.

  • U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is wrapping up his Middle East trip with a visit to Oman, a day after Bahrain's ruler said he was committed to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

  • The high-profile U.S. investigation into technology giants including Facebook and Amazon is poised to deliver recommendations as soon as next month that could lead to the overhaul of antitrust laws.

And finally ... A boycott over police shootings that started in the NBA has spread to Major League Baseball and the WNBA. Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers staged a walkout yesterday over the shooting of Jacob Blake, joining a boycott by NBA players that started when the Milwaukee Bucks sat out game five of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic. The boycotts pull professional sports further into the controversy over police shootings, threatening financial consequences for team owners and players, broadcasters, marketers of memorabilia, and even betting houses.

Referees huddle on an empty court yesterday at game time between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic.

Photographer: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America

 
 

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