Joe and Dr. Jill are back in the White House discussing the campaign.
JILL: Joe, I’m concerned about the polls. It seems that everyone is down on you, even though the economy is doing pretty well. I’m worried that we might actually lose next year.
JOE: Don’t worry. The campaign hasn’t really started yet. People are still comparing me to the almighty rather than the alternative. If Trump is convicted in any of the ongoing cases, there’s no way swing voters are going to support him. It’s just not going to happen.
JILL: We don’t know that. A lot of things can go wrong.
JOE: What worries you?
JILL: Gas prices, for one. What if they go up dramatically? You don’t have much control over that.
JOE: I’ve made up with the Saudis. They understand that Trump is an unreliable ally. I don’t think we can count on them to keep prices down, but I don’t see them letting prices spike just to put Trump in the White House.
JILL: What if the Russians take Ukraine?
JOE: They don’t have the manpower, tactics, or ammunition to do that. I think Putin is going to lower the cost of the war and hope for a Trump victory. That’s what I’d do in his position.
JILL: What about the border? We’re losing ground even in bright blue areas over the asylum seekers.
JOE: That’s really a problem for Congress, not me. I don’t have some huge slush fund to give to Eric Adams. When people start understanding that, the political problem will go away.
JILL: You know they’re going to go after Kamala Harris and say you’re a doddering figurehead.
JOE: Kamala needs to rise to the occasion and prove that she’s interested in justice, not wokeness. We can help her with that, but in the end, it’s up to her. She has the talent to do it. I’ve seen it on occasion.
JILL: They’ll argue that you’re soft on China, too.
JOE: Yes, but that’s ridiculous. The record will show that Trump was only interested in the trade deficit, and even there, his agreement was a total failure. We’ve made a lot of progress with our policy of flexible containment. The public will understand that when we compare our record to Trump’s.
JILL: So, what’s the plan?
JOE: Mostly, to let Trump destroy himself with moderates every time he opens his mouth. To make the case that we’re bringing good manufacturing jobs back to the areas that were left behind, that unemployment is at record lows, and that inflation has come down dramatically. To hit Trump hard on abortion and climate change. And, of course, to talk about the fact that he is only interested in putting his political opponents in jail–he has no positive vision for anyone in America, even in the red states. He has already said the Constitution should be terminated; how can anyone trust him to keep his oath if he takes office?
JILL: Sounds good to me.