The USA burns, its president sinks and could still be re-elected

MELBOURNE, Australia, (IPS) - Violence erupted in numerous cities across the United States after the death of a black man, George Floyd, who was seen on video trying desperately to breathe while a white police officer Derek Chauvin was driving his knee into her neck against the floor. These riots pose a huge challenge for both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, who are about to start their respective campaigns for the November 3 elections.

As if the coronavirus had not been a great enough difficulty for the civil rights discourse in the United States, this latest outbreak, motivated by the racial policies that are applied in the country, means that the next presidential campaign could potentially be one of the most explosive in history. The covid-19 and Minneapolis may well become the hubs of the next campaign. Trump's detractors have lashed out at his management on both counts, wondering if he has the ability to effectively lead the country in times of crisis.

And yet, perhaps none of this will hurt your reelection career. A presidency in crisis?

As the leader currently in command, there is no doubt that right now Trump is facing the most immediate challenges. Since the time of Franklin Roosevelt and the Second World War, no other president of the United States had had to manage the deaths of so many citizens for a single cause.