Things are not looking good for President Donald Trump at the moment. A slew of polls recently showed him trailing behind his opponent Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election by a substantial margin. Worse, he is looking vulnerable in traditional Republican fortresses of Georgia and Texas as well.
So, is President Trump heading for a loss this November? Even Fox News' firebrand conservative anchor Tucker Carlson has tweeted about the growing possibility of the incumbent in the White House getting ousted next year.
Amidst this doom and gloom scenario, there is one bit of news that may or may not be positive for the Trump campaign. On Thursday night, Fox News aired a 'Townhall' interview with the US President which was hosted by Sean Hannity.
This interview garnered high viewership and was more watched than any other program on both broadcast and network television. According to Nielsen, 5.1 million viewers tuned into the interview. The number of viewers for this program, aired at prime time, exceeded the combined numbers for MSNBC and CNN's flagship shows telecasted at the same time.
Possible Implications
So, is this good news for President Trump or something not to be over-interpreted? An interview featuring the President is bound to garner more attention than any other. Especially one at this time when the head of state is facing problems on various fronts and also preparing for the upcoming electoral battle to retain his office.
On top of that, there was a lot of discussion about the disappointing turnout at the Tulsa campaign rally. President Trump's team had claimed that there was going to be a packed arena and a large number of people outside it as well. But eventually, there weren't enough people to even fill all the seats.
Still, if a large television audience watched President Trump's interview, at least he was able to get his message across. Whether it is convincing or not is another issue. At a time when his leadership is being attacked on multiple fronts, POTUS needs to convince his supporters as well as those who may be sitting on the fence, that he hasn't done a bad job.
However, the record of President Trump in interviews isn't very good. He has often said things in one-on-one interactions that have led to controversy. He seems to thrive in the pulsating atmosphere of large rallies where he unleashes his verbal barbs at opponents.
Another format which seems to favour the President is debating. With Joe Biden known to be prone to gaffes while speaking extempore, Trump supporters have been looking forward to the two men engaging in a verbal duel. Till then, the incumbent has to continue trying to convince his voters of the message he has.
