Scott Morrison’s popularity has bounced during the coronavirus pandemic, but that is still not translating to two-party preferred results. Meanwhile, Joe Biden pulls ahead in the US election race.
In dealing with mass protests of police killings of African Americans, U.S. President Donald Trump is invoking old phrases and laws — first from 1967 and then further back to 1807.
It is no accident that those leaders who have responded worst to this crisis have also been the main sources of countless conspiracy theories and misinformation.
In appearing with Bible in hand at the time of crisis, Trump is signaling his position as defender of traditional values, while ‘othering’ detractors. Russia’s Putin and India’s Modi have done similar things.
While much attention was on the US this week, there was also an official acknowledgment that Australia is in recession, and a controversial HomeBuilder program to boost the economy.
The coronavirus has affected almost every country in the world, but there are major differences in how health data is being reported. Politics often dictates how the data is shared.
Had Trump read the text he held, he would have found a story of liberation for slaves, a divine preference for the poor, and a damning critique of any empire that oppressed its people.
That George Floyd died at the hands of four police officers is uncontested, but interpretations of his death and its aftermath differ greatly. The result is two starkly opposed narratives.
In the coronavirus pandemic, wearing a protective mask signifies a commitment to the social and collective good of society. But that changes when a face mask is worn by Black and racialized people.
President Trump has warned that he will send the military into states to curb protests. Is Trump’s warning bluster? Or does the president have the authority to send the military into American cities?
Fear is very much a part of humans’ survival. Demagogues and others who want to manipulate have learned that this human trait can be exploited, often with disastrous consequences.
A biographer of George Washington says that the father of the country would have no problem wearing the kind of protective gear that President Trump shuns.
Trump’s critics have assailed his handling of both coronavirus and the Minneapolis unrest. His election opponent, Joe Biden, though, has yet to show he can be the more effective leader, either.
Trump’s recent executive order may limit section 230 of the Communications Decency Act - the ‘bedrock of the internet’. What does that mean for Australia?
Professor in U.S. Politics and U.S. Foreign Relations at the United States Studies Centre and in the Discipline of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney