In the first days and weeks of President Donald Trump's tenure in the White House, Americans across the country urged others to give him a chance, believing that his antics on the 2016 campaign trail wouldn't move into the White House with him.
His defenders insisted that Trump would realize the gravity of the office to which he'd been elected and adjust his behavior and actions accordingly.
With an average approval rating that's never risen above 50 percent, it would appear the American public doesn't think Trump has risen to that occasion.
The President has told over 20 thousand lies since inauguration day, he's routinely used his Twitter feed to bully everyone from his enemies to his own administration officials, and—as another election year comes to pass—there's evidence that he is seeking foreign assistance to secure a victory in 2020.
Trump is currently facing a pandemic that's completely upended daily life in the United States.
After months of undermining his administration's health experts and dismissing the threat posed by the virus, Trump offered his most vocal endorsement yet for wearing a mask.
Trump's critics routinely point out the President's reluctance to wear a mask in public or to throw his support behind mask use, a move they say has politicized a simple action that makes a significant difference in keeping the pandemic at bay.
While the tweet was a welcome change from the President's previous actions, a recent headline from ABC News gave him far too much credit, according to Twitter.
The piece links to commentary from ABC Political Director Rick Klein, who notes the President's change in tone.
Klein argues that the election is coming close enough for Trump to consider campaign priorities such as optics and decorum in order to win a second term.
The piece acknowledges that this might not be forever:
"The latest course correction may not last, and may not matter. But political survival is a strong motivating force, and the window for positioning appears to be closing even as the big choices mount."
People widely labeled the hope for a sudden emergence of self-awareness or contrition from Trump as naive.
Receipts were brought.
People had questions.
The President will resume his virus task force briefings today after a weeks-long hiatus. His tone—old or otherwise—is expected to be on full display.
