Trump notches wins to fuel re-election before trial

Bloomberg

Donald Trump has kicked off the 2020 election year with a string of key foreign policy and economic wins that his campaign hopes will overshadow — and outlast — the political fallout from his historic impeachment.
As the Senate began his impeachment trial in Washington, Trump tried to pull the spotlight to Davos, Switzerland, where he touted his record to an annual gathering of global elites: “America is thriving, America is flourishing, and yes, America is winning again like never before,” he said.
Trump’s argument has been bolstered by a series of recent victories. He inked a long-sought “phase one” trade deal with China, the Senate passed his rewrite of Nafta, and he ordered the killing of a top Iranian general without immediately tipping the US into another war in the Middle East.
All three events occurred within a two-week period, helping push the stock market to record highs and giving Trump clear talking points for the argument that his confrontational approach to China and Iran is working.
Adding to the list, Trump indicated he had secured a truce with French President Emmanuel Macron in their dispute over digital taxes, and said he’s confident he can reach a trade deal with the European Union.
Trump’s victories may still sour. His US-Mexico-Canada Agreement is regarded as a modest revision of Nafta that required considerable concessions to Democrats in order to win the House’s approval. His deal with China includes limited reform commitments by Beijing and what many experts regard as an improbable commitment for $200 billion in purchases of US goods, while leaving tariffs in place on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports.
And while the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani elicited limited retaliation from Tehran, the Islamic Republic may seek further reprisals and is now seen as less likely to enter negotiations with the US over ending its nuclear program and support for militants and terrorists.
Nonetheless, the run appears to be boosting Trump’s confidence. Last week, he spoke at length and unscripted during a ceremony to sign the China deal, comparing himself favourably to Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln and gleefully shouting out corporate executives and wealthy supporters in his audience.
Speaking to reporters after a dinner with Trump and other business leaders in Davos, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said that the president “appeared more confident” and secure following the economy’s recent performance.
But Trump’s optimism will be met with the harsh reality of a bitter impeachment fight when he returns to Washington. Senate Democrats and Republicans spent the first day of the trial debating the rules of the trial to determine whether Trump should be removed from office.