‘He’s rattled’: Trump fears looming economic collapse will lose him 2020 election

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Donald Trump is reportedly worried an economic collapse could dent his chance of re-election in 2020 after a change in a major market indicator sparked fears of a US recession. “He thinks that all the people that do this economic forecasting are a bunch of establishment weenies – elites who don’t know anything about the real economy and they’re against Trump.” The newspaper reported that White House officials were delivering “upbeat assessments of the US economy” to the US president, amid concerns that preparation for a crash would “validate a negative narrative” about the economy. “When you start to hit an economic downturn, there’s no personal element that sustains him.” Fears of a possible economic downturn grew this week after a closely followed market indicator flipped in the US, a signal that a recession is on its way. “It’s just that drip, drip, drip of trade war anxiety that is hanging over market sentiment.” Winning re-election during an economic downturn has proved a major obstacle to past presidents.