Joe Biden won all three primaries last night: Illinois, Florida and Arizona. He can thank Donald Trump and the coronavirus for it.

Of course, Joe Biden can also thank Representative Jim Clyburn, who enthusiastically endorsed Biden before the South Carolina primary as well as the black voters of South Carolina, who gave Joe such a decisive win.

Without that win, Democrats might still be running around like chickens with their heads off (look up the reference, non-Boomers)  with no one person to rally behind.

He can also thank Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobucchar, who one by one, dropped out of the race.

But Biden should write the floweriest thank you note to none other than Donald J. Trump. Yes, Joe Biden’s meteoric rise to be the candidate most likely to appear at the top of the Democratic ticket can be attributed to our collective, our united disdain of Donald J. Trump.

By now, I don’t think I have to explain why there’s massive contempt for him if you’re a Democrat or a Republican with a conscience and a brain. As one of my friends said, “I’d vote for a chimpanzee before I’d vote for Donald Trump.”

Some voters are sadly disappointed that their candidate (A woman! A gay man! ) won’t get the nomination. But other Democrats, including yours truly, were undecided as to whom they would cast their ballot before the South Carolina primary.

For me and others in my circle, there was no Obama in the race, no one perfect candidate, no one who didn’t have some baggage. In other words, someone who stood out as the best moderate candidate.

My motivation for whom I would vote for boiled down to one thing: Someone whom I felt could beat Trump. I don’t think I was alone.

The South Carolina primary told me I finally had my man: Joe Biden. He’s an experienced leader, a kind, decent man and is smart enough to surround himself and listen to those who know more than he does.

But today, there’s another reason to get behind Biden and unite against Trump: Trump’s response to the coronavirus situation. If ever there was a clear cut demonstration of Trump’s ineptitude, this is it.

The lies. The missteps.  The  dismissal of science. Until very recently, the cavalier attitude. 

The inappropriate remarks, including the boasting, the blaming of Obama and the bashing of the governor of Washington during a time of unprecedented crisis. The refusal to take responsibility for any of what’s gone wrong.

But Trump’s biggest failure was and is to instill a sense of trust and confidence in his fellow Americans. We don’t expect miracles, but we want a leader who’s credible.

Recently, as I said, he’s been taking a more serious tone with the pandemic, but the bragging, the superlatives about himself and his people flowed during his news conference yesterday. His baseless optimism about how it will all turn out didn’t help either.

By now, if you weren’t convinced the man is unsuitable for the job, you never will be.

It won’t be easy for Biden if he gets the nomination. Bernie, although not my particular cup of java, is genuine and smart and his loyal supporters may not come out to vote for Biden. I sure hope my fears are just that–fears and nothing more.

And if Biden does get the nomination, Trump is sure to do his best (worst?) to destroy Biden. Trump will use every tool in his huckster marketing tool box –name-calling, dirty tricks, distortions and downright lies if repeated often enough will, unfortunately, be bought by many Americans.

On top of it, Trump will take advantage of every vulnerability Biden has– whether it’s his son Hunter and the Ukraine or something else entirely.

I hope, I pray that if Joe Biden is the nominee–and it sure looks like he will be, he is strong enough to hold his own. The stakes are simply too high.

Want want to miss the next Opinionated Woman blog post? To read more, just type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.