Select Page

Trump talks trash … but often has a point

Trump talks trash … but often has a point

As a person with a son in the professional wrestling business, I understand how over-the-top trash talk is used as a theatrical style. It is used in family sitcoms. It made guys like Jerry Springer and Maury Povtich rich and famous. And it was an element in President Trump’s “The Apprentice” program.

For a reason I can only assume, Trump has maintained that style as part of his public persona. While it personally repulses me, I can understand that it is both his political strength … and weakness. It can explain – at least to some measure — how he maintains such a strong loyalty from so many wonderful Americans and conjures up so much hatred among so many other wonderful Americans. (Yes… wonderful Americans. I am not into the demonization of the vast majority of the American People – only the establishment that creates the divisiveness.)

Those who hate Trump see his language as offensive, outrageous and indications of a deeper malevolence. And they see it as a golden opportunity to spin his words in that direction. Why Trump provides the grist for the Democrats’ and the media’s mills is a mystery to me.

As a person who has been in the business of coaching folks in public communication, I have given Trump a “D” for his own performance. He would not have to abandon any of his toughness – or his war on the Washington establishment — if he were to tamp down this more outrageous rhetoric. And if he would not gratuitously say controversial things and engage in senseless name calling that do not appear to serve even his own interests.

The problem with Trump is that he too often takes a valid point and wraps it in pugnacious language that empowers the negative spin – and has any valid point lost in the wake of controversy. But he DOES have a point at times – and that is what resonates with millions of voters.

Case-in-Point 1

Trump recently compared his situation to that of Black folks – specifically on the subject of unfair treatment by the institutions of justice. Democrats and the leftwing political establishment jump on the statement with their usual spin. They called his statement offensive, outrageous and racist. That included a number of Black Democrats, who piled on for obvious partisan reasons.

But … did Trump make a point? How is that remark resonating with the average Black voter – especially a ghetto-trapped Black voter?

I contend Trump fares better than Democrats – and even Black Democrats – suggest in their spin. Unequal justice is one of the primary oppressions of institutional or systemic racism. Law enforcement – police prosecutors and courts – are not delivering equal justice to the segregated and impoverished inner-city Blacks. That is a fact.

If not more tolerant, oppressed Blacks tragically become more inured to crime and injustice as a matter of everyday life.
Trump’s comparison – even clumsily stated – potentially gains gravitas with oppressed Blacks because there is a general belief among many Americans that Trump IS being treated unfairly by the justice system. The mere number of cases – all brought by Democrat prosecutors (especially those who vowed to “get Trump” in their campaigns for office) – creates the appearance of political motivations.

As a person with extensive involvement with the Black community and Black issues for more than half a century, I believe Trump’s comparison will resonate with a lot of Black voters. I do not believe it will hurt his support among Blacks — which appears to be growing — and may well gain him more support at the grassroots.

Case-in-Point 2

When discussing the character of those illegally crossing America’s southern border, Trump points to those posing a danger to the American people – the criminals, the gangbangers, the drug peddlers and even those carrying diseases. On occasion he does make the distinction between the criminal class and the average illegal border crosser – although they too pose a threat to American resources, stability, and security. Unfortunately, the anti-Trump media only focus on those statements they can spin. And that is a criticism of both the biased media and Trump’s lack of clarity.

Trump haters jump on those statements and spin them as evidence of Trump’s racism, xenophobia, and nativism. But Trump has a fair point. One can agree that the vast majority of border crosses are not heinous criminals — or modern day “Typhoid Marys” – and still understand that there are a LOT of heinous criminals with tons of drugs, potential terrorists and folks with serious communicable disease among the millions of illegal border crossers. In fact, more than 6,000 people with criminal records were detained at the border this year alone. Multiples of those numbers are believed to have entered – including hundreds of thousands of got-aways.

The fact that New York has had a drop in murder rates and other serious crimes – as noted by those who are okay with open borders – is irrelevant. Regardless of the overall rate, illegal migrants are an unnecessary addition to the statistics. The crime rate would be even lower without the masses of migrants flooding American cities and towns.
Those statistics do not matter to the family of Laken Hope Riley — who was brutally murdered in Georgia by an illegal migrant with a number of prior deportable offenses – and the thousands of other victims of crimes and accidents involving illegal aliens that should not have happened.

Summary

I cannot explain why Trump chooses to talk trash the way he does – or why he says things that are needlessly provocative or so easily open to misinterpretation or spin. And I have not changed my opinion regarding Trump’s pugnacious and bellicose personality. I still think it does more harm to the cause than good.

But those who think it is not effective – or does not resonate with a lot of American voters for good reason — are obviously mistaken. American voters are intelligent. They can look past Trump’s clumsy rhetoric — and they can look past the specious spin of his political adversaries. Put simply, millions of American voters do not believe the Democrats’ political narratives. Demonizing Trump as evil incarnate and an existential threat to the American democracy has not worked.

According to the polls, most American voters like Trump on most of the critical issues. They prefer him on the age issue. That seems to be one explanation why Trump can engage in trash talk and run ahead of Biden. They get the point buried in Trump’s rhetoric and the fallacy in his adversaries’ political narratives.
So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

9 Comments

  1. frank stetson

    This one is funnier than the Biden chicken tape.

  2. Wes Kussmaul

    Certainly he often has a point.
    Often the thugs and mafiosos have a clearer picture of reality than the ivory tower academics who get appointed to policy positions in world capitals.
    Does that mean we should hand the controls to the thugs and mafiosos?

  3. frank stetson

    “TRUMP TALKS TRASH … BUT OFTEN HAS A POINT” seems to leave out the most salient point that Trump often lies. He lies a lot. He lies all the time. Not his frequent gaffs, misnaming, etc. bult bald face, in your face, lies. He never owns up to a lie, a mistake, and often covers them with a bigger lie instead. His goal is to block out the sun and become the only news. I do agree that Trump means what he says and says what he means — even the lies. There is even relevancy in his lies. Of course he makes points. They are often based on lies though.

    So, the question is what are we to do? Many Trumpers just roll their own reality believing that whatever Trump says, it means what they think. Many are just comfortably numb and tune out the whole thing. Others are tired of digging through his ten-ton pile of shit stories just to find a single kernel of corn, a kernel of truth. There is no “often have a point” in a ten-ton pile of shit.

    “I am not into the demonization of the vast majority of the American People – only the establishment that creates the divisiveness.” I have not heard “the establishment” since the 60’s and that one blamed both parties. I just love how Republicans are the new hippies of 2024.

    “Those who hate Trump see his language as offensive, outrageous and indications of a deeper malevolence.” Actually, we are offended by the outrageous lies that form a deeper malevolent purpose to misinform and misdirect citizens to lie as you so readily show on a regular basis. Even the smartest conservatives on PBP regularly consume and regurgitate his swill like Trump’s great oil fabrication.

    Remember the oil story — Trump gave us energy independence, net exportation; Trump gave us more oil than ever in history. Biden sucks oil pondwater, ruined everything. When the actual truth is Trump gave us over 1,000,000 million dead and we stopped driving so, of course, exports climbed because the domestic market went dead zero for a while. At least according to the guys who count this stuff, the EIA, who said that definitely, plain as day and provided the facts to prove it. According to Trump, and Horist downstream, it was all Trump. Not to mention that under Biden, we have been a net exporter for three years running and are pumping the MOST OIL IN WORLD HISTORY. Not Trump, Biden is the major net exporter that is drilling more oil than Trump or anyone else. Trump lies, conservatives listen and see a point, a deeper message. That’s charisma, but not facts. And the media just ignores Trump altogether or passes the info on without real time comment on the lies.

    We have become comfortably numb to his lies. Welcome to the Trump machine.

    • Harold blankenship

      I strongly believe that Joe will crash and burn tonight during the sundown show. Can’t wait. And the good patriots will call him out.

  4. frank stetson

    Well, MTG did deliver. Think it might be the first time I saw someone wear advertising in Congress. Sweeeeeet escalation! Can adidas and nike be far behind?

    From WIKI: “The United States House of Representatives ban on head covering is an 1837 simple resolution that is a sumptuary rule restricting Representatives from wearing any headgear during sessions. It originally represented a break from the British House of Commons hat-wearing tradition. After 181 years, in 2018 a partial repeal to allow religious accommodation for a number of faiths that practice head covering was proposed with the election of Ilhan Omar, who wears a hijab.” I guess MTG’s MAGA hat is a religous accomodation to her faith and religion.

    Speaker Johnson, an oxymoronic name for this dickless wonder who can’t even follow House Rules because he is scared of the bleach-blond pancaked-plastered-face bimbo. I don’t know who’s got stranger hair —- this whore or Trump himself. Very unprofessional apparel and heckling from the bitch looking for Fox camera pans. Bad enough adding MAGA advertising to the SOTU, but 2020 Trump hat? That’s a pretty rude tude, Dudes.

    Can’t wait for the Biden talks trash, but made a lot of points, supported by facts PBP story.

    The game is on, the game is afoot.

    • frank stetson

      FYI: I figured Joe would either avoid Trump or give him some jabs but I conjected that unless he went full bore on Trump, it would be a bad strategy. He went full bore; it was impressive and you know the orange-haired devil is just steaming, smoke coming out from his ears, steaming.

      Priceless.

    • Jim wampler

      So you referred to speaker Johnson’s dick. Are you sure that you ain’t queer? And calling MTG a whore because she doesn’t share your views? Seriously??? I thought you were “woke”. lol. You’re nothing but a sexist asshole. You and people like you show your true colors on the left. So keep it up. You idiots just keep showing us who and what you are.

      • frank stetson

        That’s proves my point Whackler, I say dickless wonder and you “referred to speaker Johnson’s dick” asking me if I am queer. Funny what you think and wonder, but it seems to be about one thing.

        No, I called MTG a whore because in the 2023 SOTU she wore wore a $495 alpaca wool coat to the 2023 State of the Union. She did not dress American. You are right, I probably would have been more accurate to say “pimp.” It just seemed out of place. However, it did list for $495 on Overland.com is a Peruvian fair wages product. Peru is MTG’s sort a place, right wing where terroists attack people on the left; she wants to import that as well. One President in jail for commanding death squads, another committed suicide as they came to get him on bribery charges, think they have like 5 Presidents up for bribery.

        And for two SOTUs in a row, she has festooned herself in funny clothes for effect and unprofessionally jeered catcalls and boo’s during the Speech once again escalating unprofessionalism in the People’s House in a manner that is not of the American people. This time she was adverstising for Trump 2024 by wearing 2020 memorabillia, no doubt a tribute to The Big Lie.

        And fyi, although said many times —— I have no issue with name calling for public figures, it’s part of what happens when you enter the arena. If you want to open that up, as it appears you do, then bring in on and we on PBP can have fun with each other, be damned the discussion, fuck the issues, let’s just get personal. Personal. I will let PBP management and readers make that call.

        Sexist? Nah if Johnson wore an alpaca wool coat like that,o I would have gone with pimp. For sure.

  5. frank stetson

    Trump wants you to believe that he shares a common plight with the Black race in America. And that’s why they like him. First, they don’t like him. He was at a conservative Black association meeting with 500 people. Only 500 people came to this Trumpian session. Trump may have been the only white guy there, white Trumpers do not show up to support Black Trumpers apparenlty…… Guess they are busy building more gallows….. But be clear, Blacks do not support Trump. Even if more Blacks are supporting Trump, Blacks do not support Trump.

    Second, the reason Blacks do not support Trump is because he has nothing in common with the Black race with all signs pointing to his own feelings of Black inferiority as shown by his historical actions. His commonality claims stem from his fact that he, like the Black race, is discriminated against by the entire US legal system. He wants you to believe it’s the system that’s guilty and that he is just an innocent victim targeted by the man, the deep state, the demon Democrats. Witnesses said he was guilty. The evidence said he was guilty. A jury of his peers, including Republicans, said he was guilty. That’s guilty, guilty, guilty. Black jurors said he was guilty. White jurors said he was guilty. Rich ones, poor ones, liberals and conservative jurors together said he was guilty. And on the case decided, by Trump’s request, decided by the bench, the bench found him guilty too. The only black and white in this is the letter of the law.

    When was the last time you saw a white guy say “I’m just like the Blacks” and have that end well? Heck, you see big-time pushback on “some of my best friends are Black” statements people sometimes stupidly make.

    Trump is like a Black guy…. Come on, you made fun of Biden, Blacks, and chicken as the funniest thing ever seen, even added watermelon to the discussion, as Republicans love a stereotype. Being Black-like-Trump is Ok for some because they see a deeper meaning?

    IMO, we need to hear more from Trump because, IMO, he basically campaigns for Biden. I mean this stuff is really getting whack. The more he says, the better Biden looks. Trump-speak helps build back Biden better. Given he is the presumptive Republican candidate, soon, I gather they will run more speeches. The media wrestles with running his lies recently opting to drop him mostly. Trump is now lying constantly and consistently, bigger and bolder, stranger and stupider than ever. If you listen, you would expect there is open warfare in the cities between illegals and locals. That thousands of infected-patient terrorist drug dealer gang members are crossing the border daily. Or that millions have bought the Trump mug shot T-shirt found on trumpsripsmeoff.com. Get yours today! Hell, MTG sported a Trump in 2020 MAGA hat to the SOTU. He lost MTG. No significant election fraud except that for which Trump and friends are charged in Georgia, in DC. Like Trump, she is sellig lies and Republicans are buying them.

    IMO, it’s time to bring Trump back, and the media is starting to do just that. Soon, I expect we will see a split screen with real-time fact checking the liar to help shoot down the most egregious stuff like energy, the border, and Trump’s growing criminal record. Wonder what the deeper meaning behind that? Oh yeah, he’s one guilty, lying, cheating, raping crook. Stick that up your mug shot and put a trucker’s hat on it.