CNN deserves credit for producing a townhall meeting with President Trump. The network received tons of criticism from the leftwing newsies who believe in censoring political opposition.
I am suspicious that there may be an anti-Trump motive by putting the former President on so early in the presidential campaign season – leaving more timely spots for other candidates. We will have to see if they give Trump another opportunity next year.
Despite his – shall we say – unconventional behavior and the unprecedented barrage of vicious bias attacks from Democrats, the media, and even a growing number of Republicans, Trump still maintains a significant degree of popularity. He still could win the GOP nomination for President – and he still COULD win the General Election. It boggles the minds of his critics.
In his first major primetime uncensored exposure to an American audience, Trump was the same old Trump that many love and support and many others hate and fear. And that is a problem.
In the CNN Townhall, Trump did nothing to reach out to what few voters might be on the fence. He played to the base with his usual litany of grievances and provocative statements. What was on display was everything people like me – who twice voted for him – do not like about Trump.
First, there was that mantra about the 2020 election being “rigged.” I have never stepped into that quicksand because it is mostly a distraction and a moot point. He made those claims during the recount period and after. We have all heard it many times.
There are no minds to be changed on that issue. You either believe Trump or not. No claims of rigging or references to a “big lie” will change minds. The election is over. The Electoral College has voted, and that vote has been certified by a large majority in Congress – and in the American system, that is all that matters. Joe Biden is the President of the United States, like it or not. Trump’s dwelling on the 2020 election no longer serves any good purpose.
I never like Trump’s propensity for self-praise and all those “only I” statements. I guess I am old school, but you earn praise from others. It is not something you bestow on yourself. It leads Trump to make preposterous claims about himself and his actions. He repeatedly says that he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. That is utter hyperbolic nonsense.
I am more interested in how he would end that war. Would he allow Putin to retain and annex 15 percent of Ukrainian real estate? Would Russia have to pay reparations? In the meantime, would Trump continue to send military aid to Ukraine? Would he end the war in victory or appeasement? The answers to those questions are more important to me than silly claims of omnipotence. And frankly, I am concerned by Trump’s refusal to give Ukraine 100 percent support.
Trump seems to enjoy being provocative – saying things that will be successfully repudiated by fact checkers the next day. The biggest tax break in history – even bigger than President Reagan’s. That is probably not true. He claimed to have “finished” the border wall. Untrue. He did build hundreds of miles, but it was far from finished. In fact, President Biden has left millions of dollars of paid for border wall lying on the ground, getting rusted.
Trump debates like it is a barroom argument. At one point, he lashed out at host Kaitlan Collins, saying she is not a nice person. Although … in that case, I also thought that Collins was entirely too argumentative. She became the counterpoint rather than the moderator. Regardless, Trump’s personal attack was unnecessary – as is most of his childish name-calling.
He seemed to be poking the hornet’s nest with suggestions that maybe the United States should default on the debts and that migrant children should again be separated from their parents in some cases. Neither is a good policy. I do not believe the United States will default, and we can secure the border without separating families unless the “parent” is a chargeable criminal. Trump also gets vague on such issues as abortion. Since I am a pro-lifer, that matters.
I have written numerous commentaries on my dislike for the Trump personality – and some of his political positions. In my judgment, Trump lost an opportunity to present a more positive and more futuristic vision of a future Trump presidency. Also, presidential candidates tend to speak for their respective parties in terms of policy. It is not about his grievances from the past, but what he would specifically propose in the future – what he would lead the GOP to do.
The major imponderable for Trump’s critics is how does he remain as popular as he does? Their only explanation seems to be that Republican voters have turned into a bunch of political zombies devoid of any positive humanitarian traits. That is totally untrue, of course.
The answer to their question is rather simple. Despite all of Trump’s manifest problems – personality and legal – the Democrat leaders and radical leftwing agenda are more offensive and deemed to be more dangerous to the Republic.
If Biden is the Democrat standard bearer, most Americans see him as too old. Biden’s policy and actions are not supported by most voters – and that is reflected in his abysmal polling number. While Biden tries to sell the joy of his legislation, the public is not buying. They are very worried about the Democrat’s open border policy … their pro-criminal policies … inflation … cutting off gas … the failure to address the Fentanyl epidemic – and the imposition of unpopular culturally woke policies. Despite the best effort to sweep it under the rug, there is a growing suspicion of Biden family grifting that goes beyond son Hunter. There is also a mortal fear that a Biden second term would lead to a President Harris.
The support for Trump – outside of a small percentage of diehard admirers – is not because he is personally popular but because the alternative remains totally repugnant to a lot of Americans.
The things that I do not like – and fear – with the current radical left policies of the Democratic Party are more serious and threatening to the constitutional Republic than Trump’s disgraceful behavior. If Trump were to become the GOP standard bearer – and I hope not — I would have to hold my nose and once again cast a ballot for him. It is not a happy choice – but not a difficult one because policy trumps personality.
So, there ‘tis.