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August 10, 2024 - 1:00pm
Donald Trump is being Donald Trump and Beltway pundits are convinced it’s killing his campaign. Trump’s problems are real, but they have nothing to do with his rambling press conferences — and it’s rather telling that journalists still don’t know why.
At an hour-long Thursday presser, Trump bragged that he’d drawn a bigger crowd to the “same real estate” as Martin Luther King Jr. on 6 January. He described Gov. Tim Walz as being “heavy into the transgender world.” (That part is at least accurate.) He marvelled at his own rapid healing abilities.
Media observers, though, acted as if Trump hasn’t sounded exactly like this for the last eight years. Politico Playbook‘s headline the next morning was “Trump’s ‘reset’ that wasn’t.” The narrative is almost a carbon copy of what media said after Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference last week.
If anybody expected a Trump campaign “reset” to involve the candidate suddenly becoming a disciplined messenger, they really do not belong in the industry at this point. (See this hilariously naive editorial from the Wall Street Journal.) Trump’s coalition is people who love him and people who tolerate him. None of those voters expect Trump to start talking like Mitt Romney. They will not be surprised or moved by his rantings and ravings.
It’s true that in a close election, some voters may have a harder time tolerating Trump the more he whines about crowd sizes. But they’re already putting up with everything else in the Trump package — including J6 — so his lack of message discipline on any given Thursday afternoon is hardly a crisis.
Trump is actually making serious errors that have nothing to do with his tangents and grudges. Back in June, Matthew Stoller compared Trump’s speeches in 2016 with his speeches in 2024. “In 2016, he feuded incessantly with corporate America, telling a story about big business as part of the corrupt establishment trying to outsource jobs and replace American workers with cheap labor,” Stoller wrote. “His post-Presidential years have seen a different figure. He just doesn’t talk about corporate America very much anymore.”
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Subscribe“The real ‘reset’ could be a post-labour day blitz on the Vice President’s ties to corrupt corporate powers.” You mean to offset Trump’s carte blanche drill offer to oil executives in return for a $1B campaign contribution? At any rate, there will be no “reset” — the reset button is not connected to Trump’s brain.
A $1 billion donation you say. That would be like the biggest donation in history. Why am I just hearing this now? It must be all that media bias covering up for Trump again. CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR hiding news to help Trump. I’m sick of it I tell ya. Or maybe all these news outlets are being paid off by big oil too. I’m getting sick of all the fawning news coverage of big oil. I’m no rocket surgeon, but I know when they’re all being paid off.
No rocket surgeon. Brilliant. I’m stealing that.
Lol. Thanks man. I probably stole it from someone else.
You did. It’s an oldie but goodie.
It’s multiple oil companies who are donating. Being able to drill in Alaska and other locations is worth far more than $1 billion.
Well, bring the evidence. The thing some people don’t understand is that oil companies can and will go anywhere. If they can’t drill in Alaska, they’ll go to Ghana. If they can’t drill in the North Sea, they’ll go Kenya.
“ Drill Baby Drill” best thing Trump can do and we finally get the energy the whole world so desperately needs. Hope this CO2 “Man Made Climate Crisis” will soon be exposed for what it is, a huge Marxist scam. Bit by bit we are now finding out how “follow the science” worked so well during COVID. Once the US has cheap available energy, companies will be flooding in to set up shop, especially from Europe.
And exactly what is wrong with the US drilling for its own oil? The progressive/ environmentalist alternative: Saudi, Russia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Indonesia etc etc all do so to their hearts’ content – but not western countries under any circumstances.
How about from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/05/10/energy-industry-already-giving-trump-millions-while-he-promises-big-cutbacks-in-seeking-1-billion-donation/
Or just, umm, Google it.
Did you read the link? It might not say what you think it does.
Of course I read it. And here’s a direct quote: ‘Trump then suggested he should be compensated for the industry-friendly proposals in the form of a $1 billion donation to his campaign, what he said would be a “deal” compared to the benefits he would bring the industry.’
What it didn’t say is that he received a $1 billion donation. Trump wants many things; as does Harris, as does Biden, as does every politician ever.
Not half as bad as his pact with the Devil, though!
is there a citation for that one billion-dollar donation? Besides, in selecting Vance as his running mate, Trump gained access to billionaires such as Peter Thiel and David Sacks, who also bring along a big tech punch. But even they have not donated that much.
How about from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/05/10/energy-industry-already-giving-trump-millions-while-he-promises-big-cutbacks-in-seeking-1-billion-donation/
Who cares about this, Harris gets huge donations from lefty billionaires…
Nice “whataboutism” Steph that ignores the issue. Alex asked for a citation; I gave it.
Trump is still a moron and a liar.
Idiots and racists still support him. Everybody else laughs at him.
Which side are you on, Jimmy?
I’m not required to like Trump. He opposes open borders and net zero. That’s good enough for me. Everything is so emotional for the useful idiots. It’s all about feelings and vibes. I wish I could care about character, but they’re all grifters – Trump, Biden, Harris. I care about policy.
Your slobbering devotion to Trump is embarrassing, old boy!
You seem very obsessed by open borders, Jimbo. Who exactly do you think is advocating for these open borders?
This should be funny!
Unserious as usual. The political discourse of a junior high school girl.
Shall I just assume that you are unable to answer the question, Jimster?
At least 10 million illegals in Biden’s term. But ya, the Dems are all about the border, even proposing a policy five minutes ago that will cut illegal immigration to only 1 million a year.
Childish indeed. It’s very boring to read comments targeting the player, not the ball.
Jimbo doesn’t really have much else to offer other than obsequious fealty to a certain fat orange loser.
I imagine a fat sixteen year old with no girlfriend.
Harris is leading Trump in three battleground states: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin And Michigan. And it’s not by one percent
The Trump cult is stalling, no kidding, after all the insults towards women, minorities, cat lovers, rambling and boring and condescending speeches that sound like a broken record and with nothing positive to say, especially for younger people. He is an angry old man who belongs to the dustbin of history. One day in the future, perhaps the Republicans can consider getting a decent leader like Reagan and Bush from the good old days of Republicanism. Enough of the freak show already.
What Harris policy do you like best? Surely, you’re not basing your support on emotion and vibes.
How about supporting women’s reproductive rights?
Even Trump is backpedaling on that one, not that anyone believes a word he says.
How about you, Jimmy? Are you one of the swivel eyed loons just wishing for The Handmaids Tale to be implemented?
Another truly ridiculous comment by you, to add to do many others. Yes, implementing some form of Gilead with breeding females. This is just what those people who recognise the biological reality that men and women are different and that you cannot choose your gender have always wanted to do….
Please do try and make the odd discerning comment.
Turn of the telly, bin the newspapers, delete that X account and read some books. Learn a skill. Otherwise the fat middle- aged loser you will inevitably become will curse you for p1ssing away your youth like this.
I think Ukraine might be safer in Harris’s hands.
Could you explain the reasons on which you base that belief?
Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he’s elected president again. He has no leverage on Putin, but he can threaten to cut all military and economic aid to Ukraine, unless it makes territorial concessions to Russia. What else can he have in mind?
He actually has rather a lot of leverage on Putin, not least because he’s not likely to rule “escalation” ie winning the goddam war by facing down Russia, which is much militarily weaker than the US.
At every turn the Biden Harris team have endlessly explained exactly what measures they will never take, under any circumstances. Not a way to win any war.
How long would you like this war to go on? A decade? Until there are no young men left on either side?
Should Churchill and FDR have set a time limit on how long they would fight against the Axis powers before giving up?
I can’t speak for Kolya Wolf, but it seem clear that Harris will continue to support Ukraine, and will encourage other Western nations to do so. Trump on the other hand will sell Ukraine out in an instance, at the best of his buddy Putin.
Surely not, but having said that she is much prettier than sourpus Trump, and more pleasing to listen too. Trump has no policies, it’s just rage. What ever happened to the wall, he had 4 years to build it.
Uh-oh! Jimmy isn’t going to like his here being laughed at like ths!
lol. I’m soooo triggered.
He or she always thinks that she triggers people, but all she does is bore the hell out of everybody. Yawn, so predictable…
The election has absolutely nothing to do with looks as I don‘t believe the US is ready to vote for a socialist/ Marxist team and hopefully never will. I would have preferred DeSantis, because he already proved in Florida how successful his policies were/are. All Trump has to do is ask the voters, if they prefer a country run like CA, with such a “beauty” like San Fran, going to hell in a hand cart, or turn into a successful country like Florida or Texas.
Oh dear, a Trump supporter realising what a pathetic grifter he’s been backing. Own it.
Trump won’t go after Corporate America, because i) he’s part of Corporate America ii) he needs their money. The belief he ever would is one of the poorest judgments his supporters have consistently demonstrated. And on migration, remember he controlled Congress entirely for two years and did virtually nothing. Sat in the Oval office all day tweeting before a round of Golf.
He picked Vance. What a decision (although I reckon he dumps him shortly) And at his age his neurons are only heading one way.
It may well be destiny – Trump gets dumped by a mixed race woman. The good Lord moves in many ways.
I’m afraid this post illustrates better than almost any of yours that I have read just how comprehensively you have failed to understand what is going on in the world.
Its all very strange. Trump has been listless these last few weeks. Either 1) he is showing his age or 2) in some kind of talks with the deep state about who will be allowed to win the election ( or stay alive) and just in a holding pattern in public.
Trump against Ukraine:
Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose?
Trump is the very embodiment of the corporate corruption against which he rails.