The next 5 months of Trump

[Ronson]

TI'm stuck trying to figure out if he'll keep being the exact same person, or whether he'll try to reinvent himself.

Ad campaign: News crew interview of rioters and antifa trashing businesses and personal property.
"Who are you voting for in November?"
"Not Trump! No way!"
Then they continue with their destruction.

[Whateverman]

He does not care for a second about consistency and he will luckily lie his way out of anything he has previously said. I have no doubt about that. His problem right now, however, is one I believe he cannot possibly solve. He needs to unify the country. He is completely incompetent when it comes to that. His followers, or many of them, will happily find ways to explain or excuse any change in his direction. However, after years and years in which he has lived by conflict, fear and hate, he is not going to convince many to believe him IF he ever tries to unite the country. He can escalate a conflict. I have a very hard time imagining he can do the opposite. And that is what the situation calls for.

I mean, I agree that he's incapable of uniting the nation. His whole management style has been to promote people who'll compete against each other, throw a grenade into their midst, then step to look like he's taking charge.

Still, I don't know that unifying the country is what he needs. I think he needs to find a way to bring support back to him, and I suspect that he'll need to do something different in order to accomplish this.

Most people here don't think that'll happen...

[Bill the Cat]

I mean, I agree that he's incapable of uniting the nation.

This nation has been hopelessly fractured for a very long time. No one American is capable of bringing it together. The closest we have had in a long time was just after 9-11. And that didn't last long.

[Cow Poke]

This nation has been hopelessly fractured for a very long time. No one American is capable of bringing it together. The closest we have had in a long time was just after 9-11. And that didn't last long.

Obama had a TREMENDOUS opportunity.

[Whateverman]

Obama had a TREMENDOUS opportunity.

No, he never had that opportunity.

Moscow Mitch proclaimed him a one-term president from the beginning, and the right-wing media machine was already in full swing spreading lies about him before Obama took office. There was no opportunity to unite anyone.

For example, as much as people like to portray Obama as a radical leftist, he was actually more of a moderate than anything else (that article tries to portray Obama as a conservative, but I'm not buying it. This is just the first link I could find among many, most of which demonstrate that the former president was a centrist, angering people on both the right and left).

But I don't want this thread to devolve into a discussion of Obama, so I wont bring him up again.

[Cow Poke]

No, he never had that opportunity.

Moscow Mitch proclaimed him a one-term president from the beginning, and the right-wing media machine was already in full swing spreading lies about him before Obama took office. There was no opportunity to unite anyone.

For example, as much as people like to portray Obama as a radical leftist, he was actually more of a moderate than anything else (that article tries to portray Obama as a conservative, but I'm not buying it. This is just the first link I could find among many, most of which demonstrate that the former president was a centrist, angering people on both the right and left).

But I don't want this thread to devolve into a discussion of Obama, so I wont bring him up again.

You apparently discount the value or power of the "bully pulpit"?.

[Whateverman]

You apparently discount the value or power of the "bully pulpit"?.

Certainly not. The president has one of the loudest voices on the planet, and what he says is supposed to matter.

No matter how loud your voice is, though, you'll never convince people who oppose everything you say and do.

I would argue that there are some anti-Trump folks who fall into this category - but they're far less numerous than the anti-Obama folks. For example, Trump obvious deserves credit for the stock market performance (insofar as every president gets credit or blamed for it, regardless of how much of an effect they actually had). I've liked a few of the things Trump has said in the past; his first state of the union speech had some decent moments. I don't go so far as to say Trump's use of the media is genius, but he clearly knows how to move the spotlight around to his benefit.

I wouldn't say these things if I opposed everything he did. There are also independents who are open to Trump saying good things as well.

He has more opportunity to unite the country than the former president did, but he chooses to divide us instead. That's his management style.

[Cow Poke]

Certainly not. The president has one of the loudest voices on the planet, and what he says is supposed to matter.

No matter how loud your voice is, though, you'll never convince people who oppose everything you say and do.

I would argue that there are some anti-Trump folks who fall into this category - but they're far less numerous than the anti-Obama folks. For example, Trump obvious deserves credit for the stock market performance (insofar as every president gets credit or blamed for it, regardless of how much of an effect they actually had). I've liked a few of the things Trump has said in the past; his first state of the union speech had some decent moments. I don't go so far as to say Trump's use of the media is genius, but he clearly knows how to move the spotlight around to his benefit.

I wouldn't say these things if I opposed everything he did. There are also independents who are open to Trump saying good things as well.

He has more opportunity to unite the country than the former president did, but he chooses to divide us instead. That's his management style.

I disagree - as our second black president (Bill Clinton was the first) he had a unique opportunity in time to speak to both sides as a uniter.

[Whateverman]

I disagree - as our second black president (Bill Clinton was the first) he had a unique opportunity in time to speak to both sides as a uniter.

He could speak, but half of the country refused to listen. That's not an opportunity to unite.

[Cow Poke]

He could speak, but half of the country refused to listen. That's not an opportunity to unite.

It is. It's a big challenge, but somebody who could make the oceans recede and the planet heal and the....

OK, maybe he wasn't such a good choice after all. All hat and no cattle.

[Sparko]

I think the far left is just going to push moderate democrats further to the right.

[KingsGambit]

Does he even want to win? Prominent Democrats handed him a gift on a silver platter with the "abolish the police talk" and he instead decided to speculate about the old man in Buffalo having it coming.

[Cow Poke]

Does he even want to win?

Doesn't look like it to me.

Prominent Democrats handed him a gift on a silver platter with the "abolish the police talk" and he instead decided to speculate about the old man in Buffalo having it coming.

Inexplicable.

[seanD]

Does he even want to win? Prominent Democrats handed him a gift on a silver platter with the "abolish the police talk" and he instead decided to speculate about the old man in Buffalo having it coming.

The polls against him shooting up after his antics and statements in the last couple of weeks suggest the possibility he doesn't. Maybe I'm a bit politically biased and just don't want to admit how much of an inept clown he is.

[Whateverman]

Does he even want to win?

I'm almost rabidly anti-Trump, but I'd say yes.

Very early into his time in office, he gave some televised interview in which he said he didn't know how hard being president was going to be; he said he thought it'd be easier. Perhaps some of what you're seeing is him just not wanting to put in the work? I dunno...

I agree that he seems like he's mostly just phoning it in these days. And to be blunt, his supporters don't really care what he says or does, which might make him think he doesn't have to work at it...