Two nights ago, Donald Trump droned on -- for fifty-three minutes -- to announce that he was running for president again. Charles Lane writes that what the speech amounted to was a concession speech:
Donald Trump’s hour-long speech Tuesday night should be remembered not just for the things he said, including his announcement that he will seek another presidential term in 2024. What mattered most was what he did not say: that Joe Biden and the Democrats thwarted his reelection in 2020 by fraud.
Trump has been repeating that outlandish lie endlessly for the past two years, including as he barnstormed the country on behalf of Republican candidates in the midterm elections.
And yet on Tuesday, with all eyes upon him and his political future on the line, he omitted it. Yes, there were allusions to the supposed need for an election revamp based on hand-counted paper ballots, which Trump called a “very personal job for me.” He floated innuendo about “a very active role” by China against him in our 2020 election.
At no time, however, did he repeat his false claim of massive cheating in 2020, nor did Trump say Biden holds office illegitimately; by repeatedly criticizing the current president’s record, he backhandedly implied the opposite. He even indirectly acknowledged the reality of the 2022 results by boasting that “by 2024,” when he intends to head the ticket, “the voting will be much different.”
In short, by Trump standards, this was a concession speech. The concession was to reality — the reality that voters on Nov. 8 spoke in free and fair elections, and what they said, by repeatedly rejecting Trump-backed Republican election deniers, is enough already with his ludicrous relitigating of 2020.
And, even as he was announcing his third bid for the presidency, his supporters were deserting him. Even Ivanka has announced that she is going to sit out the next election. Her father's monstrous ego could not hide the fact that he is a sad little man.
Image: ABC
20 comments:
With the exception of GA, the midterms are done. What the hell is Merrick Garland waiting for? A gold embossed invitation? Indict this career criminal!
Cap
I have been residing in Rural Illinois for the past six years over the winters. As a Canadian outlier I can not and won't discuss politics, they have guns here. but I have had a very interesting view to all the "goings on" in my brief tenure here. Like my own country I can't believe the idiocy of the voting public and their inability to see bull shit that surrounds them. Having said that the story floating around in the local news is an interesting idea that Lumpy will burn it all down. The threat of a fracture between those loyal and disloyal will have the right wing "Bible thumpers splitting the party in two and throwing the country into more chaos than they have ever experienced. I'm glad that I am pulling up my pegs and moving to a more stable political life in rural Quebec. Ahem
I agree, Cap. There is a room waiting for Trump in the Graybar Hotel.
We lived in rural Quebec, zoombats, for several years. We only left because my employment prospects became increasingly perilous. Enjoy your time there.
Being what it is, commercial media sensationalise news and other content to attract viewers that then watch their advertisements.
Given that Trump is making far fewer headlines could be a sign these same companies have realised their mistake in giving a nobody so much airtime and page exposure especially when he turned on them and denounced them as false news !
Once bitten twice shy.
TB
People aren't buying the product anymore, TB.
I watched a clip on MSNBC last night, Owen, of Trump's announcement. It was, as Chris Hays said, low energy. I also noticed it was quite rambling, suggestive of someone's sad decline into senescence - not that that has ever been a problem for the American electorate, of course. He also reported that people were prevented from leaving during his long, disjointed speech.
The end is nigh!
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3739804-new-cnn-chief-we-are-not-going-to-be-a-24-7-trump-news-network/
At lease CNN saw what they had helped to create.
TB
Without the media to broadcast his lie, TB, the hot air will disappear from Trump's balloon.
He had a captive audience, Lorne -- as he watched Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane.
I'm just glad they installed Biden, Nuland and those neo-con war-mongers.
Let's hope they can keep the Ukraine war going.
My MIC Portfolio and LNG are doing just GREAT!!!
Congress agrees.
And Trump needs to stay out of the war party.
DeSantis Leads Trump By Big Margins In Key Primary States
"Our polling shows that Republican primary voters recognize Trump’s insults against Republicans as hollow and counterproductive"
Time to start preparing to face the real challenge that's coming.
As I recall, Lee, Mr. Putin started that conflict.
De Santis is a smarter version of Trump, John.
"As I recall, Lee, Mr. Putin started that conflict."
Technically, yes, Putin invaded the Ukraine.
The start of the 'conflict' pre-dates that by at least 7 years ... more like 20 years.
NATO is a belligerent threat to Russia, a country that has been recently invaded by both France and Germany. All the best leaders from the last century were against NATO expansion. Even Kissinger is no hawk.
Owen, anyone who lived through the Cuban missile crises should know better and that framing the current situation as 'Putin's fault' will assist the warmongers like Freeland and could lead to nuclear war.
The problem is that Putin is seeking to redraw the map of Europe, PoV. That act has grave consequences for the future.
" Putin is seeking to redraw the map of Europe"
Ya, that's exactly why JFK uprooted Cuba in 1962 and had it towed into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/11/09/camp-n09.html
We'll see, PoV. I wouldn't be surprised to see the job go to a European.
Sad little man indeed!
I remember a classic Dracula movie where the vampire was revived when the stake was pulled from the heart.
He is not buried deep enough to make me comfortable in the dark just yet.
I suspect a lot of people feel as you do, spirilis.
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