Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Commentary on Trump's Announcement: "Trump, who as president fomented an insurrection, says he is running again"

Washington Post headline, 15 November 2022

NPR headline, 15 November 2022

Guardian headline, 15 November 2022 


Commentary on yesterday evening's announcement by the former reality show t.v. star who fomented insurrection in the White House and was twice impeached that he's running for president — above are headlines about this: 

Heather Cox Richardson, "Letters from an American: November 15, 2022": 

Domenico Montanaro of NPR indicated that Trump might not enjoy the same uncritical coverage he received in 2016 when he began his story on the announcement: “Donald Trump, who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and inspired a deadly riot at the Capitol in a desperate attempt to keep himself in power, announced he is running again for president in 2024.”  

Aaron Rupar and Thor Benson, "40 seconds from Trump's mess of a campaign launch speech that stuck with me":

The speech was basically the same one he’s been delivering at his rallies for years, but the response to it from the Mar-a-Lago faithful seemed oddly low energy. A reporter who was there filmed a particularly brutal scene for Trump of people trying to leave the ballroom while he was still speaking but being prevented from doing so.

Charles Sykes, "Will This Time Be Different?," echoes Rupar and Benson by using the term "low energy" to describe the lackluster performance of the former reality t.v. star announcing another run for president last evening. He also thinks that, though he has been suggesting that Trump's support is far from diminished, "Maybe this time will be different."

Damon Linker, "Are We Really Stuck with Trump?," looks at MAGA in terms of addiction: In order to break an addiction, you have to want to be rehabilitated and rehabilitate yourself:

Have his voters finally had enough of the nonsense? Getting to that point is the key—but it’s not something you or I or anyone else can make happen. The addict on a bender needs to choose rehab, reform, and sobriety for himself.  

Former assistant U.S. attorney and former Supreme Court advocate Dennis Aftergut, who is currently a counsel to Lawyers Defending American Democracy, "The Real Reason Trump Runs": 

By formally becoming a presidential candidate, Trump thinks he’ll get an edge on prosecutors. He craves his narrative: “Dems are trying to take down an announced Republican candidate for President. UNPRECEDENTED!” ...

He hears the heavy footfall of the constable closing in behind him. He can’t stay still. He has to run.

But Seth Abramson, "The Latest 2024 'Trump v. Biden' Polls From 32 States, Including All Battlegrounds, Don’t Show What You Think," thinks it's premature, to say the least, to see the former reality show t.v. star who fomented insurrection in the White House and was twice impeached, as washed up:

Major media has almost universally declared Donald Trump’s political career dead in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections. But the most recent polling forecasting the 2024 election says otherwise.


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