“Struggling in the polls and charged with running a lackluster presidential campaign, Donald Trump faced reporters on Thursday for an hour-long press conference that swiftly descended into a familiar mess of freewheeling invective, outlandish claims and outright lies,”
I wonder if Trump is running into an unexpected problem (in addition to all his other problems): habituation. When he first entered politics he had novelty value on his side. Nobody had ever behaved like he did in a presidential race. His mannerisms were unique and new, and even us who detest him found him entertaining - at least to some extent.
But he’s been running this act for a decade now. Everyone’s seen it, and people aren’t asking for encores anymore. Fewer and fewer people are even showing up in the first place. He’s still got his cult behind him, but I think even there the fervour has diminished. He needs new material, but does he still have enough of his wits about him to make up some?
I haven’t come across this thought before but, honestly, it’s very plausible. The novelty is well worn off and his opponents have had plenty of time to adapt while he continues to run the same plays. So, the public isn’t paying as much attention and his opponents are much better prepared to counter.
I watched the whole “press conference” yesterday and that was exactly my impression. It wasn’t even infuriating anymore, I was just bored. He circled around his 3 arguments so often that I thought that even trump fans will have turned off by now.
I can vouch for this. Source: I used to watch Venezuela’s Chávez TV appearances while eating popcorn - pure entertainment - until it wasn’t.
The difference here is, Trump is no longer in power (Chavez isn’t either, technically, but his authoritarian party is.)
Americans, don’t fuck this up. Get out and vote!!!