Member-only story
The Enervated Speech Is a Trump Homestretch Hallmark
Trump saved the fireworks for after his speech
Donald Trump could not have become president without his outrageous and unusual campaign rallies, events where he could celebrate war crimes or undermine historic alliances in asides while waging wholesale attacks on his opponents. But he also would not have been elected president if he hadn’t spent the homestretch of the 2016 election simply reciting the clichés that he was given by his speechwriters.
What Trump has shown time and again since 2015 is that, although he is a remarkable entertainer, he’s also a terrible orator. As a Republican presidential candidate, Trump became the frontrunner through rallies that were cable news catnip. The reason: No one knew what he would say next, often including Trump himself. His remarks were a bizarre mix of Andrew Dice Clay and improvisational riffs. Trump would begin an idea, insult two opponents, share his latest thoughts on cable news personalities, and discuss three unrelated topics before somehow returning to where he had left a thought hanging 15 minutes before.
