Posted on 08/24/2016 5:32:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
In general, in a campaign filled with controversial statements, it's fair to say Donald Trump doesn't do apologies and he doesn't do regret. Which is why it was extraordinary that in his speech in Charlotte Thursday night -- one of his first under a new campaign management -- Trump did that rarest of things: he expressed regret for rhetorical excesses of the past and conceded that they may have caused pain for some people.
"Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don't choose the right words or say the right thing," Trump told the crowd at the Charlotte Convention Center. "I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it. And I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues."
That was new Trump. Very new Trump.
But there was much more new Trump in Charlotte. Trump introduced a theme of a "New American Future" -- his team capitalized in his prepared text -- which all Americans would reach by working together in a Trump administration. For the man who at the Republican convention proclaimed that "I alone can fix" the nation's problems, the Charlotte speech represented a remarkable turn toward common effort. According to the prepared text, Trump used the word "together" seven times in the speech, which must be a record for him. (He used "together" once -- once -- in his convention acceptance speech.) From Charlotte:
"We are one country, one people, and we will have together one great future."
"I'd like to talk about the New American Future we are going to create together."
"This isn't just the fight of my life, it's the fight of our lives -- together -- to save our country."
"We are going to bring this country together."
"Together, we will make America strong again."
Now, much of that is political boilerplate. But it is political boilerplate that Trump, the unconventional politician and speaker, has not used before.
And not just "together" -- Trump also added a message of inclusiveness that could have come from any mainstream politician, Democrat or Republican. But not, until now, from Donald Trump.
"We cannot make America Great Again if we leave any community behind," Trump said. "Nearly four in 10 African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream. Jobs, safety, opportunity. Fair and equal representation. This is what I promise to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans."
Trump expanded on the appeal to black voters that he made Tuesday night at a speech in West Bend, Wisconsin, charging that Hillary Clinton and Democrats have for decades taken black support for granted. Citing figures on poverty, education, and crime, Trump said, "If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing ... Look at how badly things are going under decades of Democratic leadership ... It is time for a change ... What do you have to lose?"
"Change" -- Trump hit the theme over and over, portraying himself as the "change candidate" to voters wary of electing Democrats to a third consecutive term.
Much of the speech was a tighter, more disciplined indictment of Clinton along the lines of Trump's older speeches. But in Charlotte, Trump admitted his own rhetorical sins before laying into Clinton for her substantive lapses.
"The American people are still waiting for Hillary Clinton to apologize for all of the many lies she's told to them," Trump said. 'Tell me, has Hillary Clinton ever apologized for lying about her illegal email server and deleting 33,000 emails? Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay-for-play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder? Has she apologized for lying to the families who lost loved ones at Benghazi?"
There were the standard Trump critiques of big trade deals. Of a corrupt system. Of immigration practices. But there were also rhetorical turns everywhere. For example, when Trump declared that he would "refuse to let another generation of American children be excluded from the American Dream," he turned a term favored by immigration reformers to his own uses: "Let our children be dreamers, too."
In all, it was perhaps Trump's most remarkable speech of the campaign -- and the third noteworthy effort this week. On Monday, Trump gave a solid speech on his proposals to fight radical Islamic terrorism. On Tuesday, he gave a sharp and focused speech on law and order, coupled with an appeal to black voters. And then Thursday night in Charlotte.
Among other things, the North Carolina speech defied expectations set by some of the reporting on the recent changes at the top of the Trump campaign. Some press accounts suggested that Trump's decision to bring in Breitbart executive Steve Bannon and to promote pollster Kellyanne Conway somehow amounted to an effort to return to the old Trump of the Republican primaries. The original wild man so beloved by a winning margin of GOP voters would come back.
That's not at all what has happened so far. Trump's speech in Charlotte suggested a candidate willing to take a new approach to the formidable problems he faces in this race. Perhaps the old Trump will come roaring back at any moment. But Trump in Charlotte was something entirely new.
No matter what, I am still voting for Trump over hilLIARy
But I wish he would stop listening to advosirs and just “be Trump”
We’ll see- You either have confidence that he knows what he is doing, or you don’t.
This “It’s the first time Trump has admitted a mistake!” meme makes me want to puke.
He did it after the first debate he skipped.
MSM parrots in unison, and hopes everyone has a short memory.
I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what he’s doing—and he knew just what he was doing when he said what he needed to to defeat those 16 rivals in the primaries.
What about the pain to his supporters if he starts going against what got them to support him in the first place?
Don’t go wobbly, Donald. I hate when they apologize...
This is Kellyanne’s doing, and I don’t like it.
It has been pretty difficult to nail down what Trump stands for on a lot of issues, but I thought immigration was not one he would waiver on. Now, it looks like he may be ready to “pivot” on that, too.
But, of course, there is plenty of time for him to pivot back (even two or three times).
I think this is a strategic maneuver.
Trump is making a vague apology so that he can soften an image with liberal white women. He’s waiting on Hillary to say “I’ve never had to apologize for statements on the campaign trail.” Trump could then say something like; “You know when I’m wrong I admit it like I did last week. But Crooked Hillary has NEVER apologized to the families of the US diplomats that died because of her incompetence when she was Secretary of State.”
He’s trying to “Schlong” Hillary again.
“But I wish he would stop listening to advosirs and just “be Trump””
Watching his most recent rallies suggests he is still “just Trump”. Only difference is he is using a teleprompter & his speeches have a bit more statistics & structure. He’s really zeroed in on appealing to blacks & hispanics. Trump is going to win.
Vote Trump 2016
There apparently was an OH poll that showed that the OH GOP would rally around him if he showed some regret at negative comments to individuals, or some phrase like that.
I am 100% certain they have other polls and that this is a direct effort to get the recalcitrant GOP on board.
My estimate is he will need AT LEAST 85% if the Republican vote to win.
No surprise to me. Been saying that and being castigated for that, too.
I have always known that Trump was going to back off most of his primary rhetoric. That was Trump’s ‘Negotiating Stance.’ Pretty soon he’ll back down to ‘business as usual.’
To stop the school yard bully approach is one thing, to back off on the border issue is another. If he isn’t going to be passionate about defending our borders and removing illegals he becomes a lot less attractive to the people who have the yard signs out for him, IMHO.
The supreme difficulty of being the President of all of the people is trying to placate all of the people. We are a nation divided that does not want to come together. Globalism and Nationalism cannot coexist, nor can Islam and Christianity.
Good and Evil cannot be squished into some kind of porridge that everyone will swallow.
Trump must negotiate exceedingly troubled waters. We are in a war for the future of mankind. He must win the war and offer magnanimity to the defeated.
You think that Trump offering an apology for upsetting people is a mistake? I don’t. I think it’s a very smart move. There are plenty of people out there who don’t like Hillary, but also don’t like Trump’s brashness. If he can soften his image a bit, while still maintaining his positions on the issues, he stands a good chance of swaying some of those on the fence to support him.
Trump needs to win. Period. If offering an apology will help him do so, I’m all for it.
Cruz said far worse than Trump, and he has yet to apologize for anything. Bizarrely, his supporters like it like that. They want a never-ending stream of conciliatory moves from Trump while Cruz—far from meeting the GOP candidate halfway—buddies up with the Ready for Hillary gang.
Makes me sick.
Trump is saying the right things, reaching out to all. Sounds very presidential to me.
Is the MSM trying a new brainwash technique on the masses?
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