Posted on 02/05/2016 9:08:33 AM PST by SeekAndFind
One Red State diarist wonders whether Trump’s four-day journey from gracious concession to sober self-reflection about his ground game to shrieking about fraud and a do-over in Iowa to low-key “it’s in the past” dismissal means that he’s actually insane. Old theory: Trump is erratic. New theory: Trump is bananas.
I don’t think he’s bananas. I think this is what it looks like when a candidate decides to test out new lines of attack in real time, with the entirety of the media hanging on his every word, instead of with focus groups behind closed doors.
In a striking reversal of rhetoric, Donald Trump would not rule out Ted Cruz as his hypothetical vice-presidential pick.
“Well, I don’t know. Look, I have nothing against him. It was sort of a sad thing that happened, but I’ve always liked him,” Trump told Hugh Hewitt on his radio show Thursday, after weeks of trashing his primary rival as nasty, hypocritical and disliked.
Trump added that he has “always gotten along well” with Cruz, but that “I’m so much now focused on New Hampshire.”
What happened between Wednesday and now? My guess is that Trump concluded that crying “fraud!” over Iowa had backfired, partly because it made him look erratic and sore-loser-ish and partly because it risked annoying New Hampshirites who don’t want to spend their week listening to Trump re-run someone else’s election. That’s where the part about being “so much focused on New Hampshire” comes in. He said nearly the same thing verbatim to Anderson Cooper last night in the interview Ed blogged earlier, suggesting that that’s his new “message” when asked about the results of the caucus — even though that message, that the past is the past, is 180 degrees opposite his demand for a do-over 48 hours ago. What’s going to happen tomorrow night when he’s inevitably asked about fraud in Iowa, probably in the opening minutes of the debate? Even if he tries to duck it, Cruz is going to use it as evidence that Trump’s too unpredictable and prone to “Trumper tantrums” to be president. Does Trump double down on “fraud!” at the point or does he double down on “let’s move on”? There seems to have been no strategy here beyond him rashly tossing the charge about cheating out there, seeing if it stuck, and then dropping it cold turkey when it didn’t. It’s just like when he started calling Cruz a “maniac” for not being able to work with his Senate colleagues before the December debate, took some heat for it on the right, and then was all chummy with Cruz again on debate night. Given how serious the accusations are — election fraud! Cruz unhinged! — these aren’t trial balloons Trump is floating so much as trial zeppelins. And then, a few days later, when it doesn’t work out as well he planned, he turns around and essentially says: What zeppelin?
The really weird part of this, though, is that he’s backing off the personal attacks on Cruz too, not just the fraud claim. How can you say you’ve always liked a guy whom you’ve been calling nasty, corrupt, cronyist, a hypocrite, a “total liar,” and someone whom no one likes once they get to know him? And how can you not rule him out for VP when you’ve spent the past month arguing that he’s not constitutionally eligible to be president? Is Trump dropping that claim too? This whole weird backtrack smells like his campaign manager pulled him aside and told him that attacking Cruz relentlessly has started to hurt his own popularity, which is dangerous when he’s being threatened by a well-liked candidate in Marco Rubio. So now Trump’s going to chuck everything he’s been saying since New Year’s and try a new low-key “I’m serious and I’m staying on message” approach. Good luck, I guess.
Via the Right Scoop, here he is last night getting angry (and profane) in a much more productive way than he did with this week’s “fraud” digression.
Trump never has said Cruz is not a “Natural Born Citizen”.
Oh, give me a break!
HotAir was, at one time, a great website. It was started by Michelle Malkin and they did amazing stories and exposes on illegal immigration and terrorism.
Sadly, Michelle sold HotAir to Salem Communications, a few years ago.
Salem is a Cheap Labor Express pusher. Possibly funded by Cheap Labor PACs/donors. VERY anti-Trump....as you can imagine...because Trump is the ONLY candidate who threatens their amnesty/Cheap Labor cabal goals.
They also own RedState, Human Events, and Townhall. And, they host shows for RINO’s Michael Medved, Bill Bennett and Hugh Hewitt.
Telling...that we’re getting so many ‘stories’ posted from this group, isn’t it? I won’t be surprised if we start seeing RINO Rubio being pushed, as well, before too long ;-)
I grew up in NJ construction and always admired Trump’s ability to get things done through sheer force of will and tenacity. Waaaay too flip-flopish and off message for me. And, no, I am not totally sold on Cruz either.
He knew his supporters, and they prove him right.
Trump never said Cruz was a Canadian. People just keep making that up.
RE: I grew up in NJ construction and always admired Trump’s ability to get things done through sheer force of will and tenacity.
Well, a President Ted Cruz could appoint him as special czar to oversee the building of the Wall and make sure that it’s done on time and within budget.
RE: Sadly, Michelle sold HotAir to Salem Communications, a few years ago.
OK, what does that have to do with the statement made by Trump as reported by AllahPundit?
Is this report true or false/
The article was about how few Congresscritters have endorsed Trump. It was talking about how the obvious to some choice to endorse Trump was Sessions since he has been mentioned several times by Trump, but the article quoted Sessions as saying it had been a while since he had even spoken to Trump.
Now as you probable assume (and I agree). A VP has one job, basically to shut up and not stir too many waves until being announced. So one can't really read too much into the silence thing. Trump may be secretly thinking of asking him, or not. Sessions is not one to really lie about direct questions about things, so I am torn what to think.
As a Cruz supporter, I am hoping the silence is that Trump just used Sessions in the immigration debate as a pawn to help his campaign but really doesn't like him, so he will end up supporting Cruz. But Sessions is no dummy, he may be just waiting to see which side is winning. There is no rush for him unless he is pushed. Perhaps he was pushed and declined to give in ticking one side off (we know who has a temper). Who knows. Thanks for listening to my speculation.
Trump did say Cruz was born in Canada and he was but he had said that he personally believed Cruz was eligible. The problem I have with Team Cruz is the propensity for lies. I always respected and loved Cruz but some of the stuff his team is putting out like the Carson fiasco is totally wrong.
I would vote for Trump or Cruz...There are differences between them, but I do feel that either one would be good for our country...Much better than the other party’s candidates...
In fact, as I’ve said earlier, I’d vote for any of the republican candidates before the other side...
Even Bush...LOL
There is ways of saying things without saying them.
When Trump says that "Megyn Kelly is a liar, dopey, average in looks, but not a bimbo - because that wouldn't be politically correct."
He just hid behind an excuse yet ended up saying exactly what he wanted to say... That she is that she a lying bimbo. You know this and I know this.
When has he ever said he thought he was? He hasn't. He's continuously questioned Cruz's eligibility and made it clear he doesn't believe he is eligible. So for him to now talk about maybe picking Cruz is idiotic and goes completely against what he has been saying.
No more Trumpertantrums? That's no fun.
And this is exactly why I no longer have much trust in him following through on the beneficial things he’s promised to do.
And if you do that to someone you claim that you like (shortly after saying nobody likes him) then what do you do to someone you don't like?
How about eight years of Cruz while Donald goes back the "The Apprentice"?
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