Maybe Trumpo Still Has It?

[ari_ormstunga]

I have to admit, I pretty much wrote Trump off in the wake of the 2020 election. Frankly, I thought he mishandled the whole thing, J6 was a PR nightmare, and he just can't stop pimping the vaxx. He also keeps attacking people who are fighting pretty hard against the Covid BS like DeSantis (of whom I am admittedly a fan).

I just watched him at East Palestine interacting with people who showed up to support him, and I damn near teared up. I wasn't sure how serious the derailment is and I've refrained from commenting on it, but it looks pretty devastating, and the people really do seem to have been abandoned by the government (this view has been expressed by people I know with liberal political leanings as well). People still love the guy, and a lot of people will never understand why. He took the time to show up, and when people are hurting and afraid, that means a lot.

I'm not saying it wasn't a cynical political maneuver, but I'm not sure that's all it is, either. I started to get the idea, watching him campaign in 2020, that he actually does care about the country. Admittedly, I may just be a sucker, but I get the appeal and I understand why people believe in him.

If this Trump starts showing up, maybe I'll give him another shot. And man, he really does tick off the right people. 

Comments

[causticus]

I'm of a very similar mind on Trump. I voted for him both times and considered myself a cautious supporter (never an adoring fan by any means) but after the J6 fiasco he seemed to fall flat and I grew quite lukewarm on him moving forward. How he (mis)handled the quaxx and continues to shill for it is the icing on the cake.

Having seen a clip of him speaking in East Palestine, I'm also going to err on the side of genuine concern over purely cynical motives. He really did come off as quite personable, as if he really does care about average Americans.

If he gets the nomination I'll vote for him again (I'll probably never vote for a Democrat ever again), but I'm not so sure he still has what it takes to recreate the 2016 magic. DeSantis seems to have his finger squarely on the pulse, even if he himself is a Machiavellian operator (like most pols).

[ari_ormstunga]

I can't imagine voting for a Democrat again either, at least not any of the current crop. I'll vote for Trump if he gets the nomination as well, but I think DeSantis would be far more effective.

Hard to believe 2016 was 7 years ago. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then.