There were moments last night when I expected Ricardo Montalban to step out in a crisp white suit and say, "Welcome to Fantasy Island!" Because, surely, President Trump was living in a world where all his desires could be fulfilled--where Joe Biden really is corrupt, where the Corona virus is about to fade from existence, where the polls are overwhelmingly in his favor, where black voters really do believe he has done more for them than any president since Lincoln.
The only other explanation is that he lies, knows that he lies, and operates on the assumption that with so many lies the voters simply won't have the ability to sort through them all--and so only the people who believe the lies will vote.
Perhaps most bewildering was his inability to use the moments moderator Kristen Welker handed him to change the tone and speak with some humanity.
NBC anchor and presidential debate moderator Kristen Welker poised a question during Thursday night’s debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden about “the talk,” underscoring the heightened tensions that have been felt between Black Americans and law enforcement all summer.
“The talk,” as it’s colloquially referred to, is the conversation that many Black Americans have with their children regarding dealing with law enforcement — explaining the discrimination and mistreatment that can occur during police encounters.
When asked if he understood the gravity of “the talk” that Black parents are too often forced to have with their children, Trump simply answered, “Yes, I do,” before pivoting and attacking Biden on his hand in the creation of the 1994 crime bill, which continued the disproportionate incarceration of Black Americans.
“Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump,” Trump claimed, acknowledging that former President Lincoln — who dissolved the institution of slavery — might have done more for Black Americans.
“I’m the least racist person in this room,” Trump said minutes later.
Clearly, he either didn't understand the opportunity he was being given...or didn't know how to frame a response without resorting to the empty (and patently false) rhetoric he has used to discuss race for the past four years.
No humility, no humanity...and yet something like 40 percent of the electorate still support him. I don't get it.
No comments:
Post a Comment