The Art of Meandering: A Look Inside Trump’s Rhetoric
In the realm of Trump World, one undeniable truth stands out: being perceived as dull is often regarded as a greater sin than being incorrect. This principle frequently drives former President Donald J. Trump to step outside the boundaries of scripted speeches and stray from his established messages. Critics argue that these deviations signal a troubling lack of coherence and raise concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. Conversely, a significant portion of his supporters and allies appreciate what he refers to as “the weave” in his speech—an intricate, circular way of communicating that they find entertaining rather than alarming. This ongoing debate over the implications of Mr. Trump’s meandering discourse has intensified as the final stages of the race unfold.
Here are four illustrative examples of Mr. Trump’s rambling style from just this past week:
- When asked about boyhood heroes, he unexpectedly pivoted to the border wall. During an engaging segment on “Fox & Friends,” a group of eager schoolchildren posed questions to Mr. Trump. One curious 10-year-old inquired about his favorite president from his childhood. Rather than giving a straightforward answer, Mr. Trump initially mentioned Ronald Reagan, who took office when he was 34. He then launched into a labyrinthine discourse that touched on the universally beloved topic of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a revamped trade deal that hardly fits the bill of a childhood hero.
- In response to a question about inflation, he veered off into a critique of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s college life. On Tuesday, John Micklethwait, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, posed a question about the dollar and its potential impact on inflation stemming from his policies. Instead of delivering a concise economic analysis, Mr. Trump embarked on a lengthy verbal exploration that surprisingly spent more time addressing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s undergraduate experiences than the pressing issue of macroeconomics.