Politics Sep 8 2016, 3:17 pm ET
Analysis: Donald Trump's Teleprompter Gap Is Becoming a Problem
by Benjy Sarlin
Donald Trump had two high-profile appearances on national security on Wednesday. One was a carefully prepared speech in Philadelphia that morning that included detailed policy proposals. The other was the half-hour Commander-in-Chief Forum with no notes and all answers delivered off the cuff.
They did not go the same.
"Instead of an apology tour, I will proudly promote our system of government and our way of life as the best in the world — just like we did in our campaign against communism during the Cold War," Trump said in Philadelphia. "We will show the whole world how proud we are to be American."
Hours later, Trump was pressed on his praise for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, despite his annexation of Crimea, support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and suspected role in hacking the Democratic National Committee. His answer: America has no moral authority to criticize him.
Do you want me to start naming some of the things President Obama does at the same time?" he said.
As Trump's campaign touts a more carefully stage-managed approach to bring in wavering Republican voters and independents, Wednesday night's Commander-in-Chief Forum was a reminder that the old Trump is waiting to run wild again once the teleprompters and speechwriters are gone.
It's of particular concern given the importance of the upcoming debates, where Trump will be onstage for significantly longer and have to maintain his composure while taking jabs from Hillary Clinton in addition to questions from a moderator.
The "apology tour" line, for example, is a cliche in speeches by normal Republican candidates, which is how it ended up in a speech trying to appeal to normal Republicans. But Trump is not a normal Republican: He has a long history of defending Putin and other authoritarian leaders from criticism on the basis that the United States is too ethically compromised to judge them.
Teleprompter Trump knows to avoid the topic, or at least the people who write his lines. But the other Trump, let's call him "Trump After Dark," reverts to form when asked about his old positions, which means teeing up a stance that GOP leaders are unwilling to defend.
The gap was evident on Thursday when Speaker Paul Ryan, who has struggled with his support for Trump, gushed to radio host Hugh Hewitt in the morning over the "much more disciplined" nominee he had seen on the trail recently. He credited Trump's new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway with the transformation, saying she was a "breath of fresh air."
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Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Thursday, September 8th 2016 at 10:07PM
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