Donald Trump is deliberately trying to soften his tone.
Or is he?
I’ve given this a lot of thought, as I interviewed Trump twice this year, including two weeks before the election. He was focused and substantial, attempting to reach a more independent audience, and while he used some campaign-style rhetoric, he was quite controlled by Trumpian standards.
Now that he’s the de facto president, I noticed a similar Trump in the “Meet the Press” interview. Kristen Welker’s follow-ups must have irritated him, as he told her she was asking “nasty” questions.
During the campaign, such incidents were overshadowed by Trump’s rock-and-roll rallies, in which he rambled on about the great Hannibal Lecter or Arnold Palmer’s genitalia. However, his remark on NBC that he also wants to represent those who did not vote for him differs significantly from his 2017 “American carnage” inaugural address.
However, the president-elect has mastered the art of saying things that can be understood in two ways, as well as transmitting non-coded messages.
The Washington Post editorial board, which is not a fan, claims Trump “tried to sound a conciliatory tone” with Welker, supported by content.
Trump has stated that he will not remove Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and intends to negotiate with Democrats to safeguard the Dreamers. He said that he “would not restrict the national availability of abortion medication, and that the United States will ‘absolutely’ remain in NATO, as long as other member states spend what they have pledged on defense.”
And why shouldn’t he seem more reasonable? He has the job that he believes was wrongly snatched from him. He can’t run anymore. He is aware that his first term was savaged by the left-leaning media. If he can have a more successful second term after turning on some senior aides in the first one, he has the potential to change history.
And this gets us to the issue of revenge. He stated on NBC that the best revenge is success, which is the same phrase he used with me. On “Meet the Press,” he even withdrew a campaign promise to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Joe Biden.
When Welker asked if he would order the Justice Department, which he believes has persecuted him, to investigate Biden and his administration, Trump responded in a way that I suspect he would have in his first term.
No, he responded, that would be up to his attorney general and FBI director, who will most likely be Pam Bondi and Kash Patel. Will he tell them to do it? Nope.
It’s called distancing.
One may argue that he was essentially advocating they do it by broadcasting it on national television. But I’m sure they were aware of his opinions anyhow.
Trump’s one gaffe on NBC was striking out at members of the House Jan. 6 Committee. He alleged Liz Cheney “did something that’s inexcusable, along with [Bennie] Thompson and people on the Un-Select Committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker, claiming without evidence that they “deleted and destroyed” material. “Honestly, they should go to jail.”
So that was a gift to his critics, allowing most journalists to align with him in wanting the MPs imprisoned. under the way, their investigation and hearings are protected under the Speech and Debate Clause, which grants members immunity.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told CNN that his boss’ statements had been taken “out of context,” and that he “wants everyone who he puts into key positions of leadership… to apply the law equally to everybody,” referring to Bondi and Patel.
Similarly, despite promising to reach out to even hostile outlets, Trump has largely avoided attacks on individual journalists. However, he made an exception and insulted Maggie Haberman of the New York Times after she co-authored a couple of stories he disliked.
So, will we get Trump 2.0 or Trump 1.0 with lots of nice packaging?
Veteran Trump observers understand that when he gets furious, he can stray from the high road, and that it’s not all about mass deportations, low inflation, and drill, baby, drill.
But I believe we’ve seen a more disciplined, restrained, and moderate Trump thus far. He ran on changing things up, so expect plenty of conflicts. What’s amazing is that he’s already effectively governing the country, whereas Biden has faded and, since the pardon incident, has refused to speak to the media.