President Trump broke with convention by showing up on the opening night of the 2020 Republican Convention to ramble for about an hour without TelePrompTer. Trump provided a stark contrast with the buttoned-down appearance of Joe Biden’s acceptance speech at the Democratic national Convention last week.
Is Trump merely a master showman who knows that to hold an audience by dancing on the edge of rhetorical danger? Is he just trying to shake up the establishment? Or is he merely undisciplined, giving credence to his opponent’s claims that his failure to prepare, or to govern his tongue, poses a clear and present danger to the Republic?
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Bill Whittle Network · Trump Tears Up the Script on Opening Night for the Republican National Convention
21 replies on “Trump Tears Up the Script on Opening Night for the Republican National Convention”
Finally managed to watch it. I thought it was an intimate speech for 50 of his closest friends. I enjoyed it, but I’m afraid I’m a bit of a sucker for his media-baiting.
We know what your job on BWN is, Scott. Trouble is, you’re just too darn good at it!
I know Scott’s playing a role on these shows, and normally I’m not affected. But this one did make me want to punch him. (Don’t worry Scott, I love you more than my luggage.)
About Trump’s impromptu speech – bottom line, who gives a rat’s patootie?
All my monitors – and my phone screens – have survived every BW Now episode I’ve ever watched. If any ever don’t, I’ll send you guys the bill.
Having watched the RNC convention and President Trumps unscripted speech, I will offer this comment to Scott and Bill…. if you watch him when he is engaged with the business of the country, he is the consummate CEO… there are many videos available where this side of his persona is there to see… I have also noted that when he is in front of a crowd, especially those who support him he becomes the consummate showman… these two facets of his personality are not mutually exclusive.
In my over 5 decades working with US High Tech industry and watching CEO’s in action, I agree 100%. Trump is the best CEO I have seen in action by far. As for him being a showman, he puts Barnum and Bailey far back in his dust. The two personalities working together, works. THAT is what is important.
Do I want to have dinner with him. NO! He is not “my type”. Do I want him burning the demented left of left to the ground. YES! Do I think he can do it? Right now, he is our only chance.
Good point. The CEO remains focused on the “12 important things that need doing” while the showman (intentionally or unintentionally?) provides distracting Twitter and other personality laced “flags on the play”.
I only wish one of his 12 goals involved addressing entitlements and the national debt. Maybe after the election he will change course but I doubt it will be on his radar. But with him we can never be sure.
Maybe PDT has been watching TSL and is channeling his inner Bill Whittle.
We’ll see tonight if he goes for a short show and does 2 hours, he is a TSL fan. 😉
If he mentions r – K theory, everyone has to drink whatever is left in their glass.
I didn’t watch the speech and I’m not going to. I don’t care because …
I don’t like Donald Trump as a person at all. If he were not President and invited me to dinner I would politely decline the invitation. I don’t need or want to listen to him patting himself on the back and rambling on about what a great job he’s doing.
I would never be friends with someone like Donald Trump, trying to be his friend would drive me nuts. You must be a friend to have a friend and I would find it very difficult to be a friend to someone like Donald Trump.
I like Donald Trump a lot as President. He’s the man we needed for this job. He’s doing the job exceptionally well and that’s what really counts, for me. I voted for him the first time and I’ll vote for him again this year. Because …
I’m a “function over form” kind of guy. For me, personality is irrelevant. I’m not fooled by a glad-handing, smooth talking, back slapping, slick used car salesman … Or the same in a politician. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do that really matters. “Talk is cheap” isn’t just an adage, it’s the truth. I don’t need to like someone to vote for them.
That’s not to say that what is said means nothing at all. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. If you were one of my few but very high caliber friends you’d know that you can count on me to back my word 100% and do the right thing no matter the cost. Though we have two completely different personalities that would never get along on a personal level I see this same trait in Donald Trump. That is something in Donald Trump that I can respect and support. I don’t have to like him to do that.
I don’t like Donald Trump personally but I love my country. Donald Trump and I share that and that’s good enough for me. For all the things Donald Trump says that I don’t care for he tries to do what’s best for America. He’s been more successful in that than any President since Ronald Reagan and as long as he keeps doing that he’ll have my full support. Warts and all.
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
The extremely stable GENIUS
How do you get MSM to produce 4 hours of live DJT on their dime?
Answer: Appear in person each day of the RNC’s political convention for at least an hour!
Pop, Pop, Pop talking heads in MSM
Per Scott’s initial remarks: I fear that Trump does need to watch the degree or amount of broken sentence type incoherence that he sometimes exhibits, as that could be claimed to be a form of dementia, too, even as he has done this for the last many years.It could leave him open to ridicule by the other side. The counter argument might be that he is thinking so far ahead and fast that his speaking does not keep up with his mind, which might make him a genius but perhaps not all that stable.
I had heard a few days ago that Trump would be speaking on all four days, so last night was not all that spur of the moment. He can do this since he is the only viable nominee, whereas if there had been other primary contenders who had accumulated delegate votes the formal final pick would still have to wait for the final day (or at least day 2 if delegate voting happened on day 1?).
I did not watch the pitches last night but got the gist from reviewing Steve Green’s drunk blogging via PJMedia. https://pjmedia.com/liveblog/2020/08/24/night-one-liveblogging-the-republican-national-convention-n161 . That is where I also learned:
The convention centers around the theme of “Honoring the Great American Story”:
Monday, “Land of Promise”
Tuesday, “Land of Opportunity”
Wednesday, “Land of Heroes”
Thursday, “Land of Greatness”
This agenda with a focus on “land” has a flavor of blood and soil nationalism that puts me off a little, in lieu of American Exceptionalism, the American Creed (government via intelligent constitutional design), and assimilation of a large variety of immigrant groups into our melting pot (prior to the salad mixing offered by the Dems in the last 10 to 20 years).
Also very insightful of Bill to mention the advantage the RNC has over the DNC by going second, although the core approach had to have been established well before since the Dem convention was only the week before. The RNC had their act together well enough to flexibly respond to the pallor and negativity of the DNC sessions.
I suspect we will have more dignified and “presidential” candidates in 2024 since neither Tom Cotton nor Don Trump Jr. nor any of the possible others have Sr’s display of showmanship and other forms of outlandish behavior. That is if we last that long and avoid a Biden/Dem take over.
Sorry I missed Steve’s drunk blog. I usually tune in for those.
The only issue I have with PDT appearing each day is that it gives the MSM a real reason to not cover the other great moments.
And there were several: Warning from an American born in Cuba; Herschel Walker saying he has known PDT for 37 years and he is not a racist; Klacik from Baltimore; plus others. Those will be drowned out in the MSM by stories about PDT meandering and grandstanding.
The flip side as Robert pointed out above is that they have to cover him for 4 straight nights.
Hey, I like the format, Scott’s fine with me. President Trump’s impromptu speech electrified his base but also presented himself as a person and not a cardboard cutout with a sock puppet prearranged garbage speech. I’m ten years your senior Bill and Trump is the first person I’ve voted for as opposed to against as the lessor of two evils since Ronald Reagan, the only other President I’ve perceived as a real person.
“Going back to having Presidents that do what Presidents always do” got us Obama… so No, I pray to God it never happens.
Obama was/is a cardboard cutout propped up with lies from the MSM. There was only style with no there, there. His main accomplishment was bate and switch. Bate with hope and switch to destruction of whatever made America, America. He almost succeeded. Sadly, it is still a work in progress.
Trump is Trump. What you see is what you get. You might not like his style but that doesn’t matter. It is what is accomplished that counts. I mostly like what I see. His religiosity I can do without but that is only too much pepper added to otherwise a very good meal. As Bill said, you go to war with the army you have.
So… where were you guys yesterday? Gone fishin?
That is my question too!
Sorry, Scott. Even when you’re trying you can’t come across as a bad guy!
If anything, he makes the other side of the argument halfway coherent because he never resorts to mental breakdowns and name-calling.
I keep fearing that one day one of the progressive journalists out there will start listening to Scott and take lessons; thereby rendering said journalist more effective.
Without the foil of Scott playing journalist, this would not be nearly as entertaining.