Trump’s Biggest Secret
To quote Marcellus in Act I, Scene IV of Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Little did Shakespeare know he would be forecasting poignant commentary on the 2016 presidential election. Alas, Shakespeare in an unintentional moment of clairvoyance expressed the concern of the undecided American voter and #NeverTrump crowd.
With Obama’s days in DC numbered, and the race for the White House coming to down to the last couple of months; the possibility of a Republican controlled White House is looking more like a fantasy than a reality. There are less than 90 days to go until November 8th, and Americans have watched the Trump campaign begin to flounder in a very public way.
From the onset Trump’s candidacy has seemed like something ripped from the headlines of a tabloid magazine and his campaign has been more made for reality TV than a well-oiled machine poised to win the highest office in America.
Since winning the Republican nomination, Trump’s campaign has faltered in the polls as well as the media. In a general election matchup, Trump lags behind in the polls against Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton. Earlier in the cycle, Trump ran the media and dominated headlines. He was the Teflon Don, and he could not be stopped.
Before winning the nomination, Trump told supporters, he would, at “some point” act more presidential. Currently, voters are waiting for that point in time to arrive. Throughout the election cycle, Trump has marched to the beat of his own drum and rallied thousands upon thousands of supporters, but internally the campaign has struggled to gain traction with staff and nail down a solid strategy comprised of something more than the a-typical shock and awe talking points Trump has become known for.
The press has become desensitized and antsy waiting for the next outlandish thing Trump will do, and Trump is showing signs of growing restless on the trail as can be seen by his recent campaign staffing shake up. This type of upheaval in a campaign so close to election day is causing strategists to question if Trump really wants to be the leader of the free world or if this is his way of throwing the election.
Under normal circumstances, the thought of a presidential nominee trying to find the nearest exit before Election Day would be written off as absurd. However, given this cycle, anything is possible. The question remains to be seen if Trump will go through the election or if he’ll bow out to avoid suffering a loss. In recent reports, Michael Moore has come out and openly admitted Trump does not want to be president. These allegations will no doubt enrage folks on the Trump Train, the truth is, it may explain Trump’s reticence to act presidential, stay on script, and map out a 50 state strategy to win.
The reluctance to take direction and turn his campaign into a presidential election edition of the Apprentice lends a logical explanation to the chaos of Trump’s candidacy, which for the #NeverTrump crowd and the undecideds are silently nodding along saying, “this finally makes sense.” However, it does little to offer solace in the fact a guy who never wanted to be president high jacked an entire party and turned the nomination process on its head in a matter of one election cycle. The best the GOP can hope for is Millennials to be the saving grace and make the Republican party great again in 2018.
Originally published on Political Storm August 18, 2016