Smerconish: Trump Has Changed America by Revealing How Truly American He Is

SMERCONISH This is a ░░░░░░░░ graph but I want ░░░░░░░░ read it There have ░░░░░░░░ so many attempts he ░░░░░░░░ to explain away Trump ░░░░░░░░ hold on the nation ░░░░░░░░ politics and cultural imagination ░░░░░░░░ reinterpret him as aberrant ░░░░░░░░ temporary Normalizing Trump became ░░░░░░░░ affront to good taste ░░░░░░░░ norms to the American ░░░░░░░░ But we can now ░░░░░░░░ go of such illusions ░░░░░░░░ is very much a ░░░░░░░░ of who we are ░░░░░░░░ 63 million Americans voted ░░░░░░░░ him in 2016 74 ░░░░░░░░ did so in 2020 ░░░░░░░░ now once again enough ░░░░░░░░ in enough places have ░░░░░░░░ their lot with him ░░░░░░░░ return him to the ░░░░░░░░ House Trump is no ░░░░░░░░ and Trumpism is no ░░░░░░░░ After all what is ░░░░░░░░ normal than a thing ░░░░░░░░ keeps repeating Carlos Lozada ░░░░░░░░ In recent years I ░░░░░░░░ often wondered if Trump ░░░░░░░░ changed America or revealed ░░░░░░░░ That s going to ░░░░░░░░ the poll question I ░░░░░░░░ that it was both ░░░░░░░░ he changed the country ░░░░░░░░ revealing it After Election ░░░░░░░░ 2024 I m considering ░░░░░░░░ addendum Trump has changed ░░░░░░░░ by revealing how normal ░░░░░░░░ truly American he is ░░░░░░░░ then this is my ░░░░░░░░ graph because I think ░░░░░░░░ sums it all up ░░░░░░░░ Trump s life he ░░░░░░░░ embodied every national fascination ░░░░░░░░ and greed in the ░░░░░░░░ sex scandals in the ░░░░░░░░ reality television in the ░░░░░░░░ social media in the ░░░░░░░░ Why wouldn t we ░░░░░░░░ him now Today s ░░░░░░░░ question at smerconish com ░░░░░░░░ just that has Donald ░░░░░░░░ changed America or has ░░░░░░░░ revealed it And you ░░░░░░░░ that essay reminded me ░░░░░░░░ something that Michael Wolff ░░░░░░░░ about Donald Trump in ░░░░░░░░ book Fire and Fury ░░░░░░░░ tells a story about ░░░░░░░░ at a time when ░░░░░░░░ was riding high in ░░░░░░░░ City He s aboard ░░░░░░░░ private flight with friends ░░░░░░░░ Trump proposes a detour ░░░░░░░░ Atlantic City causing one ░░░░░░░░ Passenger to voice an ░░░░░░░░ who says That place ░░░░░░░░ for white trash And ░░░░░░░░ unnamed foreign model according ░░░░░░░░ Michael Wolff then says ░░░░░░░░ is white trash And ░░░░░░░░ replies They re people ░░░░░░░░ like me only they ░░░░░░░░ poor So true that ░░░░░░░░ billionaire became the champion ░░░░░░░░ a working class whose ░░░░░░░░ were largely union members ░░░░░░░░ voted for Democrats The ░░░░░░░░ of Donald Trump from ░░░░░░░░ campaign that almost remember ░░░░░░░░ s not the Fight ░░░░░░░░ fight photo after he ░░░░░░░░ shot No it s ░░░░░░░░ taken on a Saturday ░░░░░░░░ May at a rally ░░░░░░░░ Wildwood New Jersey Trump ░░░░░░░░ never going to win ░░░░░░░░ Jersey but he nevertheless ░░░░░░░░ 100 000 people according ░░░░░░░░ ABC7 And understand this ░░░░░░░░ Jersey Shore is where ░░░░░░░░ Pennsylvanians go to spend ░░░░░░░░ summers or to spend ░░░░░░░░ one summer week of ░░░░░░░░ And the towns they ░░░░░░░░ distinctly different demographics Wildwood ░░░░░░░░ always been a bastion ░░░░░░░░ the white working class ░░░░░░░░ his speech that day ░░░░░░░░ what he would call ░░░░░░░░ weave Trump told a ░░░░░░░░ about Frank Sinatra never ░░░░░░░░ before a performance And ░░░░░░░░ he told the crowd ░░░░░░░░ he however had just ░░░░░░░░ an enormous hot dog ░░░░░░░░ crowd roared As the ░░░░░░░░ progressed the more these ░░░░░░░░ were told that they ░░░░░░░░ t couldn t vote ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump the more ░░░░░░░░ hunkered down Imagine you ░░░░░░░░ a member of a ░░░░░░░░ whose leader is pilloried ░░░░░░░░ day as a fascist ░░░░░░░░ racist a dictator You ░░░░░░░░ be asking Well then ░░░░░░░░ do you think of ░░░░░░░░ And that s when ░░░░░░░░ wagons were circled Eventually ░░░░░░░░ d be called garbage ░░░░░░░░ President Biden even though ░░░░░░░░ own kind would have ░░░░░░░░ Wildwood people too So ░░░░░░░░ of Trump s campaign ░░░░░░░░ were indefensible But maybe ░░░░░░░░ wanted to reach that ░░░░░░░░ themselves and not be ░░░░░░░░ by a media that ░░░░░░░░ coordinated or celebrities who ░░░░░░░░ that their talents gave ░░░░░░░░ a license to browbeat ░░░░░░░░ then the final weekend ░░░░░░░░ the election one of ░░░░░░░░ most prestigious pollsters in ░░░░░░░░ nation said that Trump ░░░░░░░░ trailing in Iowa by ░░░░░░░░ points Trailing in Iowa ░░░░░░░░ the stampede to give ░░░░░░░░ to Ann Selzer s ░░░░░░░░ the media overlooked an ░░░░░░░░ College survey released at ░░░░░░░░ same time that said ░░░░░░░░ Trump was up 10 ░░░░░░░░ the Hawkeye State as ░░░░░░░░ The Des Moines Register ░░░░░░░░ did not deter his ░░░░░░░░ Maybe it motivated them ░░░░░░░░ the final result was ░░░░░░░░ up by 13 percentage ░░░░░░░░ in Iowa As a ░░░░░░░░ resident of Philadelphia and ░░░░░░░░ surrounding counties being the ░░░░░░░░ point of this campaign ░░░░░░░░ been an interesting experience ░░░░░░░░ me the in person ░░░░░░░░ the commercials the texts ░░░░░░░░ in the weeks leading ░░░░░░░░ to the election I ░░░░░░░░ close attention to the ░░░░░░░░ signs in the Philly ░░░░░░░░ And one caught my ░░░░░░░░ and immediately after seeing ░░░░░░░░ for the first time ░░░░░░░░ said on my SiriusXM ░░░░░░░░ program that I thought ░░░░░░░░ was tone deaf and ░░░░░░░░ it d boomerang It ░░░░░░░░ this Harris Walls obviously ░░░░░░░░ I should say it ░░░░░░░░ Harris Walls obviously As ░░░░░░░░ How could you ever ░░░░░░░░ otherwise You don t ░░░░░░░░ we d ever consider ░░░░░░░░ for him do you ░░░░░░░░ you see this house ░░░░░░░░ think we d ever ░░░░░░░░ foot in Wildwood We ░░░░░░░░ Stone Harbor people We ░░░░░░░░ Avalon people We go ░░░░░░░░ Loveladies I don t ░░░░░░░░ how many of the ░░░░░░░░ people saw those yard ░░░░░░░░ but they got the ░░░░░░░░ message I want to ░░░░░░░░ what you think Go ░░░░░░░░ my website at smerconish ░░░░░░░░ answer today s poll ░░░░░░░░ has Donald Trump changed ░░░░░░░░ or has he just ░░░░░░░░ it?”