Cleveland
Here’s a curious line from Donald Trump’s interview with The New York Times unrelated to his comments on NATO:
“When asked what he hoped people would take away from the convention, Mr. Trump said, ‘The fact that I’m very well liked.'”
Given that the Republican National Convention is ultimately about the nomination of the Republican candidate for president, it’d follow that the biggest impression Trump would want to leave is “the fact that I’d be a very good president.”
No matter. In the TV age—particularly the TV-digital age of the 21st century—likability is a key qualification to be elected commander-in-chief. Political conventions are all about optics. It’s crucial that people like what they see.
But Trump’s concern is different. When presented the opportunity to state his priority, his was not that people develop a favorable impression of him or his politics or his policies. It’s to convey that people already like him. (Like him “very well.”)
Who is he pitching Thursday night, then?
