Trump XTREME!!!!!!!!!

             So, Patagonia fleece season is officially over here in tropical Lawrence, Kansas and my inner Trump apologist is wrought with heat exhaustion, and desperate to get out. Just kidding. 0 part of me is capable of being a Trump apologist. But let’s see what I can do today.

Notice he's wearing a helmet. It's because he's extreme. (That will be important later)

             Hello all and welcome to another edition of this blog where I try to choose an example of Trump doing something well so I can perhaps delve into some analysis that digs deeper than, “Wow, can you believe he really just said that completely unfounded and offensive thing?”

Today we have a segment from the second presidential debate that covers Trump and Clinton’s stance on allowing Muslims into the country.

Disclaimer: If it wasn’t clear enough, I have absolutely no support for the things Trump says or implies here, I simply think he came out on top in terms of ‘performative’ debating.

             The question asked: 

“There are 3.3 million Muslims in the United States, and I’m one of them. You’ve mentioned working with Muslim nations, but with Islamaphobia on the rise, how will you help people like me deal with the consequences of being labeled as a threat to the country after the election is over.”

             “Well you’re right about Islamaphobia, and that’s a shame.” Alright, he’s off to a good start. Trump then turns on his heel and immediately places blame on Muslims themselves for their position in America. The message is essentially this: if Muslims want to be a part of this country, they need to do a better job reporting signs of terrorism from extremists.

And without hesitation, he throws around some pretty dangerous generalizations:

“They’re murderers, and some very bad people”

The most critical thing Trump does here is make you forget that the Muslims he’s talking about banning from the U.S. are living, breathing people.

But yet… it seems to be a clever strategy. In placing blame upon the victims, Trump gains leverage over them, making them seem like they owe him something.

            While this might not work wonders with the Muslim vote, it is his main voter base that matters. This is an instance where I believe it is important to analyze the effectiveness of someone’s communication by the reaction of their audience rather than the quality or truthfulness of their message.

TRUMP XTREME

             The rebranding is also clever. When asked if he was still in support of a ban, he responded “it’s called extreme vetting”.  An interesting approach, since much of his campaign he prided himself on the platform of keeping Muslims out of America., though I suppose this was an attempt to come off softer to avoid alienating the more moderate of his red voters.

            The biggest strength of Trump’s performance here overall is his stark contrast to Hillary’s stilted, dry, and slow delivery. She seems tired and overworked, and is always on the defense to Trump’s remarks. Being aggressive, bickering with the moderator over question time and repeating important soundbites made Trump appear more charismatic, and most importantly memorable.

While I would personally critique that he ought not go back and forth with Hillary over the Iraq war or comment on question time so incessantly, I think none of these small things mattered when it came to the final result.

Although it hurts my heart and is saddening to say, Trump won…this segment of the debate.