By all accounts–at least all the accounts I trust–Donald Trump gave a great anti-Hillary speech yesterday, reading from a teleprompter. Some Republicans I respect say that by so doing Trump has erased his last three weeks of political doo-doo and are willing to vote for him if he can just stay “disciplined.”
But what does this speech really teach us about Trump? Not much. We already knew he would go after Hillary, who is vulnerable on many fronts. We already knew he could read from a teleprompter. We already knew he had at least one good speechwriter.
Good for Trump for actually saying some necessary things about Hillary that few others in the party have had the guts to say. I hope he keeps it up. But does it change my opinion of the man? Of course not.
Donald Trump, who just turned 70, is not suddenly a new, more “presidential” leader. He has not suddenly become moral, well-read, and thoughtful. Trump has spent a lifetime, by his words and actions, particularly in the last year when the spotlight has been brightest, telling us exactly who he is.
A teleprompter can’t change that.
