Real Trump Continues To Overshadow Teleprompter Trump

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:20 pm

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Monday was supposed to be a pivotal turning point for Donald Trump’s flagging presidential campaign when he delivered a “major economic address” to the Detroit Economic Club.

In the Motor City, the Republican nominee spent an hour reading right-wing, trickle-down talking points from a teleprompter, likely at the direction of the same establishment political figures he spent an entire primary season attacking.

Beyond the usual conservative suspects, it wasn’t that well-received, but it reassured the right people that Trump is still a serious candidate for president (although the rest of us know better).

Newt Gingrich, who has been critical of Trump recently, praised the Republican nominee’s speech:

So, relative to the last couple of weeks, Monday wasn’t all that bad for the Trump campaign. He avoided inflicting any further damage to his already-struggling campaign.

Then, today at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, real Trump showed up and essentially called for gun rights advocates to assassinate Hillary Clinton over her potential Supreme Court nominations.

“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” Trump spewed from the podium. “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”

Of course, the Trump campaign has since tried to rewrite what their candidate said, claiming he was only explaining how pro-gun Americans will turn out in record numbers for Trump in November. The candidate himself rushed to cable news to defend himself:

In any case, Trump pretending to be an adult with serious economic proposals is no longer the story. Real Donald Trump was having none of that.

Instead, we’re now talking about the latest despicable thing he has said without the guidance of a carefully-crafted campaign speech. 

Trump may not shoot himself in the foot during a 45-minute hostage video address written by right-wing political strategists, but when he shows up at a rally the next day and decides to go off the cuff and say everything that goes through his twisted mind – like he did today in North Carolina – then all bets are off.

Teleprompter Trump is simply no match for the real man.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.