Following Hillary Clinton’s victories in California and New Jersey, Democrats stole the spotlight in a too-good-to-be-true show of solidarity. Like a perfectly orchestrated film, the media covered President Obama’s meeting with Bernie Sanders, followed by his endorsement of the female frontrunner.
As the Bern’s supporters face the reality of their candidate’s inevitable concession to come, they’ll be up against great pressure in the next few months as Obama tries to unite his divided party in hopes of beating Trump in the general election.
But what else was going on amidst Democrats’ carefully planned media onslaught?
Meanwhile, Donald Trump was basking in his own glory, as he slides semi-gracefully into the nomination with a resounding triumph in the final Super Tuesday elections.
While Americans knew what the outcome would be, the race is changing for Trump as he turns to Hillary—and she turns to him—in what could be one of the ugliest battles we’ve seen in decades. With all the unlikely surprises the nation has seen in this election, voters have come to expect the unexpected.
So, when the billionaire tycoon stepped onto the stage in Briarcliff Manor, New York, to address his supporters, a special sensation was in the air. Many have long urged Trump to tone down his vitriolic rhetoric, the same candid style of speech that propelled him to greatness over the past year.
Hoping to appeal to other factions of the conservative party and our nation’s greater obsession with political correctness, Trump’s camp is clearly taking cues from popular pundits.
The speech would be his most important thus far in the campaign, and there’s no doubt it showed a more reserved side of Trump. But most obvious of all was a great pink elephant in the room, the sole item that would mesmerize leftist media for days following Trump’s victory. It would also be trending on twitter for hours.
That item is the teleprompter.
Having often mocked Hillary Clinton and other politicians for using teleprompters as their oratory crutches, Trump was blasted by critics who were fast to point out his hypocrisy. But as every liberal publication hemmed and hawed over the presidential hopeful’s new rehearsed demeanor, they failed to realize what was really happening before their eyes.
As Democrats manipulate the public with Obama’s cheap support, Trump’s camp is whipping up some master strategy that just might land him the election come November.
Flanked on both sides by his lovely wife Melania and equally gorgeous daughter Ivanka, Trump sent a concise, pointed message to the nation during the landmark speech.
Making sure to touch on every major issue, Trump delivered sound bite after sound bite, effectively proving his ability to hold back on the rambling diatribe and focus on what matters.
It was extremely imperative that Trump project a serious, somewhat controlled image in wake of a certain scandal leading up to the California primary.
Countless media outlets reported highly unflattering versions of what Trump had to say about federal court judge Gonzalo Curiel, the man who presided over his Trump University legal proceedings. In context, Trump expressed speculation over whether or not he received a fair trial given his high profile run for the presidency.
But according to left-wing institutions like CNN, “Trump last week repeatedly took aim at Curiel, calling him a ‘hater’ and ‘a Mexican’ as he slammed the judge’s rulings in the case.” Honing in on the questionable undertones of the Donald’s statement, mainly his mention of Curiel’s Mexican heritage, liberals are really gunning for the “racist” label to stick.
The GOP has long worried that one unfortunate gaffe could destroy their chances at the White House. As conservative and moderate Americans crave a more polished, “presidential” candidate, the scandal surrounding the Trump University lawsuits hurt his polling numbers leading into the last major primary.
So, with markedly “anti-Trump” expressions sprinkled throughout his milestone victory, the Republican establishment got its much-needed surprise. Turning confidently to the teleprompter, the frontrunner opened his address:
“Tonight, we close one chapter in history and begin another.” With all things considered, Trump’s writers may have been talking about more than delegates. In a way, the GOP wild card is announcing his transformation into a cookie cutter candidate that the base can trust.
“I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle. I will never let you down,” he assured.
For those who actually watched, Trump’s address was quite powerful. With nicely manicured sound bites, smart phrasing, and a compelling pace, the orator is settling into his general election shoes with ease. But forget about the message of the speech, as Republicans already agree with many of the candidate’s positions.
What people like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needed to hear was a man that could fall in line—to a certain degree, of course. Following his Briarcliff Manor appearance, most conservatives agree that Trump earned his stripes.
But what did liberals think? Just ask the American media.
Even more profound than Trump’s message to supporters is the absolute ridiculousness of what the left couldn’t stop fixating on: the notorious teleprompter! On the morning after his speech, Trump was greeted by headline after headline exposing his supposed hypocrisy.
Over at the Huffington Post, brilliant reporters reminded us, “Donald Trump Uses Teleprompter after Regularly Mocking People for Using Teleprompters” and “Campaign in Crisis, Donald Trump Turns to the Teleprompter.”
According to Slate, “Donald Trump Gave a Normal Speech But is Fooling No One.” And as per MSNBC’s Mike Murphy, using a teleprompter “Doesn’t Wipe the Indelible Stain or Racism off Him.” Even Clinton’s camp weighed in, commenting that his address felt “low energy.”
Of course, what many of these folks fail to acknowledge is their own unnerving hypocrisy as they back a candidate whose teleprompter use has been long documented.
Hillary Clinton is practically the queen of visual speech aids. Trump once commented in a tweet, “Hillary Clinton made a speech today using the biggest teleprompter I have ever seen. In fact, it wasn’t even see through glass, it was black.”
Those who can see past their blinding liberal bias know that the candidate’s remark was meant to emphasize how much Hillary has come to rely on the technology. He continued, “[she] said such nasty things about me, read directly off her teleprompter…but there was no emotion, no truth. Just can’t read speeches!”
There’s no denying that even if Trump does use a prompter—and we’d be crazy to assume this was his first time—he can still rile a crowd with great emotion. That’s the unique, endearing quality that has brought him this far in the race, and perhaps the one that will win him the election come November 2016.
As we wait to watch the aftermath of Bernie’s concession and the bloodbath between Trump and Clinton get underway, remember this—it’s not the last time we’ll see that pesky teleprompter!
