Trump: Politics and Personal Attacks

Back in January 2016, during one of his campaign meetings, Ted Cruz attacked Donald Trump for his "New York values". Most assumed that Trump would retaliate immediately with his customary brashness. But what occurred during the debate when Trump faced Cruz for the first time since his anti NY remarks was quite remarkable. When pressed by the moderator to explain ‘New York values’, Cruz said "There are many, many wonderful, wonderful working men and women in the state of New York, but everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal, are pro-abortion, are pro-gay marriage, focus around money and the media." When Trump was asked to respond, he seized the opportunity like a fighter about the deliver a knockout punch. He took his time, his countenance was serious, his tone was a modulated lower than usual, that worked splendidly to convey the gravity of the situation and then he spoke "When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York……we rebuilt downtown Manhattan, and everybody in the world watched, and everybody in the world loved New York, and loved New Yorkers, and I have to tell you, that was a very insulting statement that Ted made." The auditorium erupted into rounds of cheers and applause. This became a defining moment of the debate, Ted Cruz was left humiliated and had no option but to join the rounds of applause for Trump. Trump earned plaudits even from some of his staunches critics and opponents. This was indisputably sterling moment for Trump. Social Media was abuzz with pictures of proud moments of the city that never sleeps with the words ‘New York values’. Cruz had committed a massive blunder and got the comeuppance he deserved. But most importantly Trump showed that he could be ‘presidential’ and restrained as he gallantly defended the city he lived him against an unfair attack.

Three months later during the Utah primary campaign, one of Cruz’s anti-Trump PACs began circulating a risqué image of Melania Trump. Above the image was the text ‘Meet you next first lady Melania Trump’ and below was it was ‘Or, you could vote for Ted Cruz’. In feminist parlance, this is termed as ‘slut shaming’. The mendacious Cruz denied that he had anything to do with it, although the image was circuited online by people within his campaign. There is an unwritten rule in politics of not attacking relatives of a candidate who have not chosen to be in the public spotlight. Whenever this rule has been violated it presents a great opportunity for the target to defend the honor of the relative. This was another ‘New York Values’ sort of moment for Trump.  So how did Trump respond? He first tweeted stern warning “Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!’. Bringing up Cruz’s wife quite unnecessary, a general warning was enough and would have conveyed the message. But there was more to come, a day later Trump retweeted a picture that had an unflattering photo of Cruz’s wife besides an aesthetic looking photo of Melania with the text ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. This was huge blunder that resulted in heavy backlash from all quarters. Cruz had unwittingly presented Trump with an easy opportunity, all Trump needed was repeat performance of his ‘New York Values’ defense at debate. But instead Trump made the catastrophic blunder of countering a personal attack with another gratuitous personal attack. Thus the largely anti-Trump media gleefully reported ‘GOP front runners trade punches over the appearance of their spouses’. So how should have Trump reacted? There should have been no casual tweets or retweets. He should have put out a carefully worded official statement that castigated Cruz for attacking his wife. The statement should have had a strong defense of Melania and her achievements. He should have pledged never to stoop to that level of Cruz. He should also have used this as a platform to cite his record as a champion of women. He could have also added a point about women and their body issues. Had he done this, it would most certainly have been a big blow to Cruz at a crucial stage of the campaign.

But politics presents plenty of opportunities. A few days later, the National Enquirer carried an article that asserted Cruz had cheated on his wife and had sex with at least five different women. Social media was abuzz, with #CruzSexScandal being a top trend on Twitter all over the world. Fresh over the heels of the attack on his wife by Trump, the deceitful Cruz shamelessly and baselessly blamed Trump for orchestrating the attack. But this time Trump had learned his lesson, there were no tweets or retweets but instead a cleverly worded rather witty statement that said the following.

“I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this week’s issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it.

Likewise, I have nothing to do with the National Enquirer and unlike Lyin’ Ted Cruz I do not surround myself with political hacks and henchman and then pretend total innocence. Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz.”

The impact of Trump’s Tweet about Cruz’s wife was such that this official statement was characterized as part of the Trump’s personal attacks on Cruz.

So what lesson should Trump learn from this experience? One word ‘restraint’. Does this mean Trump transform himself into the typical robotic politician who spouts politically correct babble? Emphatically not! Trump is known for saying it like it is in language that the people relate to. He should continue his tradition of conveying his message and defending himself when attacked. He should also continue to employ his prodigious performer like instincts coupled with his wicked sense of humor during public appearances. But there is a difference between a live wire and a loose cannon. It is essential that Trump always sticks to the issues and his plan for his country. Trump should realize that he is doing himself a great dis-service whenever he indulges in personal attacks. His grand plan of making America great again and the hopes riding on it are too important to be interrupted by anything or anybody. Trump’s campaign will run till November and there will be occasions where members of the media such as Meghan Kelly will call him names and attack him unfairly. Here, Trump must respond only by citing his record and must stay miles away from the personal realms. Trump will most certainly be the nominee of the GOP and he will most certainly be pitted against Hillary Clinton. There will most occasions where Hillary will play the victim and claim that Trump is a sexist and a misogynist. This could be the defining moment for Trump. There must be no comments on Hillary’s girth or bodily functions or the color of her pant suit or the shrillness of her voice or her cackling that she produces whenever challenged. Instead he should calmly cite the abominable record of Bill and how Hillary participated actively in demeaning and marginalizing the victims.

Social media has been an invaluable tool for Trump in conveying his message. Trump had millions of passionate supporters who are willing to confront anybody who unfairly targets him. The fact that one can circulate a message while sitting comfortably from one’s home often makes one forget of the impact of the message being put out. But Trump must be careful not to be seen participating in anything that can be construed as personal especially when countering women.

The huge success Trump has received has made many forget that he has been in active politics for not more than eight months, many seasoned senators and governors who were expected to clinch the nomination were forced to quit at a very early juncture while Trump finds himself is on top by a convincing margin. Trump is self-funding which means he is not a puppet in the hands of lobbyists and big donors. Trump tough stance on issues such as immigration, counter terrorism, unfair trade and business had resonated with voters to the extent that the bond is unbreakable. There is a large section of people who will never ever be swayed away from Trump no matter what he does or says. This is a remarkable feat.

Hillary is a particularly weak candidate, who happens to possess a record and qualities that are quite contrary to the mood of the country. An overwhelming number of people do not trust her and for very good reason. The Democrats have expressed eagerness to run against Trump claiming that a victory against him will be easy. But at the same time there have been instances of far left groups close to the Democrats doing all they can do sabotage Trump rallies and discredit him personally. Why would the Democrats try to prevent themselves from running against an individual who they are certain they will defeat? In the media, the ‘experts’ are quick to cite Trump’s unfavorable ratings, proclaiming that it will be impossible for him to win against Hillary. But it was these very pundits who predicted that Jeb or Marco or even Christie would clinch the nomination while Trump would never cross double digits.

Politics was once a dreary affair that had very few enthusiasts. But the Trump wave had changed that all, voter turnout for the GOP is through the roof, there are reports that the Trump voter base includes blue collar people , centrist democrats and union member who would formerly never dream to vote for the Republicans. Cynics who never ever voted before are queuing up to vote for Trump. It is quite clear that Trump has a golden opportunity at becoming the next occupier of the White House but for that he will have to win many more in addition to his ardent fans. Trump is a previous diamond, but even the finest of diamonds needs some polishing around the edges. For Trump the polishing is a little bit of restraint and a great deal of discipline. If Trump can do that he will not just win the Presidency but be a great president who can lead his country back to greatness.