The one key difference between Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns
The beginning of the Trump 2020 Campaign is similar to the Streisand Farewell Tour. It started years ago, plays all the old familiar hits and doesn’t change from year to year. Trump’s official start to the 2020 campaign took place on Tuesday evening in Orlando, Florida with the old favorite hit “Lock her up” playing on repeat in the background.
The same old lies played like favorite hit songs for the many MAGA-geared participants, many of whom waited overnight to attend the event, but other than promising to cure cancer, it doesn’t seem as though the Trump camp put any effort into the planning of anything new (and even that was stolen from Joe Biden). As we would expect, there was no attempt to bring new voters into the fray, or to set out some kind of visionary images for the future. There was, however, something brand new.
It may have existed last time around, but it was hidden under the rocks until welcome. The same old violent and emboldened participants were there, just looking for conflict. The newness could be seen in the welcoming of the Proud Boys, a group known to the Trump campaign who did not challenge their welcome to the Trump event.
The wide-open display of white nationalism, complete with the hand signals was on proud display. The Orlando Police repeatedly prevented the group from confronting the anti-Trump protestors, and it was captured on video for the whole world to see how far the United States has fallen. Other than the addition of white nationalists, and the blow up Trump balloon, it was impossible to tell if we were trapped in a time machine and sent back to 2016 desperately searching for the button that would give us Hillary instead of Trump, or in the present day suddenly understanding how history is happening right in front of our eyes.
Virginia is a university & law school graduate, mom, entrepreneur and angry Democrat, hoping for change.