Previously in these virtual pages, I discussed the idea that the battle pitting President Trump versus the media was actually a race to see which side would discover discipline first.
Trump had proven himself to be a thin-skinned, impulsive factor in this equation. However, as I said before, major media outlets kept committing the sins of (1) making errors due to valuing being first over being accurate, and (2) “salting” stories to make President Trump look as bad as possible.
All one of the two players in this contest had to do was to find a modicum of discipline.
Nothing special. Nothing remarkable. Nothing revolutionary.
Just a tiny bit of self-control.
As of last week, my money would have been on the media. It seemed like President Trump’s force of personality was so ingrained—and so critical to his success—that it was unlikely to change anytime soon, even for a brief while.
On the other hand, the press seemed to be becoming increasingly aware of its shortcomings and the need to correct them (although that consciousness manifested itself in a narcissistic and somewhat tone-deaf way, as it often does).
Then President Trump delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. I won’t repeat what so many others have already said, but, in summary: He sounded like a president.
The speech was not special. The speech was not remarkable. The speech was not revolutionary.
But it was disciplined.
There were several bones to pick as far as policy goes, but, for the first time, President Trump seemed to find that required level of discipline, perhaps in much the same manner that a death-row inmate finds Jesus Christ.
There were even moments when the president seemed genuinely human—in a good way—as with the off-prompter interaction with the wife of deceased SEAL Ryan Owens at the end of the extremely emotional and lengthy standing ovation she and her late husband received.
Meanwhile . . .
The 48 hours around Trump’s tone-shifting address featured the Associated Press pushing a nonsensical nothing of a story about Kellyanne Conway sitting the “wrong way” while taking a photo in the Oval Office, as well as the Weekly Standard exposing just how contrived and bogus the Rumana Ahmed Atlantic story had been.
Against conventional wisdom (or at least my “wisdom,” I guess), Trump had drawn first blood in this fight.
This is where we get back to the “is Trump a blunderer, a savant, or both” question.
President Trump effectively went very low at the outset of his presidency (and beyond), and the media was only too happy to meet him at the bottom. Then, Trump managed merely to clear the very low bar that he set himself, while the cable networks and major print and online outlets that generally despise him got caught a step or two behind. Again. Somehow.
It may not last. We all know this. The president could be an ill-considered tweet or two from giving back whatever goodwill he gained over the past couple of days. But, for now, Democrats should be very concerned.
Their best hope for 2018 has been a Trump Administration that is so unpopular that it destroys the Republican brand by association. And that’s still on the board. Especially if lingering questions about Russia are either not resolved, or resolved in a way that makes the administration appear beholden to foreign interests.
But what if that doesn’t happen? What if the economy gets stronger and the Dow keeps breaking records? What if Rex Tillerson doesn’t rip off a convincing rubber mask to reveal Vladimir Putin underneath? Most importantly, what if Trump can still give the occasional fiery, off-the-cuff speech to his supporters and intermittently antagonize the press while also remaining “presidential” in formal addresses, dealings with world leaders, and meetings with policymakers?
It’s a fine needle to thread, but, if he can do it, Democrats should panic. Not worry. Panic.
For now, one decent night does not a trend—or a presidency—make. It does serve as a wake-up call to major news outlets that they must be able to reign in their own urges that compel them to attack Trump gratuitously or rush to deliver inaccurate stories to the public.
If they cannot resist those urges, but the president can resist his, Trump will win this war.
Tom Garrett is a Richmond-born writer and attorney who currently resides in an undisclosed location in Northern Virginia. He is NOT the man who represents Virginia’s Fifth District in Congress.