Trump Is Losing His Touch

 Back in 2016, Trump managed to knock 15 other Republican opponents out of the race and went on to win the presidency. He was able to do so because he had a genius for galvanizing listeners. Some of what he did was ugly--the "Lock her up" chants come to mind as well as his incessant ranting about immigrants.  Perhaps the ugliest event was Trump offering to pay the legal bills for anyone beating up an African American heckler.

In other ways, he had a visceral feel for the pulse of the nation, especially working class and middle-class men whose wages had not kept up with inflation and who feared losing their well-paying factory jobs and being forced to work as Dollar Store cashiers. He touched anti-war voters with his promise to end the conflicts that drained America of its blood and treasure. 

On a personal level, he acted like he was having fun at his rallies, that he liked his supporters and enjoyed being with them. He had a marketing genius as well--those red MAGA hats. Much of his talent was evidence in 2020 as well. 

By 2024, however, Trump had lost his touch. While he was heroic and inspiring after being shot, many of his 2024 comments lacked that deft political sense that he had displayed in the past. The most cringe-worthy was his comments about being women's protectors and making them so happy they will never even think about abortion.

His words were both clumsy and patronizing. 

Lines like that can only be spoken by a man who has no clue about women's lives. He cannot be women's protectors--not from domestic violence, street criminals who target women, or women with unintended pregnancies that might lock them into povery forever. Since criminal trials usually occur at the state or local--not nationa level--Trump has little control either domestic violence or street crime. 

Sexual harassment in the workplace?  Come on.

These lines were obviously intended to win back the female votes he lost after his Supreme Court nominees were responsible for the overturning of Roe v Wade, which legalized abortion. Does Trump really think he can do anything to make up for the diminished prospects of a woman who has an unintended pregnancy? 

A woman has two choices in many states: the heartbreaking choice of adoption or a life of poverty. The ratio of women's incomes to men's incomes decreases after childbirth and never regain the original level. It is much more difficult for a woman with children to marry.  Getting a better job? It takes both money and time to train for a better job. For single mothers, it also requires childcare, which isn't free. The Walmart employee does not make enough money to pay for daycare while she retrains. That should be obvious, but alas, it isn't to many people. 

The life prospects of a low-income woman with an unintended pregnancy are pretty grim--both in terms of marriage and economic status.  Trump cannot be their protector when women face these problems. Even pro-lifers who oppose abortion should see that Trump's' comments trivialize the dilemma of women facing a life-altering choice..

In many ways I like Trump--he seems less prowar than Harris and has proven his intention of keeping that particular promise by the four years he spent in the White House--where he became the first president in forty years to NOT start a new war.  But Trump is open to serious criticisms for his domestic policy--separating children from parents at the border, emotion-filled rants that stir up the wrong people, and tax reforms that benefit the upper classes at the expense of the lower ones.