The Republican National Convention is called off
But Trump still wants schools to reopen…
Last week President Trump canceled the Republican National Convention events scheduled to take place in Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Associated Press, here’s what Trump had to say about it:
“It’s a different world, and it will be for a little while.”
“To have a big convention is not the right time.”
“I just felt it was wrong.”
“We didn’t want to take any chances. We have to be vigilant. We have to be careful, and we have to set an example.”
These quotes bring up an obvious question: who is this guy and what have they done with the real Donald Trump?
A look-alike imposter is the most obvious scenario because otherwise the same guy that urged states to reopen and wants kids to go back to school is now saying it’s not safe to hold a convention.
But there is another explanation
Apparently, people close to Trump pointed out that if the Republican National Convention went on as planned it would ultimately backfire; the focus would not be on him or his overall awesomeness, the focus would be on the dangers of holding a political convention during a pandemic.
Here’s another Trump quote that might explain the RNC cancelation:
“I could see the media saying, ‘Oh, this is very unsafe.’ ”
So Trump said the right stuff about keeping people safe, but then revealed that he’s worried about getting criticized.
Someone smart recently said that it was hard to predict what Trump would do next because Trump’s only agenda is Trump. There are no core beliefs that guide his decision making; he’ll do or say whatever makes him look good at the moment.
If you buy into that theory, it explains a lot.
Trump didn’t send out a tweet wearing a mask because it’s the right thing to do, he sent out a tweet wearing a mask because his advisers are telling him his COVID-19 response isn’t cutting it and he’s going to get his ass handed to him in November if he doesn’t stop denying reality.
So now Trump has canceled a convention and sent out a tweet saying wearing a mask is patriotic even though he was ridiculing people who wore masks not all that long ago.
His lack of sincerity about mask-wearing was obvious when he showed up at a fundraiser not wearing a mask hours after sending out his tweet saying wearing a mask was patriotic.
Canceling a convention over coronavirus concerns while simultaneously encouraging schools to reopen might seem inconsistent, but from Donald Trump’s point of view – what’s good for me right now? – it might not be.
So maybe there’s no imposter after all.
I hope that, masked or not, he gets his ass handed to him in November.