Donald Trump Polarized the Nation at CPAC, and That Was His Point

Donald Trump at CPAC 2019

President Donald Trump wins because he is outrageous. Being outrageous is not, as his critics seem to think, his rhetorical fault; it is his stock-in-trade. His polarizing rhetoric did what all polarizing rhetoric does: it reinforced a large but active minority, while driving everyone else away. When he offends the mainstream, well, fine, that’s exactly the point, because he also energizes his base: us versus them.

Coming off an awful week (Michael Cohen’s testimony and a failed summit with North Korea), Trump gave a rambling, profanity and insult-filled, roof-raising speech today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2019). The crowd cheered; the mainstream media reporters were horrified.

Here’s my point: The mainstream media, politicians, and traditional voters think that Trump’s fringe behavior appeals only to a fringe. They think that, the more outrageously he speaks, the more supporters he’ll lose. They think his outrageous behavior weakens him. Never-Trump conservative Jennifer Rubin often talks about Trump going "downhill." People who think that way are admirable, but they are also mistaken. In fact, they are totally, completely, and cluelessly wrong. Journalists, not to mention my fellow academics and fellow liberals, tend to miss the point. Being outrageous is Trump’s main technique, and his core voters – millions and millions of them – love it.

Let’s look at a few examples from Trump’s 2019 CPAC speech:

Trump didn't defend his actions with respect to Russia; instead, he just ridiculed the Russia investigation. It will be recalled that during the 2016 campaign, Trump told a news conference, on video, that he wanted Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails. That sounds vaguely criminal. In the CPAC 2019 speech, however, Trump ridiculed the idea that he had ever asked Russia to do anything: in a sneering voice, he said, “Please, Russia, please get us the emails.” The CPAC crowd cheered: “Lock her up! Lock her up!” Trump continued: “Then that fake CNN says he asked Russia to get the emails. Horrible.”

(Fake? It wasn't fake. Trump is on news video speaking from Doral, Florida in 2016. He did say it. His exact words were: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” A moment later, he said, “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”)

Trump filled his speech with raging insults, such as: “I saw little Shifty Schiff yesterday.” He meant Democratic Senate leader Adam Schiff. Shifty Schiff? What a childish insult! The crowd loved it: Schiff had, they thought, become their enemy, and they rejoiced when Trump ridiculed him. Trump also complained about the Mueller investigation: “They are trying to take you out with bull---t.” He complained that everyone hated Mueller, and the crowd cheered “USA, USA.” He said that “we have people in Congress who hate our country.” The crowd booed. This kind of thing went on for about two hours.

So, let’s sum it up. Trump lied. He insulted and raged. He cursed. He ridiculed his opponents. He denied obvious facts. His friendly audience of Republican politicians, conservative reporters, and activists cheered. They applauded. They booed. They chanted. They loved it. They had a great time. The more outrageous Trump was, the happier his crowd became. They saw that he was fighting. That, and that alone, is what they cared about. Trump sensed their energy and pushed them onwards.

Trump does not appeal to his base in spite of being outrageous, foul, dishonest, uninformed, and incompetent. Those are the features that his base likes the most. Attacking him for being outrageous, foul, dishonest, uninformed, and incompetent just makes his base voters love him more. And as the 2016 election proves, that base is not a mere fringe. Trump’s base is big, and Trump fired them up. And yet, at the end, he praised national unity, saying that we are all one people "forever united behind one great American flag."  Whether that was too little too late or wishful thinking, that comment hardly fit with the polarizing speech.

As an aside: Trump’s core voters are totally correct that traditional Republican and Democratic voters neglect their needs and concerns. Does Trump have anything to offer them? Yes, but no. No, for Trump’s policies, insofar as he has policies, are ludicrous. But, yes, Trump offers them hope. And hope wins elections.

This speech taught us a lesson about Trump. It taught us a lesson about American voters. Are we ready to learn?

(Also see my post about Charlie Kirk's empty but inspiring CPAC speech.)

For more information about polarizing rhetoric, two good sources are:

The Rhetoric of Agitation and Control by John W. Bowers, Donovan Ochs, Richard J. Jensen, and David Schulz, 3^rd edition. See chapter 2.

Also look at the chapter on tactics in Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals. Conservatives love to make fun of Alinsky, and I don’t know that Trump has ever read this book, but he has Alinsky’s persuasive methods down pat. Read the book, email me, and tell me if you think I’m wrong.

Photo: Michael Vadon, Creative Commons License