If he has nothing else going for him in the presidential race, Donald Trump has charisma. His provocative comments and trademark mannerisms grant him the power to elicit extreme reactions in the American people. According to polling since the beginning of the race, Trump’s primary basis of support has been coming from the far right of the conservative spectrum. This suggests that the majority of Republicans are not voting simply on the basis of controversial charisma. Rather, they want a balanced candidate with revolutionary ideas backed by a relatable smile and trustworthy voice. Trump’s campaign has been faring well up until this point despite the absence of the compelling “Reagan factor.” But with the primaries edging nearer, the electorate is forced to confront mixed emotions towards the enigma under the orange hair. The last republican debate gave Trump a chance to shift from a humorous caricature to an electable man.
Trump played up his human qualities from the moment he opened his mouth. When asked his greatest weakness, he replied, “I trust people too much…And when they let me down, if they let me down, I never forgive. I find it very, very hard to forgive people that deceived me. So I don’t know if you would call that a weakness, but my wife said ‘let up.’” The audience loved this response, laughing it off as another odd Trumpism. But this joke was different from all other Trump jokes. It was not rude, spontaneous, or nonsensical. In fact, it was surprisingly introspective. While Christie and Kasich used the question to call out other people, Trump broke from his own playbook to present himself as an unimposing, reliable, and relatable candidate.
After that first question set the tone for Trump’s role in the debate, the hostility from the moderators only made him more reasonable. When John Harwood asked, “Is this a comic book version of a presidential campaign?”, Trump responded carefully, stating, “No, not a comic book, and it’s not a very nicely asked question the way you say that”. After appropriately expressing his indignation, Trump then went on to explain the merits of his views in a slow, expressive cadence that managed to exude rationality.
Trump managed to hold his own against the moderators continuously throughout the debate after that point. When prompted to comment on his bankruptcy as a “broken promise,” Trump exhibited a startling degree of humility. He first recognized that casinos immorally use bankruptcy as a tool to cheat the system. But then, he appealed to the people by adding that he personally used bankruptcy to his advantage for his family. He took what he had and he made it a success for the sake of those closest to him, widening that circle to the American people by stating “That is what I could do for the country. We owe $19 trillion, boy am I good at solving debt problems. Nobody can solve it like me.” He even thanked the moderator for asking the question at the end of the 30 seconds.
In a continuing trend of mellowed character, Trump hurled only one attack the entire night. When John Kasich lashed out broadly against the other candidates on the stage, with references specifically to immigration policy and political inexperience, he was pointedly trying to undermine Trump. Trump waited for his 30 seconds to speak and then constrained his rebuttal to that time, demonstrating a newfound respect for debate etiquette. He called out Kasich, lecturing patiently “He was such a nice guy. And he said, oh, I’m never going to attack. But then his poll numbers tanked.” Trump managed to simultaneously question Kasich’s personal character and bolster his own image as the reliable alternative.
So, who is Donald Trump? It is apparent from the last debate that he is not the clown from the beginning of the race. Donald Trump is the man who aims to win the presidency.