Lately the pundits have been upset over Mr Trump’s remark at a recent rally, as provided by Professor Richardson:
On Friday, speaking to Christians at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump begged the members of the audience to “vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what: it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine…. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
The comment drew a lot of attention, and on Monday, Fox News Channel personality Laura Ingraham gave him a chance to walk the statement back. Instead, he said: “I said, vote for me, you’re not going to have to do it ever again. It’s true.” “Don’t worry about the future. You have to vote on November 5. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care, because we’re going to fix it. The country will be fixed and we won’t even need your vote anymore, because frankly we will have such love, if you don’t want to vote anymore, that’s OK.”
Reality?
You can approach this as many intellectuals might, employing close reading to discern Mr Trump’s meaning. By doing so, I came to the conclusion that he probably means all the problems that bother the Christian Nationalists will be fixed in four years. The bureaucracy will be gutted, military stripped of non-Christian Nationalist leadership, EPA shrunk or eliminated, etc.
But, of course, that strips context. What context? Mr Trump’s mendacity is legendary at this juncture, to such an extent that his being even close in the Presidential race is a real black eye for America.
So don’t use close reading when evaluating Mr. Trump. I’m sure some intellectuals feel close reading is their strength, but, like reading for QAnon clues about the future, just don’t. It’ll lead you astray and waste your time.
