There is a reason for everything Donald Trump does. Sometimes, of course, that reason is malice or anger, and in that respect he is just like the rest of us. But sometimes he makes a statement that at first glance makes you scratch your head – until you look at what he said.
One such case occurred on Tuesday during an interview with CNN in which Donald Trump made some rare praise for his predecessor Barack ObamaBut note Trump’s words:
Trump has been one of Obama’s most persistent critics, famously questioning Obama’s legitimacy by doubting that he was born in the United States. On Tuesday, he offered one of his few words of praise for Obama in an interview with CNN, but it was immediately followed by criticism.
“I like him. I think he’s a fine gentleman, but he’s been very, very weak on trade,” Trump said. “When you look at what’s happened to our country on trade, it’s been a disaster.”
“Look at Japan. Look at China,” he continued. “Look at what’s happened to some of these countries, what they’ve done.”
Trump also complimented former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“But I like him,” he added. “I respect him and I respect his wife.”
Overall, this statement is pretty much the definition of damnation with subdued praise—the only thing Trump failed to do was add a “God bless him” at the end of his remarks. However, Trump is from New York, not Texas, and that term is not commonly used in New York, at least not in that way.
While all this was happening, of course, the Obamas were vilifying Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention.
“The truth is that Donald Trump sees power only as a means to achieve his goals,” said Barack Obama. “He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would primarily benefit him and his rich friends.”
“He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedom, because it won’t affect his life,” he continued. “And most of all, Donald Trump wants us to believe that this country is hopelessly divided: between us and them. … It’s one of the oldest tricks in politics, and it’s coming from a guy whose performance – let’s face it – is pretty stale.”
This is engaging: Trump is taking the moral high ground. Are his comments designed to appease the Obamas, who Trump must have known would attack him at the convention?
See also: Republicans are “playing on people’s fears,” Obama told a party that believes democracy will die if Trump wins
Michelle Obama twists the knife: “Hope is making a comeback.” But where has it gone?
Or is Trump making an unusually subtle point? Note the disclaimer; he sharply criticizes Obama’s guidelines, while she calls him a “nice gentleman” when they speak of him as a person.
It is entirely possible to like someone personally and disagree on political issues. I have mentioned before that one of my best friends is a deep blue, urban progressive from the East Coast; we worked together on several consulting projects when I was still in the business. He is very good at the business and we made a good team, not least because we listened to each other, something you can’t always rely on in the corporate world. We have this strange Felix Unger/Oscar Madison I have been friends with him for 15 years and I respect his ability to set up and operate compliance and quality management systems, even though I disagree quite strongly on policy issues.
But honestly, I don’t think that’s what Donald Trump was trying to say here. And I don’t think he gave a pliable answer to deflect anger. We can note that Trump also referred to Obama in a similar way in 2017 during the transition, and Trump is reported to have said:appreciated” is the letter that Barack Obama left him (as is tradition) after Trump’s inauguration as president in 2017.
Trump, on the other hand, is said to have greatly appreciated Obama’s letter. When he read it on Inauguration Day, he tried to call the former president to express his gratitude, according to both a current White House official and a former Obama aide. His predecessor was traveling to California with his family and could not take the call.
And of course there is the old admonition to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.
No, I think what Trump is doing here is something he has been doing all campaign: he is toning down his tone and focusing more on policy. He doesn’t always succeed in doing that; it’s not entirely in his nature. But these comments against the backdrop of the Obamas attacking him from the Democrat’s platform? It’s an interesting contrast, and I can’t help but think it was intentional. And this statement in particular seems to have done one thing: confused the conventional mediaAnd it’s worth it, every day and even twice on Sundays.
