Normally he is a very successful one: forceful in the hard-sell, fast-close way that I see in infomercials.
He looked desperate, like a salesman who needs to close a sale to meet a quota and keep his job.
I watched Trump Wednesday evening and wrote about it on Thursday. I thought his pressured speech and hard grip on the lectern, combined with wild exaggerations, blaming, self-praise and overall grandiosity, made him look like a salesman grasping at straws in a losing battle. A person receiving a hard-sell wants to think he is getting a giant bargain, almost too good to be true. The sales magic disappears if the customer senses this isn't about how great the opportunity is for the buyer, but instead how important this sale is for the seller.
College classmate Tony Farrell also watched the speech. Tony had a long career in marketing with The Nature Company, The Gap, and The Sharper Image, and in that latter context, managed the Trump Steaks account. Tony has an expert's eye on branding. Like me, Tony encountered Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in high school, so he was instantly familiar with my allusion to the characters Willy Loman and the brother, Charlie, who summed up Willy's desperation at the climax of the play. Tony lives in the Bay Area, where he has watched the careers and evolving political brands of Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom from up close.
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| Tony Farrell and his daughter |
Guest Post by Tony Farrell
“A terrible thing is happening to him, so attention must be paid.”So said Mrs. Loman. Having viewed Trump’s address to the nation Wednesday evening, I agree with Peter’s impression: Like Willie Loman, Trump “knows he has a spot on his hat.”Sure, the “tell” Peter recognized as a salesman's desperation could be Trump trying, for once, to follow the advice of handlers: Speak directly and powerfully (no weaving); look energetic (no dozing); stay on message (stare down the TelePrompTer); and, for God’s sake, keep it short (this is not a rally crowd)…so, rush if you must!Even if so, Trump trying to follow such advice signals a crack in self-confidence. Biden? A distant, fading foil. Recent elections? All the Democrats’ way. Indiana’s GOP? Openly defiant. Epstein? Fiasco. Polls? Terrible. Prices? Too high for his base. ICE? Radically unpopular. The duck is lame with no one to blame.Trump is flailing because, to quote Charlie Loman again:The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.Practically nothing Trump proclaimed in his speech was credible, so few are buying the fictions wrapped in tiresome verbal tics: “like never seen before” and “in the history of our country” and “than any administration in history” and “never been anything like it” and “levels never seen before” and “more than anyone could have imagined” and “nobody can believe what’s going on.” (Okay, the last one is true.) Laughable claims that he’s “bringing, for the first time in 3,000 years, peace to the Middle East.” An election “landslide” of 1.5 percent margin?Unlike Peter, I was never a salesman; mercifully, I was always a buyer. But a great salesman is a wonder; I loved them. They listen. They make you comfortable when you have to say “no,” making you feel comfortable when they call again. They convey calming assurance they will be there when you need them. They never over-promise; they always deliver. They have your back. You trust them.Trump’s 2024 campaign promises have proven fraudulent (except the border; definitely quiet now and he can boast). But Trump’s not taking well his obvious failures to deliver. Losing the salesman’s confident touch. He’s not listening. He can’t deliver. Has excuses no one wants to hear, and no credible ones. Reality cannot be promised away. His assurances ring hollow. Trump won’t deliver midterm victories to his acolytes; he won’t bring economic relief to “ordinary Americans.”What did The Hollies sing? “He’s King Midas with a curse; he’s King Midas in reverse.” How ironic, if that’s what Trump is becoming, and it shows -- and tells.
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10 comments:
Geez. He's got 3 more years to flip out. What will he be like next year? Or the year after? Or the last year? Kind of scary. I wonder that if some point Vance takes over because he must. Deranged?
All the emphasis (here and elsewhere) on Trump’s fierce attempt to keep the ruse going, reminded me of Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves To Death. His major premise is that the format of digital media has diminished our capacity for critical thinking and thoughtful discourse. We mistake entertainment for substance, which leads to trivializing the most important things. Good competent governance is kind of boring if you think about it, and he promised it to be exciting. “Move fast and break things” may have been okay for young tech entrepreneurs (actually not really) but we sure see the fruit of Trumps kind now.
A lot of us are hoping midterms will change the balance and congress can do its job of reining him in.
Just wondering whom the Democrats might run who is better than Trump or Vance or Rubio or DeSantis. I haven't seen them yet. Trump is Snow White, and the Democrats are the Seven Dwarfs. Trump may suck, but your guy sucks more.
Naner naner. Thanks for elevating the discourse!
All true and well said, however it presumes cognitive competence, and I increasingly see decline, leading to...what?...More dependence on those around him to maintain the ruse, and then, inevitably, betrayal. Ironically, the man who cherished loyalty above all else has failed to see the apostates on all sides.
Perhaps more newsworthy, though not all that shocking, is the continued defiance of the DOJ to release the Epstein material. I maintain the political damage is still preferable to revealing the truth. Cynics may snicker, but this is still the scandal of the century, and now all those in Congress are implicated by their insincere and toothless vote.
A recent North Carolina rally was so poorly attended, merchandise people folded up early. The 8 year salesmen of such events said it used to be like a tailgate party before a big football game, but not anymore. That is the salesman failing. He claimed it was overflowing attendance.
Fact checking the Donald is now a Major Sport.
In the interest of furthering this discourse, I think its fair to mention Gavin Newsome as an example of a Democrat alternative to Trump. I recently heard over an hour of his ramblings on Ezra Kleins podcast and was really impressed by his grasp of reality. He did sound a bit amped up but he made his points clearly and even corrected some of his mis-speaks. Am I the only one brave enough to suggest he's a million times better than anyone else out there?
It's a long time between now and the next presidential election. Newsome may be the favorite today for the Democrats, but there are others out there thinking of running. It's just too soon to announce or hint of anything. Right now just wait and watch Trump disintegrate.
He's certainly a million times better than any supporters of the demented madman who tried to overturn an election he didn't like the results of, and promised to lower prices on day one.
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