Citation de Malivriotheque
"What's the Trump-Pence strategy to win over, in the next 11 months, the persuadable voter?" I asked.
"I don't know, " Trump said. "You know what? I'll tell you what the Trump-Pence strategy is: To do a good job. That's all it is. It's very simple. It's not a-- I don't have a strategy. I do a good job."
[...]
"Okay. In a sentence, what's the job of the president? What is your job as you see it?
"I have many jobs."
I offered my standard definition. "I think it's figuring out what the next stage of good is for a majority of people in the country--"
"That's good," Trump said.
"--and then saying," I continued, "this is where we're going, and this is the plan to get there."
"Correct," Trump said. "But sometimes that road changes. You know, a lot of people are inflexible. Sometimes a road has to change, you know? You have a wall in front and you have to go around it instead of trying to go through it--it's much easier. But really the job of a president is to keep our country safe, to keep it prosperous. Okay? Prosperous is a big thing. But sometimes you have so much prosperity that people want to use that in a bad way, and you have to be careful with it."
As I listened, I was struck by the vague, directionless nature of Trump's comments. He had been president for just under three years, but couldn't seem to articulate a strategy or plan for the country. I was surprised he would go into 2020, the year he hoped to win reelection, without more clarity to his message.
"I don't know, " Trump said. "You know what? I'll tell you what the Trump-Pence strategy is: To do a good job. That's all it is. It's very simple. It's not a-- I don't have a strategy. I do a good job."
[...]
"Okay. In a sentence, what's the job of the president? What is your job as you see it?
"I have many jobs."
I offered my standard definition. "I think it's figuring out what the next stage of good is for a majority of people in the country--"
"That's good," Trump said.
"--and then saying," I continued, "this is where we're going, and this is the plan to get there."
"Correct," Trump said. "But sometimes that road changes. You know, a lot of people are inflexible. Sometimes a road has to change, you know? You have a wall in front and you have to go around it instead of trying to go through it--it's much easier. But really the job of a president is to keep our country safe, to keep it prosperous. Okay? Prosperous is a big thing. But sometimes you have so much prosperity that people want to use that in a bad way, and you have to be careful with it."
As I listened, I was struck by the vague, directionless nature of Trump's comments. He had been president for just under three years, but couldn't seem to articulate a strategy or plan for the country. I was surprised he would go into 2020, the year he hoped to win reelection, without more clarity to his message.
