Trump on the Stump

No way, of course, will Trump put up with an online debate. That way, someone can just press a switch and turn him off. So he insists on the ‘Town Hall’ format, just him and a moderator, and some questions from the public. So it all depends on the quality of the moderator, and recent experience suggests we shouldn’t be too hopeful. But Savannah Guthrie is a revelation. Smart, polite, cheerful, she stays completely focussed. Puts up with rambling, blustering, toe-curling attempts at charm and condescension, but completely in charge of her brief. She knows which bits of evidence contradict Trump’s most recent lie, she knows which parts of his record don’t match the ludicrous claim he’s made. They range over a huge spectrum of topics, but on every one she knows more than he doe, and won’t let him get away with rubbish. “You’re not someone’s made uncle, you’re the president of the United States” is probably the highlight, but it’s not alone. To my amazement, it actually was worth sitting through the whole hour to savour the experience of intellignce at work. If you haven’t got the stomach for that, I’ve provided a snappy summary in rhyming couplets - When the Donald Met Savannah, in my Poems from the News, also situated on this website.