One of the best definitions of Donald Trump—and he’s been called everything from a sociopath to a psychopath—is that he is like a tornado, hollow in the center, but nevertheless dangerous and destructive.
That hollowness resonated recently during his visit to Detroit, where he met with a small congregation in the hope of improving matters with Black Americans.
His team, facing a monumental remaking of him and his campaign, is now clutching for straws in a city where his rating is nearly zero.
Charles Blow, in a recent op-ed column in The New York Times, put the desperation in numbers. “Trump has no real chance in Detroit, and he knows it,” Blow wrote. “During the year’s Michigan primary, Trump got just 1,679 of the total 132,602 votes cast in the city of Detroit.”
Moreover, Blow summarized Trump’s policy and position citing him as a “chief birther against President Obama.” Blow continued, “You have maligned Mexicans and slandered Muslims. You have treated women with disdain. You have mocked the handicapped. You have displayed a staggering lack of basic knowledge about governance. You have applauded dictators. You have encouraged the assault of protesters at your rallies. You are a prime example of the worst of humanity. You are what happens when incuriosity meets intolerance.” Add racism and bigotry to the list and we have the essence of Trumpism.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was succinct in his comment, stating that Trump was a “phony.”
Many pundits believe this effort to appeal to African-American as well as Latinos—including his reassertion of deporting undocumented immigrants—will be his undoing.
Although some recent polls show him closing the gap with Clinton, the real number of importance is in the Election College, and last week The Associated Press report showed that Clinton had 269 Election College votes to Trump’s 191. She is just one vote short of the required 270.
If her numbers are maintained in several swing states, she will get even more than 270, although she may fall considerably short of a mandate.
In a related matter, the Clinton campaign has raised millions of dollars for the Democratic National Committee that will be useful for the congressional races around the country, particularly in gaining control of the Senate. An 8 percent swing is needed to retake the House.
Some issues will be settled in late September, when the first of the three debates occur, and although there is little excitement about the moderators, at least there is some semblance of diversity. Even so, the proof of the pudding is what questions will be posed to the candidates, and the extent to which Trump will implode.
Stay tuned.