The Morning Briefing: Seeing a Trump Speech In Person Was Just What the Doctor Ordered

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Friday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The Sine Qua Non Sequitur is experiencing a bout of tech support-induced dyspepsia.

Let's keep the Briefing brief today, so that we can all get to seizing the weekend with gusto.

In this environment, writing about politics all of the time can put one in a mood, as many of you have no doubt noticed in a lot of my stuff lately. Hey, I'm human, at least according to my birth certificate. I've really been irritated since the most biased presidential debate in history the other night.

We started to get a little relief in the way of good news yesterday. This is from something Matt wrote:

A Reuters focus group showed that six out of ten undecided voters leaned toward Trump afterward, while only three moved toward Harris. Additionally, The New York Times noted that undecided voters were not impressed with Harris’s lack of specific plans. Fox News also had a dial-monitor focus group conducted by pollster Lee Carter, revealing that independent voters strongly aligned with Republicans on key issues, particularly regarding the economy and immigration. Their reactions to Harris's attacks on Trump were similarly negative and tracked closely with those of the Republicans.

Over at Townhall, my friend and colleague Matt Vespa writes that things are looking up in Michigan for Trump.

It's nice to see that Coastal Media Bubble™ post-debate swooning over Kamala Harris may not be trickling down to regular American voters. That perked me up a little.

The universe was working in my favor this week, and Trump's first scheduled speech after the debate was here in Tucson, my hometown and the bluest city in Arizona.

So I wore pants and left the house.

I hadn't seen Trump in person since 2017, shortly after he was elected, and I was overdue.

Here are some impressions.

When I arrived, it was already 100 degrees and the general admission line went on for blocks and blocks. There were a lot of younger people in it. Trust me, Gen Z was well represented and festooned in MAGA gear. I didn't linger and talk to many of them because I was in a hurry to get my media credentials and get inside to enjoy the modern miracle that is air conditioning.

Because we're on the side that embraces capitalism, one couldn't walk more than 25 feet without bumping into someone selling MAGA hats and shirts.

Inside the venue, the Trump volunteers were a well-oiled machine. They were registering people to vote and signing up people to be poll watchers. Because times have changed, they were also helping people to request mail-in ballots. A lot of young people had "Trump Force 47" hats in addition to the hats they wore to the event, which meant that they had just signed up to be neighborhood volunteers.

There were two reserved media sections, one downstairs and one in the balcony. I opted to sit with the regular folks, preferring not to get cooties from the MSM people there.

Because it wasn't a big rally, we were spared a parade of undercard guest speakers. Trump was on time, but would have been worth the wait.

He was relaxed, energetic, and very upbeat.

Not surprisingly, he had a lot to get out of his system about the debate. He kept talking about David Muir and Linsey Davis, sometimes harshly, sometimes humorously. After saying that he used to like Muir, he followed it up by saying that he wouldn't watch him anymore and that his hair "isn't as great as it used to be."

Here was a big crowd pleaser regarding the debate:

Trump: "They said I was angry at the debate. Yes, I am angry because they let 21 million people into the country who shouldn't be here." Standing -O. #MAGA
— SFK (@stephenkruiser) September 12, 2024

Two of his biggest standing ovations came when he mentioned the "largest mass deportation in history" and keeping "critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools."

Those were some of his serious hits, but there was plenty of trademark Trump off-the-cuff joking.

One of my least favorite false refrains from the Democrats about Trump is that his speeches are "dark." That's a fiction they can sell to their low-info base because none of them have ever seen a Trump speech. He spoke for around 90 minutes yesterday and much of it was very lighthearted. Trump obviously loves his supporters — perhaps more than any politician I've ever seen — and he does know how to work a crowd. The mood was light, and usually is when he speaks.

Personally, it was encouraging to see the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, especially the younger people. Again, this is a very blue city and that was a surprise.

Yeah, I'll still be a bit of a curmudgeon between now and the election, but I'll be a fun curmudgeon.

Don't expect me to wear pants too often, though; I still think they're the devil.

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The Mailbag of Magnificence contributions can be sent to [email protected].

The Mailbag of Magnificence

I will soon be nuking the current Mailbag email and announcing a new one. I mentioned a while back that there is an overwhelming spam problem that I have no control over. The fresh start should help revive the frequency of our Mailbag interactions.

Here's a one-and-done for today from Jim:

Kruiser

I didn’t have the stomach to watch the debate, so I periodically checked in on your coverage.

Thank you for saving both my stomach and my liver. I was thinking how less than 20 years ago, the Democrats thought Dick Cheney was a cross between Hitler and the Devil and Trump was their rich friend.

Today, Trump is a cross between Hitler and the Devil and Dick Chaney is a respected leader.

At least their values haven’t changed.

What do you suppose changed?

Well, Jim, one thing that has changed is that the Cheneys are now Democrats. They're using the code description "Principled Republicans," but they're Dems.

As for the Democrats themselves, they are rather values-free. However, they're consistent. Any Republican who is a current electoral threat to them is Hitler. They never mix it up and make the nemesis Mao or Stalin. A Republican Pol Pot would be really refreshing.

Thanks for the note, Jim. And let's hope the Mailbag will soon make a roaring return.

Everything Isn't Awful

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— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) September 12, 2024

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