What did I say? Well gee, CNN has finally figured it out.
On Friday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser had a massive mural reading "Black Lives Matter" in block yellow lettering painted on 16th Street near the White House. The next day, activists painted another message -- in that exact same yellow lettering -- on the same street. It read: "Defund the Police."
www.cnn.com
These selfish pols are trying to gain local political advantage while sacrificing the national outlook for democrats.
And you can see Trump already trying to tie this to Biden who, AFAIK, hasn't spoken up on it yet. I think he needs to do so
right now. He needs to say he supports reform of law enforcement, not getting rid of it.
Trump is holding a law enforcement roundtable today. No press allowed.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-law-e...family-1509288
I imagine it'll go something like:
Trump: "How do you guys feel about this 'Defund the Police' stuff they're yelling about?"
Police: "We hate it. Terrible idea"
Trump: You're still endorsing me in November, right
Police: As long as you don't defund us
Trump: "OK...good meeting. Let's have lunch."
The White House is even considering having Trump deliver a speech on "race and unity". Trump is frantically rushing to the front of the parade in hopes it looks like he's leading it...but without pissing off his base. I don't think he can pull that off convincingly.
This will go down one of two ways
If his handlers can convince him that he needs to appear conciliatory in order to improve his election chances then Trump will read a very boring speech in a very bored robotic voice. That speech will say that we all need to come together as a country, that black and blue lives matter, that what happened to George Floyd was an aberration and should never happen again, and include a couple of MLK quotes.
The racists and bigots in his base will realize that it was all an act, those members of his base who don't like to be called racist will clutch onto it as proof that they and Trump aren't actually racist (he mentioned MLK so he can't be racist). And an hour later Trump will tweet something that completely contradicts everything he just said.
If he starts ad libbing and appears with his underpants on his head, then it will be a rant about the evil Democrats, the terrorist Antifa, and how the police need to quit being so nice. Sprinkled with statements that he is the least racist president ever, and how good the blacks have it under his administration, and that the Democrats are the true racists.
Trump - "I would say more but my staff said something about how my speech was supposed to have fourteen words in it for some reason."
But, I do agree with the article that you linked that this is a calculated risk