Question: Do you think Donald Trump has the ability to talk less in order to avoid offending fewer potential voters? Does this man have the self-discipline to simply hold his tongue instead of vomiting out the first thing that pops into his brain?
We may find out soon enough, because there’s a report out today saying that Trump plans to cut way back on his TV interviews so he can avoid the unforced errors which have now become the hallmark of his campaign.
Howard Kurtz of the Fox News program “Mediabuzz” reports:
“Trump, who has resumed his full-throated denunciations of the media—such as calling CNN the Clinton News Network—personally vetted every TV invitation for most of the campaign. Now the staff is weeding out many requests without consulting him, the sources say, which could either be viewed as a mark of professionalization or an attempt to restrain Trump from being Trump.”
Yep, Trump’s advisors are the ones who want less exposure for their candidate. But again, can they convince him to make the sacrifice and not be so damn verbally obnoxious? It seems unlikely.
Kurtz also says the campaign’s new media plan is originating from the minds of campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner. They specifically want to only see Trump booked on shows such as “Fox & Friends,” “Hannity,” and “The O’Reilly Factor.” On Fox News, the campaign knows, Trump will get softball questions and no pushback on his controversial comments.
The new strategy is also part of a larger focus on expanding Trump’s base of support among voters. Instead of having Trump defend his comments or proposals, the thinking now goes inside the Trump camp, that job should be left to spokespeople or surrogates.
No matter what happens in the weeks ahead, you can almost bet that Trump will once again step into a briarpatch with a tweet or some offhand remark he should have held back on. Does he have the will to restrain himself? That seems highly unlikely.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.