Trump Returns to the Script in Las Vegas
âMany families tonight will go to bed in a world that is suddenly empty â  Trump  said. âThe people they so dearly love were torn away from them forever. Our souls are stricken with grief for every American who lost a husband or a wife  a mother or a father  a son or a daughter. We know that your sorrow feels endless. we stand together to help you carry your pain. You are not alone. We will never leave your side.â
 Trump  spoke at length about the bravery of police officers who worked to stop alleged shooter Stephen Paddock and to save others at the concert.
Though  Trump  remains stiff in this mode  and appears to prefer speaking off-the-cuff  these were among his best moments of speaking as president. It is true that he has lowered the bar with frequent  cringeworthy comments  but his speech at Vegas stuck narrowly to unifying themes and a goal of consoling the nation. Communicating this kind of empathy is a task that has often eluded  Trump   whether after violence in Charlottesville or in the wake of natural disasters.
This was particularly apparent in  Trumpâs  disastrous appearance in Puerto Rico on Tuesday  where he appeared more interested in celebrating himself  downplayed the scope of Hurricane Maria  underestimated the death toll  and delivered a boastful digression about the F-35. Later  he was photographed tossing paper towels into a crowd at an aid-distribution center.
The idea that  Trump  can âbecome presidentialâ has become a deservedly mocked clichÃ© of presidential punditry. But as in other situations  there is and will be no  Trump  pivot. He is not obviously growing into the role of president  as many Republicans and pundits optimistically hoped he would.  Trump  is  Trump . The difference is simply whether he sticks to prepared remarks or prospects into murkier territory. The key Wednesday was that for  Trump   what happened in Vegas stayed on script. When  Trump  stays on script   his  remarks tend to go smoothly  even if  he  does not reach for the soaring oratory of a Reagan  Clinton  or Obama. When  he  goes off script or works without a script  it can get turbulent. (Earlier in the day   he  said at the Las Vegas police department  âIt could have been a whole lot worse â which is both true and a little tone-deaf  given the scale of death.)
Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that Trumpâs smooth and poised reaction in Vegas came the day after the mess in Puerto Rico.  The president  has established a loose pattern  on display after Charlottesville in particular  in which  his  more disciplined appearances are followed by improvised  sometimes sloppy ones  and vice versa.
âWe struggle for the words to explain to our children how such evil can exist  how there can be such cruelty and such suffering â Trump said Wednesday. âBut we cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us or the violence that incites such terror. We are defined by our love  our caring  and courage.â Trump himself often struggles for the right words  but in Las Vegas   he  found them by emphasizing love and caring.
âMany families tonight will go to bed in a world that is suddenly empty â   [TGT] said. âThe people they so dearly love were torn away from them forever. Our souls are stricken with grief for every American who lost a husband or a wife  a mother or a father  a son or a daughter. We know that your sorrow feels endless. we stand together to help you carry your pain. You are not alone. We will never leave your side.â
  [TGT] spoke at length about the bravery of police officers who worked to stop alleged shooter Stephen Paddock and to save others at the concert.
Though   [TGT]   remains stiff in this mode  and appears to prefer speaking off-the-cuff  these were among  [TGT]  best moments of speaking as president. It is true that  [TGT]  has lowered the bar with frequent  cringeworthy comments  but  [TGT]  speech at Vegas stuck narrowly to unifying themes and a goal of consoling the nation. Communicating this kind of empathy is a task that has often eluded   [TGT] whether after violence in Charlottesville or in the wake of natural disasters.
This was particularly apparent in  Trumpâs  disastrous appearance in Puerto Rico on Tuesday  where he appeared more interested in celebrating himself  downplayed the scope of Hurricane Maria  underestimated the death toll  and delivered a boastful digression about the F-35. Later  he was photographed tossing paper towels into a crowd at an aid-distribution center.
The idea that   [TGT] can âbecome presidentialâ has become a deservedly mocked clichÃ© of presidential punditry. But as in other situations  there is and will be no   [TGT]   pivot.  [TGT]  is not obviously growing into the role of president  as many Republicans and pundits optimistically hoped  [TGT]  would.   [TGT] is   [TGT]  . The difference is simply whether  [TGT]  sticks to prepared remarks or prospects into murkier territory. The key Wednesday was that for  Trump   what happened in Vegas stayed on script. When   [TGT]   stays on script    [TGT]   remarks tend to go smoothly  even if   [TGT]   does not reach for the soaring oratory of a Reagan  Clinton  or Obama. When  he  goes off script or works without a script  it can get turbulent. (Earlier in the day   he  said at the Las Vegas police department  âIt could have been a whole lot worse â which is both true and a little tone-deaf  given the scale of death.)
Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that Trumpâs smooth and poised reaction in Vegas came the day after the mess in Puerto Rico.  The president  has established a loose pattern  on display after Charlottesville in particular  in which  his  more disciplined appearances are followed by improvised  sometimes sloppy ones  and vice versa.
âWe struggle for the words to explain to our children how such evil can exist  how there can be such cruelty and such suffering â  [TGT]  said Wednesday. âBut we cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us or the violence that incites such terror. We are defined by our love  our caring  and  [TGT]  often struggles for the right words  but in Las Vegas    [TGT]   found them by emphasizing love and caring.