In blogging about the news and Donald Trump and the intersection of the two, one must ask oneself: Is this a story or not a story? The following is almost certainly not a story, but nevertheless, in its way, it deserves to be told.
On Friday, while campaigning in Colorado, Trump, in his first appearance after Hillary Clinton’s speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, responded to chants of “lock her up” by saying, “I’ve been saying let’s just beat her on November 8. But you know what, I’m starting to agree with you.”
He continued, “You know it’s interesting. Every time I mention her, everyone screams ‘lock her up, lock her up.’ They keep screaming. And you know what I do? I’ve been nice … But after watching that performance last night—such lies—I don’t have to be so nice anymore. I’m taking the gloves off.”
Trump regularly refers to Hillary Clinton as “Crooked Hillary” on Twitter; has said that all Hillary Clinton has is “the woman’s card”; called his opponent a “world-class liar”; and, in his speech at the Republican National Convention, said Hillary Clinton’s legacy is “death, destruction, and weakness” and accused her of proposing “mass lawlessness.” (For a fuller list of things Donald Trump has said about Hillary Clinton, please consult this excellent New Yorker article, Blythe Roberson’s “Things Donald Trump Has Said About Hillary Clinton That Could Double As My Tinder Bio.”) None of which is particularly nice!
But it is nicer than what is to come, for Donald Trump has announced that he will not be nice to Hillary Clinton anymore.
Also on Friday, Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, who does indeed follow Donald Trump on Twitter, said that politics is no place for name-calling. (He was referring to President Obama implying that Trump is a demagogue and not, of course, to his running mate, Donald Trump.)
