Donald Trump: The Indomitable Candidate

Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 16 August 2016
by Anna Giulia Fink (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by William Hochstettler. Edited by Melanie Rehfuss.
Trump fails whenever he tries to focus on topics instead of just polemics.

Donald Trump's bad mood is exemplified by many things: by the worsening poll numbers; by the foot that finds his mouth with ever greater accuracy; or by the steadily growing numbers of critics in his own party who are no longer willing to support an erratic candidate who apparently can not be controlled.

The plight became even more obvious when Trump tried to minimize the damage. Even being on his best behavior during his foreign policy speech on Monday, when he actually read what the teleprompter showed him, was not enough to repair his stricken campaign. Rather, it demonstrated that Trump even fails whenever he tries to focus on topics instead of mere polemics.

Trump's most recent collection of muddled thoughts reveals two things: his obsession with banning Muslims from the United States, and the fact that he lacks solutions to concrete problems. In fact, he spent the first half of his speech blaming Barack Obama for the rise of the Islamic State. He used the second half of his speech to imitate the same person's strategy against the Islamic State group. He would fight them militarily, ideologically, and financially alongside international partners. Parts of Trump's speech were unoriginal, and parts were inflammatory as usual, but overall it spoke once more to his political ignorance.


Trump versagt auch dann, wenn er versucht auf Themen statt nur auf Polemik zu setzen

Donald Trumps schlechter Lauf lässt sich an vielem festmachen: an den sich verschlechternden Umfragewerten, an den Fettnäpfchen, die er mit immer größerer Treffsicherheit ansteuert, oder aber an der stetig wachsenden Zahl der innerparteilichen Kritiker, die nicht mehr gewillt sind, einen erratischen Kandidaten zu unterstützen, der sich augenscheinlich nicht bändigen lässt.

Die Misere offenbarte sich neuerdings aber ausgerechnet, als Trump versuchte, den Schaden kleinzuhalten. Dass er am Montag bei seiner außenpolitischen Rede tatsächlich artig vorlas, was der Teleprompter vorgab, taugte nicht dazu, den angeschlagenen Wahlkampf zu reparieren. Viel eher zeigte sich, dass Trump auch dann versagt, wenn er versucht auf Themen statt nur auf Polemik zu setzen.

Trumps jüngste Ansammlung konfuser Gedanken offenbarte zwei Dinge: die Besessenheit, mit der er Muslime aus den USA verbannen möchte; und dass er, wenn es konkret wird, Lösungen schuldig bleibt. Zwar verbrachte er die erste Hälfte seiner Rede damit, Barack Obama für das Aufkommen des "Islamischen Staats" verantwortlich zu machen. Die zweite nützte er dann aber dafür, um genau dessen Strategie gegen den IS zu kopieren: Er wolle diesen militärisch, ideologisch und finanziell bekämpfen, mit internationalen Partnern. Streckenweise war Trumps Rede unoriginell, teilweise gewohnt hetzerisch, insgesamt aber zeugte sie einmal mehr von seiner politischen Ahnungslosigkeit.
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