President Trump will take the podium Tuesday night with a rally in Phoenix that has critics outraged and even some of his allies on edge. The administration can ill afford a mishap right now.
Last week ranked among the most tense of Trump’s entire presidency. His unforced errors in responding to the bigotry and tragedy in Charlottesville so delighted his detractors, the media even managed to put the Russia collusion conspiracy on hold.
{mosads}The main anti-Trump theme quickly shifted to allegations of the president’s sympathy for white nationalism and sweeping accusations of GOP racism. Unfair as these charges are, they were damaging. The president needs to change the narrative right away.
This urgency is the backdrop for a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center surrounded with hostile protests that could quickly escalate. There are risks to be sure. But by forging forward, Trump is making the right call. He cannot wallow in the missed opportunities of last week, and he can’t allow noisy and irresponsible factions to dictate his schedule now.
Yes, the conventional wisdom may suggest a more cautious approach. Politically speaking, for the next week or so the play-it-safe option for Trump would be to lay low, tweet less, and avoid any major mistakes. But that’s not for Trump. He doesn’t want to stay on defense or sit out a few plays. He is looking to upend the political playbook, and he should. Say what you will about his message discipline, Trump can be masterful at changing the headlines.
Of course Trump is being criticized for this decision. But it’s not as though the current frenzied, hyperbolic accusations of white supremacy would stop if Trump canceled the Phoenix rally. On the contrary, any apology or concession Trump makes to the other side is met with hisses and louder condemnations. This president can never denounce racism enough to satisfy the anti-Trump chorus. He tried twice after Charlottesville. Now it’s time to move on.
That said, Trump is clearly aware of the national mood. Part of the opening of his Afghanistan policy address Monday night — “We can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation” — was a nod to the heightened tensions of the moment. By pointing to the courage and cohesion of our fighting men and women, the commander-in-chief was making an effort to cool things down.
At a time when the political rhetoric has led people to plant a bomb on a Confederate statue and cancel a civil war reenactment at Manassas for “safety concerns,” the wisdom of appealing to our better angels is obvious.
It is also likely that Trump will not be the only newsmaker in Phoenix. Americans will once again be treated to the spectacle of myriad activist groups that oppose Trump.
The so-called Antifa will reportedly be there. They’ll be easy to pick out of the crowd, clad in black from head to toe, faces covered, anti-cop chants shouted and anarchist paraphernalia at the ready. Leave it to the far left to think that wearing black uniforms and punching strangers for their politics is an effective way to protest “fascism.”
Illegal immigrant advocacy groups are also expected to attend. Whether Trump says a word about them or not, their presence will serve as a reminder that the Democratic party has openly embraced lawlessness on immigration.
Add to this the wild card of a possible Sherriff Joe Arpaio pardon, and Phoenix is a combustible mix on the immigration front. But where others see looming chaos, this president sees opportunity.
Trump must keep pushing forward. He isn’t going to become a wordsmith worthy of the New Yorker anytime soon, and he doesn’t care. If he can remind his base that what worries Democrats most is not his verbal infelicity, but the successful implementation of his agenda, then he can start shift the momentum to his side of the political aisle.
Endurance and energy are his best allies right now. He needs to change the story, and get on message. Phoenix will give him that chance. We will see if he capitalizes on it.
Buck Sexton is a political commentator, national security analyst and host of the nationally syndicated radio program, “Buck Sexton with America Now.” He is a former CIA officer in the Counterterrorism Center, appears frequently on Fox News Channel and CNN and has been a guest radio show host for Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Follow Buck on Twitter @BuckSexton.
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