Trump 2020 Is Just Trump 2016 All Over Again

Tonight, our large adult president launched his 2020 campaign in Orlando, FL, to a large, enthusiastic crowd. In his speech, he hit on many of his favorite topics: building the wall, lying about abortion, and fear-mongering about Democrats.

But if his first campaign appearance proved anything, it’s that his basic message has changed little since 2016. For example, Trump is NOT over his obsession with Hillary Clinton, his former competitor. He discussed Clinton for an astonishingly large portion of the speech, and brought up old tropes like investigating the former secretary of state’s emails.

Apparently “acid washing” emails is very expensive! Who knew! (Trump thinks that because Clinton’s tech team used a program called BleachBit to erase data, she must have done something with actual acid.)

He also reminisced about Clinton’s use of the word “deplorables” to describe Trump fans and the PR boost it gave his 2016 campaign.

On one level, it’s hard to understand how these people can still get so worked up in response to these tired talking points. But if you think about it a little more, it makes sense. Bonding, humor, and loyalty are all based on repetition. Trump knows his crowd loves the hits, and so he’s going to play them for as long as he can.

Perhaps Trump’s greatest hit of all is his immigration rhetoric. It’s how he launched his unexpected campaign in 2016, and it’s still what most resonates with his fearful, racist supporters today. So, one day after he promised mass immigration raids, Trump hyped up his fans about his new plans.

“Wait until you see some of the things you are going to be hearing about over the next few months,” Trump promised, ominously.

Putting aside the theatrics and absurdity of MAGA crowds and Trump’s entertainment, these polices are the real concern. As the 2020 race heats up, Trump will play more and more to the basest desires of his fans. And that means more suffering for those who come to our country to seek safety and a decent life.