Did you notice how pitch-perfect and appropriate Trump was in Las Vegas?

[misanthrope]

None of the gaffes or glaring narcissism. What he said was respectful in word and tone. His behavior was what one would expect.

It stood in utterly drastic contrast to the way he behaved in Puerto Rico the previous day. It also makes things all the more appalling.

Why? Because it shows a capability to control his behavior. It means the logorrhea, the outbursts of ugliness and bigotry and selfishness aren't due to a lack of impulse control. This means he can indeed discern the difference himself.

We saw it on Monday when he tweeted his condolences for the Las Vegas victims in the early morning then abstained from the medium for the rest of the day. There were no easy shots at his political opponents, no attempts to goad or outrage. Just nothing.

Why the difference? Why now? Why with this?

Because Trump sees Las Vegas as "his kind of town." This violence strikes at his essence.

Most importantly, the shooter took aim at legions of country music fans, the exact demographic perceived as Trump's base. "His people" were emotionally raw. Were he to exploit their tragedy for political points, for jibes and jabs at enemies and easy targets, then they would take note and he would lose traction with them.

Instead, we get a Trump that sounds like we expect a President to sound, using words that sounded compassionate, saddened and sympathetic. It shows he indeed has the capacity but he only saves it for certain citizens.

It also reveals him to be more duplicitous and malevolent than we ever dreamed. It unveils the monster at the helm.

[Not Ruth]

1. I have not listened to Trump speak one word since the election

What is the point?

[pansypoo53219]

2. he had to PERFORM for the USA fans. country + vegas.

the MONEY.

[Demtexan]

3. I noticed that.

He thinks they are republicans.

Also a good photo op.

He is evil.

[bdamomma]

22. it was all for show.

it was a quick turnaround from his horrible display in Puerto Rico, throwing out paper towels. He is a fucking racist, period. He is still a jerk and very disconnected from everything.

[2naSalit]

54. I noticed that...

the Sheriff was looking pretty disgusted at having to be a prop in the whole shitshow.. his looks at the back of shitgibon's head are truly telling.

[Achilleaze]

4. No meaningless goofy golf trophy

No stinking stupid, insulting paper towel fun-time festival.

No public demeaning of any of the women, or the values embodied in local culture.

LV is not PR. LV is the kind of town that suits a casino hustler with a long track record of bankruptcies, and a horde of accusations by small businesses that he cheated them.

In addition to everything thing else, the ignoble, republican "family values" role model Comrade Casino* is a calculating cuss.

* republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

[SergeStorms]

6. +2745

Odd number of recommendations , I know, but our "president" is about as odd as they come.

YOUR take on Trump's behavior, however, is spot on.

[misanthrope]

45. +1

*

[vlyons]

5. Kelly must have read him the riot act

One would think that some decent person would step up and tell Trump to his face that his performance in PR did not look so hot. Because performance is all it is. You may have thought that Trump was pitch perfect in Vegas, but it reeked of insincerity to my ears.

[Scarsdale]

17. I watched and listened.

Then I turned to my son and said "I wonder what medications they have him on?" His speech was slow, deliberate as though he had to think carefully before reading the speech someone wrote for him. Is THIS why Maleria has go go with him on every trip now, to regulate his meds? Also, I read that Kelly wanted to go along, but he was left behind.

[Grammy23]

31. My theory is that for certain venues they sprinkle Thorazine on his wheaties.

They just tell him it’s his “special” sugar.

Just kidding, of course, but perhaps there is a grain of truth to this. He does appear more docile, even subdued, from time to time. His handlers knew he had to behave in LV and didn’t want to chance it that he’d stray from the script or make an inappropriate ad lib.

[misanthrope]

42. I didn't say "sincere"

Just that he stayed on script and actually sounded vaguely somber in his tone.

[Amimnoch]

7. It made total sense.

Puerto Rico - With the exception of the rich neighborhood he spent a couple hours making a show in, doesn't matter to him, or his base. Many of his base and "approved" news sources have made it clear they don't even consider them "actual" Americans.

Nevada - Attack happened in a venue that rings personal to a larger portion to his fan base (Country Music). Likely had more of his supporters in that venue that his supporters can relate to. If it had been a U2 (or some liberal performer) concert, or any other liberal group it would have much less support from him or his base. If it had been any kind of minority cultural music with the victims being mostly minority, it would have much less support from him or his base.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. His base has been mostly quiet about P.R. except to blame the victims and the mayor.

No good stories there.

In fact, they have been mostly quiet about tRump for a while. They are hanging in there, still approving, but a lot of them are not too happy about it.

[SergeStorms]

8. I trust in our DU members....

who have a much stronger constitution than my own, to actually watch and listen to the Orange Menace. Your reporting of his words and demeanor is greatly appreciated. Without you, my DU brothers and sisters, I would have no idea what the Moron-in Chief is saying in order to bullshit Americans into thinking he's "on the job".

You all deserve my respect and admiration. Thank you!

[JI7]

9. I think he was disappointed the shooter was not some minority

If they were muslim or Latino he would be talking about needing the ban or the wall.

If they were black be would blame black athletes who kneeled.

[Amimnoch]

12. We'd have a modern day Reichstag Fire on our hands.

I've no doubt that we'd have the largest political exploitation of a tragedy since 1933 on our hands if the shooter had been anything other than what he was racially, culturally, and faith-wise.

Hell, there's still RW talking heads shilling the "he was ISIS" false meme to try to drive a different narrative.

[misanthrope]

40. Don't you mean another 9/11?

Because that was certainly a tragedy exploited to the utmost.

[Amimnoch]

49. No, I don't think it'd be the same.

9/11 was most certainly exploited by the shrub. I offer no argument about that.

I'm pretty sure this orange baboon would take exploitation to a much lower depth. Shrub at lease remained within the confines of the powers the office affords him.

I've a feeling rumpus would power grab like crazy and damned with what laws, or courts say. He'd make the Patriot act look like child's play. I could see him enacting something that would really lock down on opposing viewpoints including suspending right of habeas corpus, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right of free association and public assembly.

[bdamomma]

23. the shooter had money too.

I don't know there could be more to this story. Unless the guy lost all of his money, but he was a coward he killed himself.

[Fritz Walter]

11. It's called pandering

And *45 is quite skilled at it.

[politicaljunkie41910]

46. Exactly. He was sucking up to the police to which he has had lots of

practice. This is not meant to disparage the Las Vegas Police in any way, it's just that Trump has been lot of experience since he announced his candidacy sucking up to police departments wherever he goes, so he happens to be quite good at it. Consoling hurricane victims, not so much. Poor brown and people, none at all. He doesn't have any experience being empathetic to those people and chances are he's too old to change. So lets just get rid of him as fast as we can. Meuller are you listening.

[wishstar]

13. Absolutely correct analysis of his deliberate malignancy

He is worse than just a mean vindictive unhinged loose cannon because he (assisted by his policymaker and speech writer Stephen Miller) is maliciously calculating and manipulative depending on situation and how he thinks his behavior will appeal to his base. He showed respect and constraint in Las Vegas because he wasn't object of criticism and believes the victims represent his uncritical adoring supporters. He didn't hesitate to insult the mayor and people of Puerto Rico after he faced criticism over the disaster since he knew his deplorable behavior blaming Puerto Ricans would strike a chord of approval with his base and deflect any criticism against him.

[misanthrope]

38. Precisely

An even more sociopathic P.T. Barnum.

[TheCowsCameHome]

14. Fake remarks from a fake president.

[Vinca]

15. I just figured they managed to get his medication down his throat. LOL.

[Merlot]

37. Medication doesn't work on personality disorders

In fact, it can make them worse.

[hatrack]

16. No, because I hit the mute button whenever he speaks

I'll read a transcript, or a tweet, but otherwise FUCK HIM.

[AllyCat]

18. The narcissist I grew up with could control it when guests were over

We loved it when there were parties because she was nice to us for a few hours. They were usually folks wealthier than us she wanted to schmooze. It's controllable when they want to do it. And as you point out, THEY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

[Zoonart]

27. I agree...

their genius is in knowing what buttons to push and when. The only difference is that some are more highly intelligent than others, like any other psychological subset of the population, and some are better actors.

[smirkymonkey]

29. Sounds like we grew up with the same mother.

It was so sickening to see them change like that to impress others and then snap back to their cruel, abusive selves when the guests left. I think that's why he triggers me so much. He's so phony. He can put on a show when he needs to, but his baseline is just being a vindictive, small-minded prick.

[spanone]

19. proof he couldn't give a shit about Puerto Ricans

[bdamomma]

26. of course he hates

brown people, you can see how he drips of racism. He learned that from his daddy.

[randr]

20. He was shooting a campaign ad

[Duppers]

21. Wasn't that speech written for him?

And I think he was warned not to go off medsage by someone.

[Wounded Bear]

24. Actually, I thought he was stilted and contrived...

Perhaps better than usual since he's had some practice, and they probably upped his meds before he took the podium.

I consider it a problem if he learns to fake sincerity well.

[3catwoman3]

32. "I consider it a problem if he learns to fake sincerity well."

Probably not too much risk of that.

[cwydro]

25. Nope.

I've seen nothing he's done that seems "presidential".

[RussBLib]

28. It sounded stilted and forced

And it made my skin crawl. He can't even fake sincerity.

[haveahart]

30. Exactly. Like his handlers told him do it this way or else! Don't F this up!

[NastyRiffraff]

33. He always sounds stilted when reading from a teleprompter

He clearly doesn't believe what he's reading. He only gets animated when he's sneering and mocking people.

[Beringia]

44. Exactly

You know it is him when he is more animated.

[Ilsa]

56. His tone of voice has that depressing

Meter to it. I bet that is the exact voice he has used for decades because he can't feel real empathy. It was his fake empathy voice.

[bigtree]

34. of course he was reading

...something someone else wrote for him.

[NCDem47]

35. I'm glad you posted this because I was thinking the same thing!

Seriously, it was SO obvious his disdain for Puerto Ricans and his "respect" for those in LV.

Brown = hate, white = love.

It was clear he was on a short leash in LV, but left to riff in PR. As others have said, pandering to his base.

IT IS BECOMING SO PREDICTABLE NOW!! You could have scripted this outcome on Monday.

[hexola]

36. Lame attempt - he thinks he's Ronald Regan....

Yeah - it wasn't the typical garbage - but it was still pretty damn phony.

[MyOwnPeace]

50. All the more reason......

to be thrown off by his behavior.
It "may have been" more appropriate for the occasion, but, by GAWD, we know it was not HIS typical behavior.

He's a fraud - and has a crew that are pulling the strings on the puppet to make it "seem" like leadership.

[Yavin4]

39. He's the president of a certain class of White people and no one else.

That's why his popularity with them stays so strong no matter what he says or does or how incompetent he is.

[Sunlei]

41. he's had years of experience reading lines (someone wrote for him) off a monitor.

[misanthrope]

43. Although he typically sounds more flat

and veers into improvised sections that get him in trouble.

[cwydro]

47. Nope.

[raven mad]

48. Finally back on his meds?

[samnsara]

51. any child could have read what he did...but it did show hes..

..capable of hiding his hate very well

[Angry Dragon]

52. SATAN

[Eliot Rosewater]

53. No, this is what I saw and it is what I see every time he talks

&t=4s

[NastyRiffraff]

58. You know what? That looks perfectly credible

I know it's fake, but it looks very real.

[doc03]

55. It was obviously written by someone else, I don't for a minute

think he has any god but money and Donald Trump. Besides that he read it like a 3rd grader.

[ThoughtCriminal]

57. He did not throw rolls of paper towels to the victims

The bar is inches above the center of Earth's core.