Tonight, Donald Trump delivered what will become the new standard of presidential oratory in Cincinnati, OH. President-elect Trump thanked Ohio voters for a landslide victory in the state with a barnburner of a speech that rivaled his most animated and colorful rally speeches during the 2015-2016 campaign.
The art of the speech will never be the same.
Frequently breaking from prepared remarks, Trump attacked the dishonest media, mocked a leftist reporter who cried when Hillary lost, and reminded voters, “Folks, how many times did we hear this? ‘There is no path to two-seventy.'” Most memorably, the next President asked the audience to keep a secret: he’s nominating General James “Mad Dog” Mattis for Secretary of Defense.
For many Americans who supported Trump, this was the speech we’ve wanted to hear for more than a generation. Trump proved that he will remain the fiery, honest, politically incorrect leader that won the Republican nomination and the White House.
Some will say the President-elect did not seem presidential. They miss the fact that Trump has redefined what presidential means. People on the left will find fault in anything Trump does or says. We all know they are not honest players. But to the millions of people who wonder what kind of president Trump will be, tonight we learned: a straight-shooter who enjoys the job.
This Cincinnati speech will go down as one of the most significant speeches in American history. Not because of the content, but because of the delivery and the messenger. Academic, stilted speechifying is dead, at least for the next generation. Political speaker will have to sound sincere, authentic, risky, and pleasant. Trump has created a new standard.
That new standard also extends to content. Before his Cincinnati speech, Mr. Trump spoke to the worker at a Carrier air conditioner plant in Indiana—workers who owe their continued employment to Mr. Trump’s campaign promise. As Dilbert creator and persuasion expert Scott Adams blogged:
I’ll say this again because it’s important. We’re all watching closely to see if President Elect Trump has the skill to be president. And while you watch, Trump and Pence are pulling off one of the most skillfully executed new CEO plays you will ever see. Remember what I taught you in the past year: Facts don’t matter. What matters is how you feel. And when you watch Trump and Pence fight and scratch to keep jobs in this country, it changes how you will feel about them for their entire term. This is a big win for Trump/Pence disguised as a small win.
Fifty days before taking office, Trump is already delivering on campaign promises to the working people who elected him. He is proving himself true to his work. And the stock market is responding. All four major indexes have set all-time records on consecutive days for weeks. Everybody believes America is about to become great again.
This is going to be a transformational presidency. Pay attention. You won’t see anything like this again in your life, I don’t care if you’re two years old. You won’t see this again.