It was right at 9 p.m. eastern time, when I heard Kellyanne Conway on Fox News previewing Donald Trump’s victory speech in the New Hampshire primary, that I knew we were in for it. She said, “I think Trump will be gracious, . . . he’s been incredibly gracious to Ron DeSantis,” and at that moment the thought simply appeared in my brain: “Okay, so now he’s going to come out vomiting bile all over the front row.” Why? Because I’ve lived too long and seen too much when it comes to Trump: He’s the world’s greatest rug-puller, subverting expectations like Rian Johnson. He lives to sandbag those who attempt to speak for him in advance by blurting out some intemperate and highly public nonsense — and usually almost immediately, because when you orbit Trump’s professional or political sphere, karma usually gets you instantly. He is a chaos agent.
Minutes later I was proven correct as Trump, forever calling audibles only in his own head, went out and delivered what was a victory speech in name only and, more accurately, a protracted fulmination about the audacity and impertinence of Nikki Haley who dares to persist in her campaign against him.
[Why would we expect anything different? Conway of all people should know better. Trump was gracious to DeSantis because DeSantis endorsed him. Trump is entirely transactional. But it’s pointless to keep chewing on this point, because Trump has *always* been entirely transactional in his alliances and his rhetoric. Say nice things about Trump, he’ll praise you. Criticize him, and you immediately go to the doghouse. Voters know this, and either don’t care or respect it. So be it. — Ed]
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