No matter what the count of first place finishes ends up being, Donald Trump had a good evening. (Though not as great as some prognosticators had forecast.) When he took the stage in Florida to deliver his victory speech / press conference it followed rampant speculation on social media as to why he was summoning the press at such a time. Would it be to announce a new endorsement from Rick Scott? Would he announce that he would not be participating in any more debates? (That was my guess initially.) It turned out to be none of the above. Donald Trump went before the press and the public to debut Trump 2.0.

This was the new, kinder, gentler Donald Trump who is preparing to move into the general election phase of the proceedings. I noted a few of the quotes from his delivery which demonstrated his revised, softer side.

We’re going to be a much bigger party. We’re going to be an expanded party. We’re going to win in November.

To the media, who he so often vilifies, he offered this: I’m watching all of you very closely, but I’m becoming diplomatic.

Even when he was asked about the KKK and David Duke issues, he was cordial to the reporter and simply disavowed. This definitely seems to be the beginning of the general election Trump, assuming he can get the nomination. He was all about bringing the party together and facing down the enemy, presumably Hillary Clinton. (Though he was quick to remind everyone that she might be in jail by the time we get to November.)

I have to give the man credit where credit is due. He’s trying to steer the ship in a new direction. Donald Trump may be a neophyte in our American Game of Thrones but he’s clearly trying to master the process. Here’s the video, with an introduction from a very unenthusiastic Chris Christie.

https://youtu.be/EbCcA7ef0mk