Mar-a-Lago presser vs 2016 rope line, night and day difference
I watched the full press conference from Mar-a-Lago last week and then pulled up a 2016 rally clip after. The difference in how he handles the media is wild. Back then he was all over the place, riffing, fighting with reporters every other question. Now he stays on message way more and just lets them hang themselves when they ask gotcha stuff. That patience thing paid off, he saved the best zingers for the closed door moments and the clips do the work. You think the slow burn approach is a strategy change or just him getting older and picking battles smarter?
Man, I can't believe he sat through the whole thing without going off once, that's not the guy I remember at all. The part that gets me is letting the gotcha questions just sit there, that takes serious self control for someone who clearly loves to fire back. Feels like a mix of both, older and wiser plus someone finally told him the quiet clips land harder.