Trump Gives Low-Energy Stump Speech

Screen shot of Trump during speech, from CNN video on YouTube.

Democrats respond, blew all their budget on flags rather than podiums.

If I were an executive of an American broadcast network, I probably would have made the same decision. When the president of the United States asks for air time to address the country, it’s difficult to say no.

But, given President Trump's odd and lackluster performance Tuesday night, I’m not sure I would be so quick the next time. In his first presidential address from the Oval Office, President Trump proved that he was fibbing on the campaign trail when he claimed it was easy to act presidential. As a speaker, he was gratingly bad—dull and unengaged. As a professor who teaches a speech class, he violated the basic rule that I tell my students about every speech.

If you’re not excited by what you’re trying to share with the audience, if your demeanor and behavior doesn’t show that you care about your own material, nobody else will care either.



I’m not even going to rehash the dismal and depressing content of what Trump had to state, because he wasted our time. He said nothing new—simply engaged in the same fear mongering he started when he ran for president. Sadly, fear mongering can be pretty effective, as Trump on the campaign trail used to rile his rallies up with and get them to chant “build the wall.”

As a performer, however, Trump appears to require an adoring crowd. In his office using a script, he speaks without energy and passion. He is the Trump robot, stating the lines in a static, dull way, sniffing excessively between them.

I suppose the advantage of having this president read a speech is that when he is unscripted, he is also ungrammatical and difficult to follow.

Then again, the Democratic response was not exactly great oratory, either. The Chuck and Nancy show is the best that the opposition can muster? Try harder, Dems.



But in the history of times Presidents have seen the need to preempt programming in order to share an important message, Trump's performance matches much of the rest of his presidency.

It sets a new low.

And the government remains closed over a manufactured crisis. I am tired of all the winning. So, it seems, is the old grumpy man in the White House.