Donald Trump made two campaign stops in North Carolina Friday. First a rally in Greensboro, then one 90 miles south here in Charlotte.
And despite a broken teleprompter at the Charlotte convention center, it can be argued the Republican presidential nominee stayed ‘on message’. He attacked the credibility of women who now say they were groped or forcibly kissed by Trump. And he signaled, win or lose come November, Trump is unlikely to follow what has been a long held script in American presidential politics.
American presidential politics have long been contentious, hard fought, divisive, discordant.
But like the national anthem sung by Mylon-Hayes family in Charlotte Friday night, there’s usually moment of harmony on election night. You know the moment, the loser and the winner complement each other. The country’s future is better with the victor and the vanquished working together. Cue 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney. “I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory,” Romney said in his concession speech, adding “This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.”
This script has been followed through 44 presidents.
Donald Trump thinks that is enough.
Along with his usual stump speech fare of building a wall and punishing companies that leave for Mexico, on Friday Trump told both crowds that if he wins, he will instruct his attorney general to investigate Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and her staff for destroying or deleting more than 30,000 emails. “She did it to cover up her crimes,” he told supporters, “It’s one more reason why we need a special prosecutor to look into Hillary Clinton.”
This despite the Republicans head of the FBI saying they found careless but not criminal activity after a long investigation.
And as for that investigation, "We have to investigate the investigation,” said Trump, “The investigation, nobody in this country has seen anything like it.”
That’s if he wins the presidency.
If he loses, Trump has already seeded the ground for blame. “As you have seen, I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country.”
The smear campaign, Trump says, was launched to kill what he sees as the greatest political movement in the history of America. A campaign that began with a 2005 recording of Trump bragging about groping women. Just locker room talk…no action Trump said in the second presidential debate. But since then a number of women have stepped forward to say otherwise.
In Greensboro, Trump struck back by attacking the story and the looks of one of the accusers. “I was sitting with him on an airplane. And he went after me on an airplane. Yeah, I’m going to go after her. Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you.”
In Charlotte he called for those assembled to boycott one issue of People magazine, which includes the story of another accuser.
But Trump also realized this scandal may cost him the White House by tamping down some of his support. “If it affects 5 percent or 2 percent or 10 percent or, it’s all false stuff, it’s all a concerted effort and I think it’s the only way they’re going to stop us.”
So who’s behind this concerted effort? Trump says it’s Hillary Clinton, mainstream Republican leaders and those who cover the story. “When the media does what they’re doing now, that’s rigging the system folks. It’s rigging the system. The election is rigged.”
A sentiment echoed by a few thousand Trump supporters as the left the Charlotte rally Friday night.
