Critics of Donald Trump (me included) need to spend more time watching the US president and perhaps relatively less parsing the details of his policies. I did this last week while he was sounding off for 20 minutes in an impromptu press conference with reporters that covered everything from North Korea (“there is no longer a nuclear threat”) to his legal issues (“there was no obstruction, there was no collusion”) to tariffs on China. And when you do, you see him as much of middle America does — strong, concise and cogent.
Let me head off those readers who are already starting to draft their complaint letters; I didn’t say Mr Trump was truthful or correct in regards to any of these issues. And yes, I get upset as any thinking person does watching him salute a North Korean general as he insults America’s historic allies, while his border patrols remove children from immigrant parents.
But sadly, public opinion is usually formed more on the basis of feelings than facts.