As I’ve been thinking about that now iconic picture of former President Trump – his fist up in the air, flag overhead, blood on his face, and the Secret Service trying to get him off stage – I can’t help but think Donald Trump’s whole life, in a way, prepared him for this moment.
He is incredibly strong. He is a fighter. In the fight or flight contest, fight always wins with Donald Trump. It has, of course, made him controversial. I mean, I have been on the receiving end of some of that myself and it can be somewhat alarming for those who find themselves on the wrong side of him.
But that is what made him incredibly rich and successful. It is what made him an effective president. It is what made him stand behind Brett Kavanaugh when no other sitting president would have. It is what made him not roll over and get into the fetal position when he got indicted four times. And it is what made him able, in that moment, to raise the fist.
Not only that, but Trump is a natural-born performer. He hosted the number one show on television for a decade. He is really talented in front of the camera. He has a natural showman instinct for what works. You also have his connection with the UFC and, before that, the WWE. He loves going to these events where it’s raucous and rowdy. He loves going into the ring pretending he is in the fights himself.
He has got a lifetime of being around conflict and understanding how to own the moment, and I just think all of this fed into the extraordinary thing we saw. When he was actually under fire, he was able to maintain his composure, his strength, his messaging to the people.
I’ve heard Charles C.W. Cooke, whom I love over at National Review, fairly say many times that, in some ways, Donald Trump might not be the most effective spokesman for America. In some ways, he can’t go in depth on our historical importance and our Founding Fathers. No, he seemingly cannot. If he can, I’ve never seen it. So, I understand the point.
But Trump gets the visual. He gets the strength of our country and how that should be portrayed in our commander in chief better than anyone. And that matters too – especially because the other choice this election cycle could not be weaker, both physically and cognitively.
You have the chance to send this guy – bloodied up with a fist in the air – to go stand up to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, if necessary. Or you have the other guy who is only working a smattering of hours a day, needs to go night-night by eight o’clock, and is at the point now where his own staff is referring to his “big boy” press conferences because this is one where he is actually going to take questions. One is provocative and one is scary to our adversaries.
The choice could not be more clear.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 838 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.