"Ruthless in His Use of Deceit..."

I’ve been reading and re-reading the transcript for our 45th President’s speech to the Boy Scouts at the National Scout Jamboree in an attempt to put into words why I found this specific act so offensive. Because it was offensive. And potentially abusive to the Scouts in attendance. And it’s important that we talk about why. So I’m going to attempt to avoid any references to Hitler or Hitler Youth rallies, with the caveat that I had to mention them at least once early on, because let’s be honest, there are many disturbing similarities. But rather than just scream “THAT’S WHAT HITLER DID!!!”, which seems to have varying degrees of effectiveness based on political allegiance, I wanted to try to show via rhetorical analysis why this was such a horrorshow. And then I read "How Trump's Speech Was Toxic For Boy Scouts Beyond 'Rhetoric'" by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Gene Beresin, which helped to clarify some of my major issues with this whole situation. My specialty is rhetoric, argument, and composition, not psychology, so I was happy to find Beresin’s simple summation of some complex psychological issues. So with Beresin’s assistance, let me see if I can break things down in a way that make clear exactly what was wrong with our 45th President’s speech. Be warned; as I’m examining the entire transcript and rhetorical situation of a 44 minute speech, this is a long diary. Really long. Like, get yourself a snack or a drink before you get started, and get comfortable. Alright. First, the basics. When it comes to rhetorical situations, there are five basic elements to consider. They are: 1. Purpose 2. Audience 3. Voice 4. Genre 5. Media These can be quickly summarized as why, to who, tone, type of communication, and method of communication. If you adapt your message successfully to these five elements, you have a much greater chance of being persuasive. Purpose is fairly self-explanatory, but I am routinely surprised by how many of my students forget why they are arguing or what their main point is. If the author loses track of their purpose, their message tends to be confusing, and they run the risk of their audience missing their point. I’ll come back to purpose after my analysis. Audience is really important for this specific instance. The audience was made up almost entirely of Boy Scouts. According to Beresin:  

Boy Scouts range in age from 6-8 (Beavers) to 14-18 (Explorers). While this range is considerable, boys from 6-18 have many things developmentally in common. Namely:

• Their brains are still in the process of development, and, during these years, are more likely influenced by emotion rather than reason or logic;
• they are drawn to powerful male role models and often follow them with passion;
• they are significantly influenced by a strong desire to be part of a group, regardless of its moral intent;
• they are fiercely loyal to each other -- and their leaders.

Trump played on all these qualities, even as his rambling speech was largely directed toward complex issues many of these kids were hardly likely to understand.

I should point out that I believe Beresin is incorrect here to include Beaver Scouts in his analysis of the audience. While there may have been a few kids that young there, especially if their parents or brothers were Boy Scouts of Scout Leaders, 10 years old is the minimum age to be a Boy Scout that can officially attend a Jamboree. But reducing the age range from 6-18 to 10-18 doesn’t seem to negate any of the commonalities Beresin listed. Beresin’s point is that our 45th President’s audience are children whose brains have not finished developing yet. They are emotional and prone to passionate defense of their group and their leaders. They are boys who place a lot of value on the words of strong male figures. Basically, they are children, and there are numerous examples of laws we have enacted to protect children from being manipulated and/or abused. We don’t hold children to the same standards as adults, because they are, quite simply, not adults. For example, we don’t let children see movies that are rated R without parental consent because we’ve decided that graphic violence and/or sexuality may harm their development. We don’t let children drink alcohol, again, because they’re still developing and the introduction of what is quite literally poison into their bodies will interfere with that development. We don’t let children take sex education or attend a political event at school without parental permission. Their judgment and ability to reason are not yet at the level where we deem they can be held fully accountable, except in the most egregious of offenses. And we trust teachers and coaches and scoutmasters with our children because there is an understanding that they will not attempt political or religious indoctrination. The point is, the audience were members of society that we agree should be protected from influences that will harm their development and/or indoctrinate them, without explicit parental consent (the right to indoctrination of children and tampering with their development is primarily a parental one, and a limited one at that). Voice is basically the speaker’s tone, or how they speak to their audience. Do they talk down to them? Do they maintain a rhetorical distance, coming across as scholarly and aloof, or do they present themselves as an everyman? If tone is unclear, the entire message can be lost or misinterpreted, as evidenced by the frantic reactions engendered by often toneless text messages like “call me” or “we need to talk.” For the most part, our 45th President’s voice was not distant or aloof. He presented himself as a successful regular guy who didn’t talk down to them who sometimes tells dirty jokes. In other words, just the kind of adult that teenage boys adore and want to emulate.  Genre is what type of communication the writer/speaker is utilizing. In this case, it’s a speech, which means there are different expectations than for a letter or email or text. We don’t hold speeches to the same standards as research papers, and so it’s ok if a speech doesn’t have a lot of academic sources. And it’s ok if a lot of the speech consists of praise and inspiration. But the genre is not simply a speech; it’s a speech for the Boy Scouts, an apolitical youth organization. It is not a campaign speech or a State of the Union address. It’s a speech to hardworking kids of no particular political or religious affiliation. Therefore we do have expectations that the speech will not be political or religious and that it will not encourage or model bad behavior. Finally, Media is how the communication reaches its audience. In this case, the medium is verbal and in-person, in the heat of the West Virginia summer. And while I’m sure most Scouts were given a choice as to whether or not they would attend, I’m also quite sure that it was heavily implied that non-attendance was not the proper choice. This is the President of the United States of America, after all. If he shows up to speak to the Boy Scouts and you are a Boy Scout, you should go, for reasons of respect and loyalty and obedience, all of which are key aspects of Boy Scout culture. Which means, for all intents and purposes, this was a captive audience of children who have been groomed to respect authority and had no reason to suspect and/or guard against political manipulation from the President. So let’s look at the speech, shall we? I utilized the transcript found here, via Time.com. <blockquote>TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. I am thrilled to be here. Thrilled. (APPLAUSE) And if you think that was an easy trip, you're wrong. But I am thrilled. (LAUGHTER) 19th Boy Scout Jamboree, wow, and to address such a tremendous group. Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200 people. (LAUGHTER) It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today. (APPLAUSE) You set a record. That's a great honor, believe me. Tonight we put aside all of the policy fights in Washington, D.C. you've been hearing about with the fake news and all of that. We're going to put that... (APPLAUSE) We're going to put that aside. And instead we're going to talk about success, about how all of you amazing young Scouts can achieve your dreams, what to think of, what I've been thinking about. You want to achieve your dreams, I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts? Right? (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> He begins in a very standard way for a guest speaker. He thanks his audience, jokes about the trip, and makes a humorous reference to crowd sizes and his related disagreements with the media. Yes, it’s a bit political, but in a fairly surface way. I daresay no one would have seriously taken issue with the political references in his speech if this was it. But it’s not, and it’s part of a rhetorical set-up to establish himself as a plain-speaking, no-nonsense kind of guy. It’s a standard Bullshit Artist move. He jokingly references politics, then says he is not going to talk politics even as he talks politics. He has denigrated the media twice now in under a minute, and he’s done it while lying directly to his audience about his putting aside of politics for this occasion. It’s like a street hustler who tells you he’s not trying to rip you off, even as he palms the card you’re trying to find, or a car salesman who tells you he’s not going to charge you for the rust proof undercoating, knowing that the price of that dubious treatment has already been figured into the category of handling, document, and processing fees. How many big fish stories start with “I swear to God this is a true story...”? Also of note is his focus on “records,” wherein he is essentially flattering his audience for no legitimate reason. There are lot of Scouts there, yes, but so? Who really cares about records based on crowd size? Primarily, it’s himself, but he’s congratulating the Scouts on crowd size in an attempt to paint himself and them as similar, as the same. Also note his slightly weird phrasing near the end, when he says “we’re going to talk about [...] what to think of, what I’ve been thinking about.” This could very likely simply be a symptom of his tendency to speak off the cuff, to wing it, but it’s also slightly disturbing that he conflates what the Scouts should think of with what he’s been thinking about, especially when combined with the techniques he’s already used to relax his audience, identify himself as one of them, and set them up to read his words as non-political. And of course he curses, saying “who the hell wants to speak about politics...”, which is honestly maybe the least offensive thing he’s done so far. These are teenage boys. I guarantee you they’ve heard worse. But it’s also yet another way for him to establish himself to these boys as someone to listen to. One of the easiest ways to establish outsider authority with teens is to throw in a single curse word or two. It suggests he’s not like the regular adults who don’t think they can handle strong language. He doesn’t talk to them like they’re children, which makes him trustworthy in their eyes. He is establishing ethos, or authority, by lying to them and performing for them. <blockquote>There are many great honors that come with the job of being president of the United States. But looking out at this incredible gathering of mostly young patriots. Mostly young. I'm especially proud to speak to you as the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. (APPLAUSE) CROWD: USA! USA! USA! TRUMP: You are the young people of character, integrity who will serve as leaders of our communities and uphold the sacred values of our nation. I want to thank Boy Scouts President Randall Stephenson, chief Scout executive Michael Surbaugh, Jamboree Chairman Ralph de la Vega and the thousands of volunteers who made this a life-changing experience for all of you. And when they asked me to be here, I said absolutely yes. (APPLAUSE) Finally -- and we can't forgot these people -- I especially want to salute the moms and the dads and troop leaders who are here tonight. (APPLAUSE) Thank you for making scouting possible. Thank you, mom and dad, troop leaders. When you volunteer for the Boy Scouts you are not only shaping young lives, you are shaping the future of America. (APPLAUSE) The United States has no better citizens than its Boy Scouts. (APPLAUSE) No better. (APPLAUSE) The values, traditions and skills you learn here will serve you throughout your lives. And just as importantly, they will serve your families, your cities, and in the future and in the present will serve your country. (APPLAUSE) The Scouts believe in putting America first. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Most of this section is fairly benign and standard. He doesn’t want to push the political too much at first, so he backs off and flatters the Scouts themselves. He uses standard congratulatory rhetoric and paints the BSA as patriotic, the members as possessing integrity and character. But do notice two things. One, he cannot help but make it about himself, as usual. Note the thanks he directs to specific scout leaders “who made this a life-changing experience for all of you. And when they asked me to be here, I said absolutely yes.” His statement starts as giving credit to the leadership for making this a life-changing experience, then pivots to the implied claim that it is a life-changing experience because those leaders invited him. Also notice how he spends that time building up the Scouts as patriotic servants of the country, then slides his campaign slogan of “America First” in there. In essence, he is saying that patriotism and support of him are one and the same.  <blockquote>You know, I go to Washington and I see all these politicians, and I see the swamp, and it's not a good place. In fact, today, I said we ought to change it from the word "swamp" to the word "cesspool" or perhaps to the word "sewer." (APPLAUSE) But it's not good. Not good. And I see what's going on. And believe me, I'd much rather be with you, that I can tell you. (APPLAUSE) I'll tell you the reason that I love this, and the reason that I really wanted to be here, is because as president, I rely on former Boy Scouts every single day. And so do the American people. It's amazing how many Boy Scouts we have at the highest level of our great government. Many of my top advisers in the White House were Scouts. Ten members of my cabinet were Scouts. Can you believe that? Ten. (APPLAUSE) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not only a Boy Scout, he is your former national president. (APPLAUSE) The vice president of the United States, Mike Pence -- a good guy -- was a Scout, and it meant so much to him. (APPLAUSE) Some of you here tonight might even have camped out in this yard when Mike was the governor of Indiana, but the scouting was very, very important. And by the way, where are our Indiana scouts tonight? (APPLAUSE) I wonder if the television cameras will follow you? They don't doing that when they see these massive crowds. They don't like doing that. Hi, folks. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote>

He follows his “America First” propaganda byte with his harshest rhetoric yet, attacking “politicians” (remember, he’s not one of them; he’s an outsider) and downgrading DC from a swamp to a cesspool, or sewer, just in case anyone missed the reference. Politicians and government are shit, he’s saying, but it’s ok because he is capable of seeing through the shit. He knows the score, he’s got their number, he’s capable of doing what no one else can. He backs off the rhetoric briefly to namedrop former Scouts that are now part of his administration, before going back to attacking the integrity of the media, and treating them like they are undeserving of respect. His little “Hi, folks” is a mocking wave to one of the many camera operators there, and a clever way to encourage children to disrespect adult professionals who don’t properly abase themselves before him. <blockquote>There's a lot of love in this big, beautiful place. A lot of love. And a lot of love for our country. And a lot of love for our country. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is here tonight. Come here, Ryan. (APPLAUSE) Ryan is an Eagle Scout from Big Sky Country in Montana. (APPLAUSE) Pretty good. And by the way, he is doing a fantastic job. He makes sure that we leave our national parks and federal lands better than we found them in the best scouting tradition. So thank you very much, Ryan. (APPLAUSE) Secretary of Energy Rick Perry of Texas, an Eagle Scout from the great state. (APPLAUSE) The first time he came to the National Jamboree was in 1964. He was very young then. And Rick told me just a little while ago, it totally changed his life. So, Rick, thank you very much for being here. And we're doing -- we're doing a lot with energy. (APPLAUSE) And very soon, Rick, we will be an energy exporter. Isn't that nice? An energy exporter. (APPLAUSE) In other words, we'll be selling our energy instead of buying it from everybody all over the globe. So that's good. (APPLAUSE) We will be energy dominant. And I'll tell you what, the folks in West Virginia who were so nice to me, boy, have we kept our promise. We are going on and on. So we love West Virginia. We want to thank you. Where's West Virginia by the way? (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Secretary Tom Price is also here today. Dr. Price still lives the Scout oath, helping to keep millions of Americans strong and healthy as our secretary of Health and Human Services. And he's doing a great job. And hopefully he's going to gets the votes tomorrow to start our path toward killing this horrible thing known as Obamacare that's really hurting us. (APPLAUSE) CROWD: USA! USA! USA! TRUMP: By the way, are you going to get the votes? He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better. Otherwise I'll say, "Tom, you're fired." I'll get somebody. (APPLAUSE) He better get Senator Capito to vote for it. He better get the other senators to vote for it. It's time. You know, after seven years of saying repeal and replace Obamacare we have a chance to now do it. They better do it. Hopefully they'll do it. </blockquote> This section is mostly benign, but there are a few problematic aspects worth examining. It’s problematic to claim that Zinke, who on his first day reversed a ban on lead bullets and fishing tackle, is leaving national parks and federal lands better than we found them. He’s lying about almost everything he says in regard to energy. Our retreat from green energy is already leaving us in the dust of nearly the rest of the civilized world. It’s certainly not going to lead to energy independence. I think that’s what he means by the phrase “energy dominant.” But it is a blatantly political act of propaganda for him to refer to Obamacare as horrible, as something that’s hurting us, as something that needs to be gotten rid of. Note the violence of the verb chosen to describe what they’re going to do to Obamacare: kill. And of course his “joking” threats to fire Price if he fails to get the votes (which isn’t really Price’s job in the first place) simply reinforces the idea that it is acceptable and normal to bully your subordinates publicly, to treat those who work for you like shit. There is violence implied here, if not openly stated. He proceeded from there to name Republican Senator Shelley Capito, who voted against one of the many attempts to get rid of the ACA, as an enemy. If Obamacare is horrible, and Tom Price the Scout/Doctor needs votes in order to get rid of Obamacare and keep his job, then Senator Capito’s previous vote against getting rid of Obamacare is a horrible act. And in our 45th President’s rhetoric, horrible acts are committed by horrible people. We go from someone did a bad thing to someone is a bad person. One condemns the act, the other, the person. Or to lapse into an impression... Really bad people, well I call them animals, but really bad people are doing really bad, really sick things to lots and lots of people, people like all of you really good, really excellent people… <blockquote>As we can see just by looking at our government, in America, Scouts lead the way. And another thing I've noticed -- and I've noticed it all my life -- there is a tremendous spirit with being a Scout, moreso than almost anything I can think of. So whatever is going on, keep doing it. It's incredible to watch, believe me. (APPLAUSE) Each of these leaders will tell that you their road to American success -- and you have to understand -- their American success, and they are a great, great story, was paved with the patriotic American values and traditions they learned in the Boy Scouts. And some day, many years from now, when you look back on all of the adventures in your lives you will be able to say the same, I got my start as a Scout, just like these incredibly great people that are doing such a good job for our country. So that's going to happen. (APPLAUSE) Boy Scout values are American values. And great Boy Scouts become great, great Americans. (APPLAUSE) As the Scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal -- we could use some more loyalty I will tell that you that. (CROWD CHANTING) That was very impressive. You've heard that before. But here you learn the rewards of hard work and perseverance, never,ever give up. Never quit. Persevere. Never, ever quit. You learn the satisfaction of building a roaring campfire, reaching a mountain summit or earning a merit badge after mastering a certain skill. There's no better feeling than an achievement that you've earned with your own sweat, tears, resolve, hard work. There's nothing like it. Do you agree with that? (APPLAUSE) I'm waving to people back there so small I can't even see them. Man, this is a lot of people. Turn those cameras back there, please. That is so incredible. By the way, what do you think the chances are that this incredible massive crowd, record setting, is going to be shown on television tonight? One percent or zero? (APPLAUSE) The fake media will say, "President Trump spoke" -- you know what is --"President Trump spoke before a small crowd of Boy Scouts today. "That's some -- that is some crowd. Fake media. Fake news. Thank you. And I'm honored by that. By the way, all of you people that can't even see you, so thank you. I hope you can hear. </blockquote> More weightless flattery for Scouts here. Lots of nothing praise, sounding good but no real specifics other than patriotism and leadership are good. All the people on stage are “incredibly great people that are doing such a good job for our country.” Scouts are American. Good Americans are Scouts. Scouts are trustworthy and loyal. Therefore, good Americans are trustworthy and loyal. American equals trust me and do what I say. Good Americans, therefore, follow orders and don’t complain. They don’t speak out. They don’t protest. They blindly accept the rightness of our 45th President’s dictates. And that bit about “we could use some more loyalty, I’ll tell you that”? The clear implication is that there are a large number of disloyal people in Washington and the media. If loyalty is a trait of a good American, then disloyalty must be anti-American. This is literally the rhetoric of Darkseid, DC Comics’ evil god and ruler of the hellplanet Apokolips. It’s super basic because when it comes to conditioning, to messaging, to getting your audience to remember your main points, simple is effective. More boilerplate flattery speech text about hard work and never giving up. Another reference to the crowd size, and yet again our 45th President speaks in a dismissive public fashion to professional camera operators, making it acceptable to treat those seen as beneath us with less dignity. More railing against the fake media, whose imagined diminishment of the crowd size is presented as diminishing to not just our 45th President, but to the Scouts as well.  This reminds the crowd that only he tells the truth and that they are in it together. There is no polite or even impolite disagreement on the rules and norms of American government by consensus and consent; there is only his right way and those who oppose him. Who are liars. Opposing him is anti-American, remember, and anti-Americans are all liars. There is a mixture of cheers and boos at the mention of fake media (seemingly from the back of the crowd, but honestly, hard to tell), and immediately afterward, he says “Thank you. And I’m honored by that.” Let’s go ahead and talk about the boos, all of them, so I don’t have to keep mentioning them. It could be argued that our 45th President does not openly encourage such behavior. This is true. But that would imply he was either manipulating them on purpose or unaware of the way teenage boys would act after being pumped up and flattered and pointed at enemies by the supposed only guy who knows what he’s talking about in all of Washington DC. If he was actually unaware of how that crowd would react to his words and rhetoric, then he is certainly not a smooth talker and negotiator. He is not a master of the art of the deal. He’s more like that guy who never talks because when he does he gets too excited and yells too loud and gets everyone in trouble. Which is it? Experienced public speaker and salesman encouraging boos, or dumb and weird guy who can’t be held accountable for speaking inappropriately to a crowd of children? <blockquote>Through scouting you also learned to believe in yourself -- so important -- to have confidence in your ability and to take responsibility for your own life. When you face down new challenges -- and you will have plenty of them -- develop talents you never thought possible, and lead your teammates through daring trials, you discover that you can handle anything. And you learn it by being a Scout. It's great. (APPLAUSE) You can do anything. You can be anything you want to be. But in order to succeed, you must find out what you love to do. You have to find your passion, no matter what they tell you. If you don't —  (He is apparently interrupted by someone someone in the crowd yelling “I love you!”) I love you too. I don't know. Nice guy. (APPLAUSE) Hey, what am I going to do? He sounds like a nice person. He -- he, he, he. I do. I do love you. (CROWD CHANTING) </blockquote> More standard “scouts are good” inspirational talk. He bounces back and forth a lot between flattery and naming enemies. Remember, this is a speech, and he’s good at reading a crowd. He knows these kids are not going to stick with him if he’s constantly just talking shit about other people. They’re Scouts. They are trying to live by a moral code that doesn’t accept that. But they’re also kids. If you just dabble in talking shit, in an amusing fashion, then talk about how awesome your audience is, and repeat, you can really build your audience’s approval in a very deliberate and impressive way, especially with such a big crowd. I think he was thrown by the “I love you” from the crowd. His response was pat, and and then it seems like he lost his place and tried to cover by awkwardly quipping at Obama. <blockquote> By the way, just a question, did President Obama ever come to a Jamboree? (APPLAUSE) And we'll be back. We'll be back. The answer is no. But we'll be back. </blockquote> Implication: Barack Obama didn’t love you like Trump does. Barack Obama, who pushed the BSA to be inclusive to homosexual children, wasn’t worthy of your support or your cheers. Trump, with the aid of the loyal trustworthy Scouts, will be back in 4 years, when the next Jamboree rolls around, having won a great and wonderfully successful re-election campaign. <blockquote> In life, in order to be successful -- and you people are well on the road to success -- you have to find out what makes you excited, what makes you want to get up each morning and go to work? You have to find it. If you love what you do and dedicate yourself to your work, then you will gain momentum? And look, you have to. You need the word "momentum." You will gain that momentum. And each success will create another success. The word "momentum." </blockquote> I’ve only taught speech twice, but I assign group presentations multiple times a semester. And this snippet right here, following the unexpected “I love you,” looks and sounds like he’s struggling to keep making words that make sense come out of his mouth while he tries to get back on script. But it looks like the word momentum reminds him of something else sorta similar that maybe he can bullshit about and sound insightful or experienced. And thus we get the meaningless story with the implied naughty millionaire business on the boat and the big city New York conglomerate that bought his business and ran it into the ground because city folk are stupid and mean and don’t know the value of hard work and simplicity. I think. <blockquote> I'll tell you a story that's very interesting for me. When I was young there was a man named William Levitt. You have some here. You have some in different states. Anybody ever hear of Levittown? (APPLAUSE) And he was a very successful man, became unbelievable -- he was a home builder, became an unbelievable success, and got more and more successful. And he'd build homes, and at night he'd go to these major sites with teams of people, and he'd scour the sites for nails, and sawdust and small pieces of wood, and they cleaned the site, so when the workers came in the next morning, the sites would be spotless and clean, and he did it properly. And he did this for 20 years, and then he was offered a lot of money for his company, and he sold his company, for a tremendous amount of money, at the time especially. This is a long time ago. Sold his company for a tremendous amount of money. And he went out and bought a big yacht, and he had a very interesting life. I won't go any more than that, because you're Boy Scouts so I'm not going to tell you what he did. (CROWD CHANTING) Should I tell you? Should I tell you? (APPLAUSE) You're Boy Scouts, but you know life. You know life. So look at you. Who would think this is the Boy Scouts, right? So he had a very, very interesting life, and the company that bought his company was a big conglomerate, and they didn't know anything about building homes, and they didn't know anything about picking up the nails and the sawdust and selling it, and the scraps of wood. This was a big conglomerate based in New York City. And after about a 10-year period, there were losing a lot with it. It didn't mean anything to them. And they couldn't sell it. So they called William Levitt up, and they said, would you like to buy back your company, and he said, yes, I would. He so badly wanted it. He got bored with this life of yachts, and sailing, and all of the things he did in the south of France and other places. You won't get bored, right? You know, truthfully, you're workers. You'll get bored too, believe me. Of course having a few good years like that isn't so bad. </blockquote> Just rambling now, trying to connect momentum in the story to whatever he was supposed to be saying about Boy Scouts and America. But wait, the guy in the story failed when he bought his business back at a loss. Wait, who’s the protagonist in this story? Oh wait, now he’s praising himself in his story about this hardworking guy who made it rich then came back and lost it all.

<blockquote> But what happened is he bought back his company, and he bought back a lot of empty land, and he worked hard at getting zoning, and he worked hard on starting to develop, and in the end he failed, and he failed badly, lost all of his money. He went personally bankrupt, and he was now much older. And I saw him at a cocktail party. And it was very sad because the hottest people in New York were at this party. It was the party of Steve Ross -- Steve Ross, who was one of the great people. He came up and discovered,really founded Time Warner, and he was a great guy. He had a lot of successful people at the party. And I was doing well, so I got invited to the party. I was very young. And I go in, but I'm in the real estate business, and I see a hundred people, some of whom I recognize, and they're big in the entertainment business. And I see sitting in the corner was a little old man who was all by himself. Nobody was talking to him. I immediately recognized that that man was the once great William Levitt, of Levittown, and I immediately went over. I wanted to talk to him more than the Hollywood, show business, communications people. So I went over and talked to him, and I said,"Mr. Levitt, I'm Donald Trump." He said, "I know." </blockquote> Of course Mr. Levitt, hardworking success story turned failure, knows Donald J. Trump, who was successful from a very young age and spends lots of time hobnobbing with movie and TV executives, as well as “the hottest people in New York.” <blockquote> I said, "Mr. Levitt, how are you doing?" He goes, "Not well, not well at all." And I knew that. But he said, "Not well at all." And he explained what was happening and how bad it's been and how hard it's been. And I said, "What exactly happened? Why did this happen to you? You're one of the greats ever in our industry. Why did this happen to you?" And he said, "Donald, I lost my momentum. I lost my momentum." A word you never hear when you're talking about success when some of these guys that never made 10 cents, they're on television giving you things about how you're going to be successful, and the only thing they ever did was a book and a tape. But I tell you -- I'll tell you, it was very sad, and I never forgot that moment. And I thought about it, and it's exactly true. He lost his momentum, meaning he took this period of time off, long, years, and then when he got back, he didn't have that same momentum. In life, I always tell this to people, you have to know whether or not you continue to have the momentum. And if you don't have it, that's OK. Because you're going to go on, and you're going to learn and you're going to do things that are great. But you have to know about the word "momentum." But the big thing, never quit, never give up; do something you love. When you do something you love as a Scout, I see that you love it. But when you do something that you love, you'll never fail. What you're going to do is give it a shot again and again and again. You're ultimately going to be successful. And remember this, you're not working. Because when you're doing something that you love, like I do -- of course I love my business, but this is a little bit different. Who thought this was going to happen. We're, you know, having a good time. We're doing a good job. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> He’s just telling a story with no point now, and badly. Momentum is a good thing so don’t ever stop working, but it’s ok if you don’t have it, “Because you’re going to go on, and you’re going to learn and you’re going to do things that are great. But you have to know about the word “momentum.”” His preplanned remarks, if any existed, are gone now. But he drifted into talking about his job, the value of hard work, and how good he is at his job, which is familiar territory for him... <blockquote>Doing a good job. But when you do something that you love, remember this, it's not work. So you'll work 24/7. You're going to work all the time. And at the end of the year you're not really working. You don't think of it as work. When you're not doing something that you like or when you're forced into do something that you really don't like, that's called work, and it's hard work, and tedious work. So as much as you can[,] do something that you love, work hard and never ever give up, and you're going to be tremendously successful, tremendously successful. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Hmmm. That’s pretty good stuff, if a little garbled. But closer to the sort of expectation for this event. <blockquote> Now, with that, I have to tell you our economy is doing great. Our stock market has picked up since the election, November 8th -- do we remember that day? Was that a beautiful day? (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Wait… What? <blockquote> What a day. Do you remember that famous night on television, November 8th where they said, these dishonest people, where they said, there is no path to victory for Donald Trump. They forgot about the forgotten people. </blockquote> He’s bragging about his election victory again. To children. Who are here to be told to work hard and follow their hearts and stay true to Scout ideals. This is the part in a group project where the rest of the members would frantically signal, or step in, or fling a script at him. But there are no group projects for Donald J. Trump, and if there were, he’d be the guy who didn’t do any of the reading or the research or the writing but volunteered to be the speaker as his only contribution. <blockquote> By the way, they're not forgetting about the forgotten people anymore. They're going crazy trying to figure it out, but I told them, far too late; it's far too late. But you remember that incredible night with the maps, and the Republicans are red and the Democrats are blue, and that map was so red it was unbelievable. And they didn't know what to say. (APPLAUSE) And you know, we have a tremendous disadvantage in the Electoral College. Popular vote is much easier. We have --because New York, California, Illinois, you have to practically run the East Coast. And we did. We won Florida. We won South Carolina. We won North Carolina. We won Pennsylvania. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> His go to speech is one that taunts his opponents: the media and Democrats, normally Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And remember, his opponents are horrible people and not good Americans. And Hillary winning the popular vote is actually a bad thing, a weak thing. Much harder to do it the way he did. More self-aggrandizement and naming and shaming of enemies, paranoid and conspiratorial, fills a large amount of time and text: <blockquote> We won and won. So when they said, there is no way to victory; there is no way to 270. You know I went to Maine four times because it's one vote, and we won. We won. One vote. I went there because I kept hearing we're at 269. But then Wisconsin came in. Many, many years. Michigan came in. (APPLAUSE) So -- and we worked hard there. You know, my opponent didn't work hard there, because she was told... (BOOING) She was told she was going to win Michigan, and I said, well, wait a minute. The car industry is moving to Mexico. Why is she going to move -- she's there. Why are they allowing it to move? And by the way, do you see those car industry -- do you see what's happening? They're coming back to Michigan. They're coming back to Ohio. They're starting to peel back in. (APPLAUSE) And we go to Wisconsin, now, Wisconsin hadn't been won in many, many years by a Republican. But we go to Wisconsin, and we had tremendous crowds. And I'd leave these massive crowds, I'd say, why are we going to lose this state? The polls, that's also fake news. They're fake polls. But the polls are saying -- but we won Wisconsin. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> He realizes he’s sounding a bit weird now, so shifts back to more standard patriotism, because an appeal to patriotism is an easy way to recover in a political speech. This isn’t supposed to be a political speech, but as I pointed out, he has lost the original script completely, and this allows him to pivot to another campaign slogan, one that implies the previous America of Barack Obama was not great and thus horrible and bad. Because that’s all there is for our 45th President: Great (him and his policies) and Bad (everyone who disagrees with him on anything). “Make America great again” is a coded dog whistle designed to engender Pleasantville like visions of the 50s when straight white Christians lived in nice communities led by straight white men and everyone else knew their place. <blockquote> So I have to tell you, what we did, in all fairness, is an unbelievable tribute to you and all of the other millions and millions of people that came out and voted for make America great again. (APPLAUSE) And I'll tell you what, we are indeed making America great again. CROWD: USA! USA! USA! TRUMP: And I'll tell you what, we are indeed making America great again. What's going on is incredible. (APPLAUSE) We had the best jobs report in 16 years. The stock market on a daily basis is hitting an all-time high. We're going to be bringing back very soon trillions of dollars from companies that can't get their money back into this country, and that money is going to be used to help rebuild America. We're doing things that nobody ever thought was possible, and we've just started. It's just the beginning, believe me. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> We’re doing amazing things that nobody ever imagined. Amazing incredible things and it’s going to get even more amazing and incredible. No specifics, but we are kicking ass under my benevolent leadership. We are winners, and it’s all because of me. <blockquote>You know, in the Boy Scouts you learn right from wrong, correct? You learn to contribute to your communities, to take pride in your nation, and to seek out opportunities to serve. You pledge to help other people at all times. (APPLAUSE) In the Scout oath, you pledge on your honor to do your best and to do your duty to God and your country. (APPLAUSE) And by the way, under the Trump administration you'll be saying "Merry Christmas" again when you go shopping, believe me. (APPLAUSE) Merry Christmas. They've been downplaying that little beautiful phrase. You're going to be saying "Merry Christmas" again, folks. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Equivocation of knowing right from wrong and saying Merry Christmas. Right is following the Christian God and traditions. Wrong is respecting any other religious occurrences around that same time. <blockquote>But the words "duty," "country" and "God" are beautiful words. In other words, basically what you're doing is you're pledging to be a great American patriot. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> You can see it in his posture and facial expression. He’s remembered something he was supposed to talk about! <blockquote> For more than a century that is exactly what our Boy Scouts have been. Last year you gave more than 15 million hours of service to helping people in your communities. Incredible. That's an incredible stat. (APPLAUSE) All of you here tonight will contribute more than 100,000 hours of service by the end of this Jamboree -- 100,000. (APPLAUSE) When natural disaster strikes, when people face hardship, when the beauty and glory of our outdoor spaces must be restored and taken care of, America turns to the Boy Scouts because we know that the Boy Scouts never ever, ever let us down. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> This is all good stuff. Commendable, even. <blockquote> Just like you know you can count on me, we know we can count on you, because we know the values that you live by. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> What? They can count on him? Not America, or the Constitution, or the Scouts, or momentum, or hard work, but him? And he can count on them because he knows their values, loyalty and trustworthiness. There is an implication of an agreement here. Nothing big. Just a little slip of the tongue, likely, especially if our 45th President isn’t as good a speaker and salesman as he claims. <blockquote> Your values are the same values that have always kept America strong, proud and free. And by the way, do you see the billions and billions and billions of additional money that we're putting back into our military? Billions of dollars. (APPLAUSE) New planes, new ships, great equipment for our people that are so great to us. We love our vets. We love our soldiers. And we love our police, by the way. (APPLAUSE) Firemen, police. We love our police. Those are all special people. Uniformed services. Two days ago I traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to commission an American aircraft carrier into the fleet of the United States Navy. (APPLAUSE) It's the newest, largest and most advanced aircraft carrier anywhere in the world, and it's named for an Eagle Scout --the USS Gerald R. Ford. (APPLAUSE) Everywhere it sails that great Scout's name will be feared and revered, because that ship will be a symbol of American power, prestige and strength. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> OK, that’s a really ominous twist. We went from Scouts are Good Americans who agree they should be loyal and trustworthy to me, Donald J. Trump, to a very pro-military, pro-police, pro-weapons of war, pro-fear and reverence for destructive capability stance. And let me point out that there is no problem with being pro-police or military being implied by me here. The problem has to do with the expectations of the genre and audience (Presidential speech to Boy Scouts) not just being ignored but being smashed to pieces for the personal enrichment of Donald J. Trump. To put it very simply, this is not the time or place for the President of the United States to demonize political opponents, delegitimize American institutions, and shill for cheers for himself and his vision for America, which just happens to be a very authoritarian and violent one. The problem is that we cannot trust the President of the United States to behave and speak appropriately around children. <blockquote> Our nation honors President Gerald R. Ford today because he lived his life the scouting way. Boy Scouts celebrate American patriots, especially the brave members of our Armed Forces. Thank you very much. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) American hearts are warmed every year when we read about Boy Scouts placing thousands and thousands of flags next to veterans' grave sites all across the country. By honoring our heroes, you help to ensure that their memory never, ever dies. You should take great pride in the example you set for every citizen of our country to follow. (APPLAUSE) Generations of American Boy Scouts have sworn the same oath and lived according to the same law. You inherit a noble American tradition. And as you embark on your lives, never cease to be proud of you who you are and the principles you hold dear and stand by. Wear your values as your badge of honor. What you've done few have done before you. What you've done is incredible. What you've done is admired by all. So I want to congratulate you, Boy Scouts. (APPLAUSE) Let your scouting oath guide your path from this day forward. Remember your duty, honor your history, take care of the people God put into your life, and love and cherish your great country. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> He’s winding down now, easing away from the negativity to close on a more positive note. This helps the audience ignore anything he said that they might have found disturbing and focus on how he ended in an uplifting manner. Another classic Bullshit Artist move, like talking shit about someone for ten minutes or more and then closing with something like “But I love them, you know, they’re great,” leaving people with the impression that you were speaking authentically.  <blockquote> You are very special people. You're special in the lives of America. You're special to me. But if you do what we say, I promise you that you will live scouting's adventure every single day of your life, and you will win, win, win, and help people in doing so. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Special people has kinda creepy possible connotations. Think Frank Herbert’s Dune, and the Fremen and Sardaukar warriors, or maybe think real world cults. People like to feel special, and will put up with a lot for someone who makes them feel that way constantly. It’s definitely awkward, especially combined with the bit where he says “But if you do what we say.” That’s just weird phrasing, either clumsy verbal stumbling on the part of an amateur who is completely unprepared, or yet another slip of the tongue, possibly innocent but also possibly a coded dogwhistle that reveals the relationship he’s endorsing between him personally and these Scouts. <blockquote> Your lives will have meaning, and purpose and joy. You will become leaders, and you will inspire others to achieve the dreams they once thought were totally impossible. Things that you said could never, ever happen are already happening for you. And if you do these things, and if you refuse to give in to doubt or to fear, then you will help to make America great again, you will be proud of yourself, be proud of the uniform you wear, and be proud of the country you love. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> It’s important to mention your slogans often, especially in closing, when you are engaging in propaganda. Make America great again.  <blockquote> CROWD: USA! USA! USA! TRUMP: And never, ever forget, America is proud of you. (APPLAUSE) This is a very, very special occasion for me. I've known so many Scouts over the years. Winners. I've known so many great people. They've been taught so well, and they love the heritage. But this is very special for me. And I just want to end by saying, very importantly, God bless you. God bless the Boy Scouts. God Bless the United States of America. Go out, have a great time in life, compete, and go out and show me that there is nobody, nobody like a Boy Scout. (APPLAUSE) </blockquote>  

Show me, not the world, or your parents, or your Scoutleaders, as Trump makes it about himself one last time before he leaves the stage. <blockquote> Thank you very much, everybody. (APPLAUSE) Thank you very much. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you very much (APPLAUSE) </blockquote> Well, at least he didn’t brag about pussy grabbing. And sadly, that’s the best thing to be said about this speech. Pretty standard conclusion there. Again, feels like he drifted off script and is going generic, but he’s done it before and it reinforces that whole “speak from the heart, no PC” persona he cultivates.  So, that’s about it. It was a long slog, so I’m going to let Beresin summarize some of the harmful aspects contained herein: <blockquote>

So what is the big deal about this speech? Several issues:

• It models seeing the world and people in it as either good or bad, while in reality we want our kids to see shades of gray and understand nuances.
• It promotes individual winning as opposed to shared group effort for greater good.
• It models devaluing and badmouthing those who disagree instead of listening and conversing.
• It promotes distrust of our models of freedom, such as the free press.
• It glorifies material wealth and social status above higher values, while promoting the glory of being feared and revered, not loved and respected.

The big deal is that Trump's speech smacked of indoctrination. It had the potential to capture the developmentally normal aspirations of young boys and teenagers to idealize a “successful hero,” and band together for his mission of winning, of defying adversity. But then it subverted those natural aspirations, toward all the issues listed above. (emphasis mine)

</blockquote> In closing, I told you I’d come back to purpose. I saved it for last in order to try to be objective, and because honestly, the only intended purposes for this speech that I can see are ugly ones. If my tone is dark it is because it is quite frankly terrifying to see America and Americans march so quickly and easily into fascism. I am disturbed that I have to patiently and carefully lay these points out in order to make an argument, because it all seems like obvious road to fascism stuff to me.  It appears that the purpose of this speech was to increase Scout loyalty to Trump and create in them a skewed sense of American values where being a good American is equated with blind support to our 45th President and blind hatred of his enemies: The media, the Democrats, and any other politicians who don’t toe the Trump line. It was fascist, not democratic, and it was propaganda, and it was aimed at children. It presented an authority figure blithely making it acceptable to bully and demean others, especially enemies and underlings. And maybe he didn’t intend for it to be that way. Maybe he got so lost and flustered trying to remember his lines that he was forced to improvise and use his go-to stump speeches aimed at adult supporters who have chosen to attend and listen to his two minutes hate. But again, that would imply he’s either completely unprepared or completely unqualified, and assumes more innocence of motive than I’m willing to give a man who mocked a disabled reporter on live TV to the cheers of his supporters.