Donald Trump’s advisers must have been running out of ideas for how to get the reality TV star to pay attention to their advice. So they did what many right wingers do. They used ALL CAPS.
BuzzFeed News has received several internal Trump campaign memos which illustrate some of the – shall we say “challenges” – the candidate was facing during the primaries.
Chief among these challenges was how best to get a philandering, foul-mouthed, thrice-married billionaire to appeal to Christian “fundie” family-values voters.
So on the eve of the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, Trump’s advisers drafted a memo to help guide the rudderless mouthpiece through uncharted evangelical waters. It said:
“The audience is CHRISTIAN SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES. They are open to your candidacy but NEED TO KNOW that their issues are IMPORTANT TO YOU.”
Those of us old enough to remember the original Saturday Night Live, can visualize Garrett Morris’ character as President of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing, with his hands cupped beside his mouth, slowly yelling the words “IMPORTANT TO YOU” at a befuddled Trump!
BuzzFeed goes on to say that they have obtained other memos addressing hot button social conservative issues like abortion, school prayer, and evolution. Some of these again turning to ALL CAPS to grab the fleeting attention of a man with one of the world’s greatest brains. They report:
“On the issue of abortion, one memo urged, ‘Unless you are specifically asked, it is not beneficial to state that you support the exceptions of life of the mother, rape, and incest.’ Another suggested that Trump ‘DEFLECT’ any debate questions about school prayer by saying, ‘I employ thousands of individuals and make sure my employees have the freedom to express their faith however they see fit.’ “
The memos continued with this hilarious bit of science advice:
“If asked whether he believed in ‘creationism or evolution,’ an adviser suggested the candidate respond, ‘I believe in both’ — and then added in a parenthetical, ‘(Mr. Trump — we may want to follow up on this.)’”
Wait. What? I believe in both? Believing in two simultaneously contradictory ideas like creationism and evolution is called cognitive dissonance. Come to think of it, are we really surprised? That is quintessential Trump.
Here’s a video of Trump calling for women who have an abortion to be punished by the criminal justice system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Jpoecf0xY
Featured image via screengrab from video.
