From McCain to Trump: How one party changed its response to controversial remarks
Two similar political moments show dramatic shifts in Republican leadership style. Recent Trump rally and McCainʼs 2008 town hall reveal different approaches to handling crowd comments
At a recent get-together in Greensboro NC‚ Donald Trump used his stage-time to mock Vice President Kamala Harris work history; suggesting she never had a job at McDonalds. The crowd got over-excited and someone yelled out an inappropriate comment about Harris‚ which made Trump laugh and say: “This place is amazing“‚ then quickly added “Just remember its other people saying it - not me“
No‚ maʼam. Heʼs a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues‚ and thatʼs what the campaignʼs all about
This modern-day event brings up memories of a very different town-hall back in 08 (when John McCain was running for president). At that time a lady in Lakeville Minnesota told McCain she didnt trust Barack Obama because she thought he was “an Arab“ - McCain took the mic right away and defended his opponent
The difference between these two moments shows how much the party has changed since the early-2000s. Now-a-days theres no push-back from party leaders when crowds make mean comments; instead the audience often copies what they hear from the stage (which makes everything more intense)
