Cal Thomas: Is a “New Trump” possible?

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, May 30th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. WORLD commentator Cal Thomas has some advice for former President Trump on how to win the November election.

CAL THOMAS: In August 1968, Richard Nixon achieved what The New York Times called “the greatest reversal of fortune in American political history.” Times columnist James Reston went further, calling it “the greatest comeback since Lazarus.” This from a newspaper that hated Nixon, as they now hate today’s Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

How did he do it? And could Trump learn anything from Nixon’s seeming transformation?

First, the parallels between Nixon and Trump are striking. Nixon, like Trump, believed America was in bad shape. In 1968, crime, the war in Vietnam, and the murders of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy had depressed the country. The Democratic National Convention meeting in Chicago featured riots in the streets that shocked voters watching on TV. Many argued those riots helped Nixon win the presidency. Some of those issues, especially crime and social unrest, prevail today.

What did it take for Nixon to win? Leading up to ’68, Nixon was often seen as dour, uncomfortable around others, and at times awkward and insincere. But the “New Nixon” no longer scowled, and his hair had grown longer (possibly a nod to the hippie era). He also smiled more than in his 1960 debate with John F. Kennedy.

This year’s first debate between Trump and President Biden is scheduled for June 27. Trump should consider presenting a “New Trump.” Critics might say that’s like asking a leopard to change its spots. But assuming he can change, how might it work?

Trump should stop referring to Biden as a “crook.” Stick to the issues people care about – the open border, inflation, wars, and school choice. He could propose defunding universities that tolerated antisemitic demonstrations, revising the tax code to make it fairer and flatter, and reducing the $34 trillion national debt.

On this last point, Trump is vulnerable because he added $8.4 trillion to the debt. Trump should promise to create a bipartisan commission that would recommend to Congress ways to reduce the debt.

Biden has few policy achievements, so he will likely engage in personal attacks about the “threat to democracy” posed by Trump. If Trump occasionally displays soft answers, he can duck Biden’s punches and confuse the often confused President. Recall Ronald Reagan’s line to President Jimmy Carter during their 1980 debate: “There you go again.”

Trump had some good lines in his speech to residents of The Bronx last week. He spoke of reducing crime, cleaning up subways, lowering taxes, and creating more jobs. He didn’t mention how those promises would be paid for, or fulfilled.

I’m not sure Trump can reinvent himself in time to make a difference, if at all. He seems comfortable as the “old Trump.” But like Reagan, Trump is experienced in television and that medium allows for new looks, even if they are not genuine. That’s the purpose of makeup. Even the “New Nixon” turned out to be a cover for the old and real Nixon.

Can Trump transform himself into a “new Trump”? If so, whether real or fake, he could upset the political dynamic of the debates and win the election.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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