I’m going to preface by saying that I’m no fan of Trump’s bid for presidency. I think he’s pandering to the widest possible audience by saying what I think are awful and sometimes idiotic things I don’t even think he believes, and thus find it pretty low.
I don’t like Hilary any more than I like Trump, due to her emails, the fact that she was bought by many despotic regimes that are an offense to anyone with liberal values, therefore making her a hypocrite.
Which brings me to my first reason why AIPAC gave Trump a standing ovation. I know because I was there, believe me. (The guy sitting next to me on the airplane counted that he said “believe me” thirty eight times in that speech). I could barely see Trump, though, because the trio of women in front of me couldn’t stop giving him standing ovations.
Trump Cannot be Bought
I think people are tired of Hillary selling out her values to appease those who fund her. Trump has his own money, so you’ll know the ideas he brings forth are his.
The Protest
I waited outside in line for about an hour and a half to get into the building. All around us, anti-Israel and anti-Trump protesters shouted at us, accosted us, and made many love Trump all the more if their enemies see Trump as such a threat to them. I think a lot of people were so fed up with the protesters that they were determined to give them the finger, by giving Trump a standing ovation.
The Other (Planned) Protest.
Many heard of a planned walk-out and were embarrassed. So embarrassed, that they wanted to upset the people who were walking out. They did this by clapping a lot. Interestingly, I didn’t actually witness anyone walking out. I filmed the entire thing, and even re-watching the film I didn’t see a single body leave their seat.
He’s “Not A Politician”
Let’s be real: People are fed up with political correctness and politicians, speaking out of both sides of their mouth, pandering to the masses, hiding their true feelings. Trump likes to portray himself as the anti-politician, the polar opposite of Hilary who is the ultimate politician. Many find his unfiltered thoughts refreshing, having never heard a politician speak so candidly before. Again, I think this tactic is part of his strategy, the way to get the most publicity possible, as to him there is no such thing as bad publicity. When people know who you are, they are more likely to vote for you. But most importantly, Trump reminds you of your jaded uncle or grandpa – a human who runs at the mouth and might not appear as flawless and all-knowing (however much he might assert he “knows a lot more about the Iran deal than all of you!”) – rendering him more relatable. And I believe he is absolutely doing it on purpose.
He’s Rich
Americans are fascinated by wealth. They’re drawn to it, and see anyone who is wealthy as someone worth emulating, an example of how to live, however much they may gripe about feeling poor. Trump knows that and plays on it, constantly emphasizing how his success in business (e.g. his wealth) can be translated to success in the presidency.
He Panders to the Lowest Common Denominator
His slogans are catchy (“Make America Great Again!”) and his speeches have repetitive elements that are memorable, believe me! His language is simple, making those who listen to his speeches feel good about their own intelligence (though Trump is a Wharton graduate, and is probably not stupid, he’s likely just playing the everyman to get votes). He speaks colloquially and candidly, in a way any man off the street would understand.
A lot of people were so embarrassed by AIPAC’s behaviour that AIPAC felt compelled to apologize to Barack Obama for the overly enthusiastic reaction from the audience when Trump referred to it being the end of Obama’s term in office – “YAY!” I find it a strange move but perhaps important in order to ensure the rift between Obama and AIPAC over the Iran Deal doesn’t widen further.
While I found a lot of his speech silly and attention-seeking, Trump did bring a lot of important things to light that no other candidates had, in such a crude and colloquial way that felt extremely vindicating for the passionately pro-Israel, appearing to switch his formerly self-proclaimed “neutral” stance on Israel. (This flip-flopping worries me, to be honest, that he’ll pander to whoever is in front of him instead of what he actually believes is right).
