Our would-be president is a “world class liar” who lacks “the temperament, the judgment and the competence to lead,” with a style best described as “volcanic, impulsive . . . disdainful of the rules set for everyone else.”
No, Donald Trump wasn’t talking about himself.
He was attacking Hillary Clinton, the Democrat he expects to run against in November, giving the speech he promised to deliver earlier this month, but postponed after the attack in Orlando. At least he didn’t call her “Crooked Hillary.” Instead, he said she “may be the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the United States.”
He also claimed Clinton’s campaign was all about her, while his was about “the people” — a tough sell from a Twitter-obsessed egomaniac like Trump.
Trump’s speech, delivered on a Wednesday morning during the first week of summer, isn’t a game-changer. But it will reenergize deflated Trump lovers and let him argue, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that reports of his political death are greatly exaggerated.
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For more than a week, the press has focused on Trump’s anemic fund-raising, the ousting of his campaign manager, and the increasing discomfort of Republican leaders in the aftermath of his disastrous response to Orlando. But in his speech, Trump came back with at least the semblance of a coherent message about the stakes in November: Voters who want change can’t rely on the politicians who created the problems.
He’s promising “real change,” not “Obama change.’’ If he sticks with that theme, he might have a chance to grow a coalition of the disaffected. He once again reached out to constituencies not usually associated with the GOP, such as Bernie Sanders supporters, and disadvantaged blacks and Latinos of urban America.
But Trump’s change and reform message is weighted down by hyperbolic attacks on Clinton, a woman he once said would make a “great president” and invited to his third wedding.
Now, running against her, he accused her of perfecting “the politics of personal profit and theft.” He said that lobbyists, CEOs, and foreign governments “totally own her.” He charged that she supported trade deals that personally enriched her and former president Bill Clinton “at America’s expense.” That charge comes from a book “Clinton Cash,” by Peter Schweizer, who is described by The New York Times as “a well-known conservative author who is a senior editor-at-large at Breitbart News and is affiliated with the conservative Hoover Institution.”
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Trump not only blamed Hillary Clinton for the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya. He blamed her for destabilizing the Middle East, and causing the rise of the Islamic State — as if she were de facto president rather than a Cabinet secretary implementing the policies of the Obama administration. When it comes to Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, Trump said, “She’s virtually done nothing right. She’s virtually done nothing good.”
This is all welcome fodder for Fox News and Clinton-haters everywhere. But it won’t change the minds of those who listen to Trump’s characterization of Clinton as a liar and fraud, and think — at the very least — it takes one to know one. Trump’s big problem is his own record in business and life. His attacks on Clinton would have more credibility if they came from a candidate other than Trump.
Trump ended his speech on a positive note. He will make America rich again and safe again. He will grow wages and jobs, bring back factories, rebuild America’s cities and infrastructure, and give hope to parents everywhere, including those in “our inner cities.”
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He never said how. He was too busy hating on Hillary.
Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Joan_Vennochi.