Donald Trump at long last found a state where he could break 50% of the vote. Prior to last night, the nearest he came was the great conservative colossus of Massachusetts. To achieve the elusive number, he needed a state to the left of the commonwealth of Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Barney Frank, and Elizabeth Warren, and he found it last night. It is New York. It is the home of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who once growled at pro-lifers that they have “no place in the state of New York.” It is the home of comrade Mayor Bill de Blasio, who once peddled subscriptions to the newspaper of the Marxist Nicaraguan Sandinistas. It is the home of Communist Party USA and Columbia University. It is the home of obscenely unlivable tax rates. It is the home turf where Donald Trump launched his empire of casinos and strip clubs with a path blazed by the torch of eminent domain. It is the home of the New York Times.
And yet, for a defining statement of New York values as embodied in Mr. Trump, we can draw edification not from the vaunted Grey Lady but from the “conservative” paper in town — the New York Post.
In its endorsement of Trump, the Post not only graciously telegraphed the nature of New York values for the benefit of us hayseeds hooting out here in the Hinterland, but it also laid bare the key to Trump’s path to victory in the Empire State after having lost primary after primary for weeks, most notably with the Donald’s disastrous defeat in Wisconsin. “Donald Trump is a rookie candidate — a potential superstar of vast promise, but making rookie mistakes,” surmised the Post in its inspiring endorsement. “The nominee Republicans need for the fall campaign is often hard to make out amid his improvisations and too-harsh replies to his critics.”
Hmm. A problem indeed.
But the Post offered a novel solution for its Donald: “Should he win the nomination, we expect Trump to pivot — not just on the issues, but in his manner. The post-pivot Trump needs to be more presidential: better informed on policy, more self-disciplined and less thin-skinned.”
This “New Yorker, born and bred” suffers from “policies that seem made on the fly.” Likewise problematic, “Trump’s language, too, has too often been amateurish, divisive — and downright coarse.”
And yet, overall, averred the print organ of conservative New York, Donald Trump “reflects the best of ‘New York values.’”
Note the glaringly obvious subtext of the Post’s campaign advice to its “outer-borough” boy. The editors in essence urged Trump to stop revealing himself. He must hide his real character and temperament. He should not come off “too harsh.” He should not appear so woefully ill-informed. He should not look so undisciplined and thin-skinned. Nah, those are the mistakes of rookies.
The New York tabloid, in ironic Trump-speak, wants a “superstar” fashioned out of the insult master. It wants a Donald who “pivots” from the real McCoy, from the genuine New York article. The native son needs to change his “manner.” The art of the deal must master the art of the con. America (wink, wink) needs a “post-pivot Trump.”
To repeat: Donald Trump must appear to be someone other than who he is. He needs to conceal his true self. That, you see, will make him “more presidential” and more electable. It would also, presumably, make the rest of us big suckers courtesy of the Big Apple.
Now that would be a triumph of New York values!
And to his sly credit, such is what Donald Trump has done since landing back in New York after getting slapped down out West. There was no repeat of the infamous Heidi Cruz Holy Thursday Tweet by the Donald. There was no new spread in the unimpeachable National Enquirer exposing Lyin’ Ted’s latest alleged litany of wild sexual rampages. Not once did the New York son chortle at the ugliness of some poor middle-aged woman who stood in his way. It also helped Donald tremendously that he continued to evade a debate with Ted Cruz, knowing the spectacle would be terribly embarrassing (even Hillary Clinton allows herself to be debated).
And so, Donald Trump snagged himself quite a victory last night in New York.
As for us non-Trumpists, all is not lost. Indeed, there is good news this morning in America: Because Donald Trump won, we have been spared another childish fit of rage in defeat, denouncing his opponents as choking cheaters and lying liars and losing losers who robbed him last night. There is peace this morning in Manhattan and throughout America, because the Donald won. So long as Trump gets what he wants, Trump is happy. No antics, no smears, no tantrums, no women made fun of, and no threats of lawsuits.
This Wednesday morning, Donald Trump exudes his best New York values.
