He’s been on the job for almost four years, but President Donald Trump still hasn’t figured out how to read properly from a teleprompter.
On Thursday night, Trump delivered the final speech of the Republican National Convention, officially accepting his party’s nomination to face off against Democratic opponent Joe Biden. But while Biden’s closing speech the week before surprised viewers by portraying the candidate as a dynamic, thoughtful, and expressive speaker — arguably even outshining the star power brought by the Obamas in previous nights — Trump’s performance was just another half-hearted and labored effort at getting through a text someone else wrote.
Trump is known for his extemporaneous speaking style. He’s often longwinded and meandering, jumping from topic to topic without finishing a whole arguments, sentences, and thoughts. But when he speaks like this, he’s almost always animated and passionate. The exception is when he’s reading from a script. Teleprompter Trump has none of the manic charisma that his freewheeling alter-ego displays. Instead, the president falls into a dull monotone and a repetitious speaking pattern that suggests he knows little about what he’s actually saying and cares even less. Continue reading.