Trump's Anger Appeal

Ruth Marcus on Jul 22, 2015

Keith Koffler, editor of White House Dossier, a conservative website, captured this well for Politico Magazine. "Trump, who seems perpetually angry, is an expression of the angst of conservatives who believe the United States has gotten so deep into a mess that a little extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice," he wrote. "What they adore about Trump is that he is a pugilist who has emerged at a time when someone needs to start throwing punches."

Which helps explain why too many of Trump's competitors were so disappointingly tentative in taking him on -- until his McCain comments made it safer to do so.

Consider: Trump questions President Obama's birthplace. He calls undocumented Mexican immigrants "rapists." At the very appearance where he went after McCain, Trump declined to say whether he believes that Obama loves America. But it took his McCain comments to unleash the firestorm. It is a test of the other GOP candidates' character how quickly and how sharply they respond to all of his provocations.

But the Post poll also helps explain the GOP reticence. In a two-way race between Clinton and Bush, she wins by 50-44 among registered voters. A Trump bid draws 20 percent of voters, increasing Clinton's lead to 46-30 over Bush.

For now, anyway. In the end, my confidence that Trump will fizzle comes from Trump himself.

"You can't con people, at least not for long," he wrote in "Trump: The Art of the Deal." "You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on."

On that, at least, Trump is right.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.