Trump's post-acquittal speech was to his base: Analyst

US President Donald Trump's post-acquittal speech was to his base, unlike Bill Clinton's which was to the nation, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist. 

Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday after Trump celebrated his acquittal on impeachment charges on Thursday with a pair of caustic, free-wheeling speeches that drew on White House pomp and the solemnity of an annual prayer breakfast to underscore the fact that he remained in office.

After walking down a red carpet to a standing ovation from scores of Republican lawmakers, administration officials and conservative media figures in the East Room of the White House, Trump re-aired old grievances and accused Democrats of staging a “corrupt” effort to undermine his presidency in a speech lasting more than an hour.

“I’ve done things wrong in my life, I will admit ... but this is what the end result is,” Trump said, holding up a copy of the Washington Post with the headline “Trump acquitted.”

The Republican president then handed the newspaper to his wife, Melania, and said maybe they would frame it.

Hoenig said, “The two most recent character-depraved presidents handled their acquittals radically differently. Bill Clinton, in his remarks afterwards, was contrite, apologetic and talked of moving on to heal the country. Donald Trump was taking victory laps, railing against the corrupt Democrats, claiming total exoneration, and coming off the heels of the State of the Union Address, full of vinegar, vengeance and out for blood. He was speaking to his base. Clinton was speaking to the nation.”

“All of this was red meat to his base, because it’s very unlikely that he can garner extra votes from Independents for his re-election. His language is way to incendiary for most of the nation and his uptick in support at the moment will likely drop once more and more evidence comes out and he continues the path of total destruction,” he noted.

“One of the major tenets of American politics, character, and written in our Constitution is the separation of church and state, keeping religion out of policy making. Wonderful in theory but rarely enforced. We see in issues surrounding women’s health concerns, homosexuality, prayers in schools, and going back to how religion was used to justify slavery, that religion in politics can split the country in half and is used more for oppressive purposes than for the common good. But the one thing that is appreciated in this country is the right of any person to have their beliefs protected and allow people to worship as they wish, with some exceptions, notably targeting our indigenous populations,” he said.

“In Trump’s victory speech he attacked the very essence of his perceived enemies’ faith-Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney, Catholic and Latter Day Saints respectively. Regardless of how honestly they practice their faiths, this attack, like so many of Trump’s, is going beyond the pale. The question is how will it resonate? Sure the punditry class is using this to excoriate Trump but it is likely to be forgotten by most in a day or so, as being simply another Trumpism,” he pointed out.

“Overall, this was a disastrous week for the Democrats and probably the first real successful week for Trump. In politics, things can turn on a dime as well as issues prolonged until it reaches an apex. Clinton went on to win re-election. It’s too early to say how this will affect Trump,” he concluded.

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