Low Energy

Donald Trump came to New Mexico today. He held a smallish rally at the Albuquerque airport. The City of Albuquerque wouldn’t rent their convention center to him because he owes the city over $200,000 from an earlier rally. There was also an issue about parking for the audience to then be bussed to the airport.

I watched most of it, came in after the beginning. The Hill has a complete video. It was a bright and clear, breezy and chilly day. Trump did not look good and was low energy at best. He managed to emit a few shouts, including at the end. The crowd was also low energy, with some leaving during his second or third long attack on KaMAlah. The attacks were of middle-school quality: “You’re a STUPID!”

He’s got a stump speech, as does everyone who runs for an office, although this one seems more like a checklist.

• Drill baby drill
• Immigration, with several variations
• Free transgender operations to imprisoned immigrants
• Internal enemies
• I will make things so good
• Men in girls’ sports
• Electric trucks bad, Tesla good

There was a bit of tailoring to New Mexico: He asked the crowd whether they wanted to be called Hispanics or Latinos. This is a no-brainer in New Mexico, and he got loud applause for Hispanic.

But there was also a deep misunderstanding of how things are in New Mexico. Obviously a border state fits his predelictions, and there was a lot about immigration, with grisly descriptions of gangs and at least three stories of young girls being attacked with rather more detail than was necessary.

But New Mexico doesn’t have those kinds of problems with Central American immigrants. There are issues of sufficient housing, but our schools have been bilingual anyway, so that integration is less of a problem than elsewhere. And we have learned to love pupusas! Of course, these immigrants supply much of our labor.

What landed most ignorantly was “We are an occupied country.” The Native Americans have been saying that, with overlays of Spanish explorers, Anglo merchants and cattle ranchers, the national laboratories (mentioned only once in passing), and the latest influxes from California and Texas. Yes, most of us here feel like an occupied country.

He managed to shout “Make America Great Again” at the end and then shuffled off, his shoulders sagging.