I present two images from the recently concluded conventions, one from each, that define the Trump candidacy in my eyes.
The first is from Cleveland. Ted Cruz is on the stage about to urge delegates to “vote your conscience”. The realization is dawning on the face of Trump and his family that the man, who and whose family, Trump had spent months insulting would not be subservient to the Republican Party’s conqueror. Cruz’ defiance against the bully, and the angst on the faces of the Trump family highlight the discord sown in the Republican Party by the would-be dictator who believes in insulting and browbeating even his allies. Trump’s candidacy has left a trail of burnt bridges within the Republican Party. Cruz’ pointed refusal to endorse Trump (as well as those of Rubio and Kasich) point to a candidate who would struggle to assemble a government of experienced Republican personnel in the very unlikely event that he wins the Presidency.
In Philadelphia, Khizr Khan pierced the heart of the Trump candidacy — his worn copy of the United States constitution the sword he used to damage Donald Trump more deeply than any of Trump’s political opponents have so far. Ghazala Kahn’s sorrowful eyes stared into the camera as if saying “Have you no shame, Mr Trump?” To answer that question, Trump responded by insinuating that she did not speak at that podium because she was forbidden to. When confronted by the bravery and grace of the Khan family, Trump responded in the only way he knew how, to insult and to try to “otherize” them — to try to deflect their criticism with an unsuccessful attempt to strip them of their American identity. Instead, Trump’s false patriotism was finally laid bare in the face of a Gold Star family and their American hero son.