There is no Lindsey Graham Award for Outstanding Achievement in Obsequiousness, but maybe there should be. If this were an Oscar category, it would be very hard for anyone to top the performance of Sen. Tim Scott at Trump’s New Hampshire victory speech Tuesday night.
Trump won the day with 54% of the vote, showing that—just like in Iowa—barely half the voters in New Hampshire’s Republican primary could stomach a third go-round with Trump.
The thinner-than-expected margin of victory, along with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s refusal to leave the field, made for one angry, snarly victory “celebration,” and for much of the night, Scott was center stage. His was the smiling face over Trump’s shoulder as Trump ignored him to call up one speaker after another to make threats and repeat rumors. Then, when Trump finally ceded the spotlight to Scott, he did it in what may be the cruelest way imaginable.
And did Scott play along? Oh, you know he did.
It’s hard to watch this without squirming.
“Did you ever think that she actually appointed you, Tim?” said Trump as he turned halfway toward Scott. “And, think of it, appointed and you’re the senator of her state. She endorsed me. You must really hate her.”
Trump’s “she endorsed me” was clearly meant to be “You endorsed me.” But then, it wouldn’t be a Trump speech if it didn’t include a few fumbles that left listeners confused. In any case, Trump straight-out asked Scott to repudiate the woman who appointed him to the Senate, supported him in his subsequent election, and was largely responsible for his political career.
If there were actual Bible-reading Christians among Trump’s audience, they might have recognized this sequence from the Gospel of Luke. But Scott was more than up to accepting the level of humiliation Trump requested.
After Trump surmised that Scott seemingly hated Haley, Scott walked around and surprised Trump by actually talking. “I just love you!” Scott declared. Big smile. Big smile.
It leaves the impression that if Trump demanded self-immolation from his followers, Tim Scott wouldn’t hesitate to pull out a lighter. His efforts to be Trump’s pick for vice president would not be more obvious if he went around wearing a “Pick Me!” sandwich board. It’s genuinely icky.
But surely his conveniently timed fiancée will be waiting at home to comfort him.
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Tim Miller from The Next Level podcast comes on to discuss Iowa, New Hampshire, and the cracks they expose in Donald Trump’s MAGA-movement.
