Hey Jorge Ramos: I’m sure the Trump campaign wants to send you a thank you card and a fruit basket. What’s the best address? At a press conference in Iowa Tuesday night, the Univision “reporter” (quotes intended) tried his best to put Donald Trump on the spot regarding his immigration policies but guess what? It totally backfired.
Look, by the now many of you have seen the video of Ramos being escorted out of the room by security after trying to ask his immigration question. Some may say that approach was unnecessary but let’s look at the facts.
First of all, Ramos was not called upon at the press conference. Another reporter was chosen by Trump to ask a question and Ramos barged in like a media bully. Hey Jorge, that’s called bad journalistic etiquette. Mainstream media reporters should be calling Ramos out on that bad move. But that’s not all. Once he started speaking, he didn’t ask a question, he made a political statement. He essentially told Trump he couldn’t deport millions of illegal immigrants. There was no question and when he finally got to something resembling a question, it was rhetorical in nature. Ramos did not come to that press conference with a journalist’s curiosity. He came with a political agenda. That’s strike 2 and the mainstream media should call him out on that too. Finally, after being escorted back in Ramos and Trump go at it on immigration. Think about this. Ramos was literally escorted out of the room and then Trump looks like the good guy by bringing him back and having him ask his question/rant. That’s remarkable. Who does that? Most politicians wouldn’t ever try to engage with someone who clearly had an agenda but guess what? Trump doesn’t care. He can handle it. He’s man enough to deal with it (to quote the cover of Time Magazine this week). What Trump showed (once again) to voters is that he’s not afraid to back down from a fight. He lets it rip and loves to battle.
Politically, what makes this incident such a winning proposition for Trump is that anytime you take on the liberal, agenda-seeking mainstream media you win. Ramos tried to grandstand and hijack the press conference and Trump stood up to him. This is not an easy task. Many politicians wouldn’t have the stomach for the fight or if they did engage, they wouldn’t have turned the tables as deftly as Trump. That’s what voters want. They want a fighter. They want someone who is going to dish it back to agenda-setting reporters. You see, when it comes to the liberal mainstream media, conservative voters hold a true disdain for the lot of them but they don’t feel they have the power or bully pulpit to fight back against them. Trump is their bully pulpit. Trump is their voice. And that my friends, is the magic of Trump. Jorge Ramos wanted to expose Trump on immigration. Instead, he exposed why Trump is growing in popularity across America. Trump turned the tables. He’s the maestro conductor of this 2016 presidential election. He leads. Others follow. Oh, and one more thing: where should the Trump campaign send the fruit basket?