Jake Tapper is not ready to change his tune when it comes to the 45th U.S. President Donald Trump.
After the real estate mogul had delivered an important speech in front of Congress this past Tuesday, many people in the media started pushing a new narrative.
According to this new conventional wisdom, there is a new Trump in town who has finally embraced the role of president.
Some were quick to call it a pivot. This is an angle that has animated media figures for close to two years.
Based on that idea, Trump is perfectly capable of changing his ways and endorse the traditional aspects of the presidency.
The speech did not contain any new approach to the big problems that the country is currently facing, but the new tone was enough to convince a big portion of the Fourth State that things would be different from now on.
In reality, Mr. Trump delivered a white nationalist speech inspired by his controversial adviser Steve Bannon with the gentle grace of his oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump.
The message remained the same, but the delivery changed, and this was enough to buy some good will in the media.
Tapper, who has become one of the biggest critics of the new administration, is not buying it. For him, there is no pivot or a new Trump.
The only change that happened in Washington came from the media. For example, a few hours before delivering the speech, Trump had suggested in a sit-down with some news anchors that he was ready to tackle immigration reform.
However, he never touched on it in the address. Moreover, he brought families of victims of crimes committed by people who were in the country illegally. To observers, that is not the way to get a deal on immigration.
The media saw none of this when it decided there was a new Trump in town. Tapper shared in a Wednesday interview with The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah: “It was a fine speech and a decent performance.” The host of CNN’s State of the Union added: “The policies and the positions that he holds are as, if not more, important, I think. And the fact is that some of the things he has said and done have been completely contrary to the ideals and aspirations that he voiced in the speech.”
With politicians, it is always more important to follow what they do than what they say.
