If you missed Lester Holt's interview with Donald Trump, you missed... well... not much. President Trump handled himself fairly well, Holt spent most of his time interrupting, and little or no news was made. You can tell Holt was desperate for something juicy, but If you pay attention to developing stories, there wasn't much meat on the bone. I suspect he walked away disappointed.
However boring it may have been, there are a couple of interesting tidbits - both of which occurred outside of the actual sit down.
The first is the sheet of paper that Trump handed Holt before the interview began. A lot of people noticed it, and a lot of people wondered what might have been on it. Turns out, it was a five page packet of quotes - all from top Dems - disparaging, or demanding the firing, of former FBI Director James Comey.
Even Holt acknowledges it made a "fair point."
The second interesting thing is Holt's assertion that he felt like Trump expected some kind of "universal applause" after he gave Comey the axe.
I'll be honest. I don't know if Holt is reading signals that weren't there, misinterpreting something, or just making something up, but he seems genuine. My B.S. detector is finely tuned - particularly when it comes to the old media - and I’m not getting the sense that Holt's playing a game here. I actually suspect he's being honest, and he really did get the vibe that Trump was expecting broader support for Comey's ouster.
This should be troubling to anyone who wants to see Trump succeed.
If Holt's right, Trump is woefully underestimating the level of vitriol he faces. He'll never enjoy anything remotely approaching "universal applause" for the simple fact that he's a marked man. The left will never acknowledge his successes, never accept his presidency, and never forgive him for the destruction of their queen. He could be doing precisely what they wanted, and they'd still find a way to tear him down because they're slaves to their own narrative.
The left's hatred of this President runs deeper than anything we've witnessed in modern American politics, and they will tolerate no dissension among their ranks.
Maybe Trump spent so much time around the Hollywood left that some part of him still thinks they're his friends. Perhaps he thinks the Democrats in D.C. have some shred of decency left in them. It's impossible to overstate how important it is that Trump understands this is not the case.
Any kind gesture, any bipartisan effort, any concession, will be met with rage. The left has nothing else to offer.
So, please Mr. President. If Lester Holt is right - if you thought there might be some portion of the Democrat party that would view the firing of James Comey as anything other than an excuse to launch an attack - view this week as a chance to learn.
Country be damned, they will applaud nothing other than your humiliation, failure, and elimination from the political stage.
