Brooks: Trump’s Immigration Comments ‘Sign That He Has Attention Span Problems,’ Just Wants To Please Who He’s In Front Of

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “very crude pander” on immigration is “a sign that he has attention span problems, and that he has — he just wants to please whatever audience he happens to be in front of at that moment.”

Brooks said, “[T]he fact that he’s changing stance is not surprising, because the man has a severe problem with impulse control. The fact that he was consistent for a little while is the odd situation for him. The only thing he’s been consistent upon is narcissism so far. But — and so, this was him responding to different audiences. And so, a new campaign team comes in, and they look at a bunch of poll numbers, and they see he’s not doing well, and he’s especially not doing well among moderate Republicans. They’re not doing well among Latinos. And so, there’s this very crude pander, both on him saying he’ll be great for African-Americans, and then on the immigration, the pander.”

Brooks continued, “And the crudity of it, is what is so striking. Here’s a guy who actually — to the extent that people really did like him –or do like him, it’s because he speaks his mind. And to throw that away on such a blatant flip-flop is a sign not just that he made some strategic pivot or something. It’s a sign that he has attention span problems, and that he has — he just wants to please whatever audience he happens to be in front of at that moment.”

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