Staff Reports
In a recent showdown with Bloomberg’s John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of Chicago, former President Donald Trump demonstrated that he has not lost a step. Contrary to the establishment media’s depiction of him as a crumbling, washed-up has-been, Trump held a live, unscripted discussion for an entire hour—without breaking a sweat—while Kamala Harris, the ever-absent vice president, opted out of the intellectual challenge, likely fearing she would be outmatched.
The timing of this spectacle couldn’t be more ironic. Just days before the event, Team Kamala attempted to stir the pot by labeling Trump as a “weak” man, supposedly hiding his mental decline. Yet, here he was, going toe-to-toe with a hostile journalist, leaving the audience—who had arrived skeptical—wondering how Kamala thought she could handle the heat of a similar encounter. Spoiler alert: she couldn’t.
While Micklethwait tried his hardest to pin Trump down with tough questions about economic issues and tariffs, Trump showed he could dish it out just as well as he could take it. In a scene that could only be described as Trumpian glory, he roasted both Micklethwait and the Wall Street Journal, declaring that they’d been wrong about him on just about everything. The only thing more reassuring was the tight security around the venue, as the Chicago police lined the walls, perhaps anticipating the fireworks that Trump was sure to bring.
PRES. TRUMP: I want a lot of people to come into our country but I want them to come in legally.
Bloomberg: You are talking about deporting 11 million people.
PRES. TRUMP: 425,000 people who are horrible criminals and 13,099 criminals were let in during Kamala's administration. pic.twitter.com/s8Tgd1fLOy
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 15, 2024
It’s amusing to note the editor’s disbelief when Trump boldly stated that tariffs aren’t a dirty word; in fact, he considers “tariff” to be one of the most beautiful words in the dictionary. While Micklethwait lectured about rising prices and trade implications, Trump glided smoothly into his rebuttal, arguing that higher tariffs would incentivize American companies to relocate their factories back home—much to the chagrin of the mainstream economists whose heads must have been spinning in disbelief.
As the audience began to warm up to Trump, one couldn’t help but chuckle at the predictable Democratic response. Knowing they had nothing left but the race card to play, they tried to paint Trump with the tired brush of racism—an accusation that has clearly lost its sting. It’s no longer effective when everyone understands it’s just a desperate ploy from a party that can’t seem to get its act together. Meanwhile, amidst the protests outside and the low expectations inside, Trump effortlessly worked the room, securing a standing ovation at the end of a performance that would make any showman proud.
In the end, one thing was unmistakably clear: Trump emerged victorious from the encounter while Kamala’s absence only highlighted her inability to engage with the challenges of leadership. A room full of doubters walked away with a bit more respect for the man they had come to critique, while the vice president is left to ponder what her own economic forum might have looked like—if only she had the guts to face off against her political rival.
