‘The copy is never as good as the original’: Trump’s rallies face an uncertain future

In an article by AFP, Donald Trump's unique approach to political rallies is highlighted as he campaigns across the U.S. ahead of the November midterm elections.

His rallies, characterized by provocative rhetoric and showmanship, continue to draw devoted supporters despite the decreasing size of crowds and venues.

Observers and attendees alike express doubt about whether anyone can replicate Trump's distinctive style, though potential successors like JD Vance are being considered.

Researchers note that Trump's ability to transform political events into vibrant spectacles may set a challenging precedent for future political figures.

GREENVILLE, Oct 22 — Young students attending their debut political gathering, longtime supporters coming since 2015, or curious onlookers witnessing a presidential spectacle, they all agree: as Donald Trump runs his final campaign, no one will be able to replace his rallies.

“There’s a lot of Americana. There’s a lot of, you know, happy people,” a Trump fan named Bart said Tuesday night’s outdoor campaign event in Greenville, North Carolina.

Trump has been barnstorming across multiple US states ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with his party at serious risk of losing their majorities in Congress.

In this rural corner of the eastern United States, “we don’t have stuff like this happen very often,” said Bart, attending with his wife Courtney and their two children, ages 10 and 12.

Bart, who declined to give his last name, walked past a “MAGA” souvenir stand and rows of red, white and blue bunting before finding his seat on an airport tarmac where the rally was held.

It was a familiar feeling. He attended his first Trump campaign event in 2015.

Since then, millions of Americans have experienced this in-person ritual—a unique blend of provocative verbal attacks, consummate showmanship, and tireless enthusiasm, all from a president who has reached age 80.

Low-flying Air Force One

For 18-year-old Jaycie Bullard, dressed in Republican red, attending the rally was a no-brainer.

“When I heard that he was coming to Greenville, I knew I had to come,” said the nursing student enrolled at a nearby university.

“It’s pure joy, I feel like a little kid on Christmas.”

After an hours-long wait, a plane flew low overhead: Trump had arrived. He strode onstage to the strains of “God Bless the USA,” which has become a core part of his political events.

The president launched fierce attacks—sometimes tinged with racist overtones—against his opponents, claimed against all evidence that he won the 2020 election, and cracked oft-repeated jokes before he yielded the stage to a local Republican US Senate candidate.

His rambling, repetitive Greenville speech clocked in at 111 minutes. As always, he left the stage to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”

But these moments, celebrated by the “Make America Great Again” faithful, are the vestiges of a fading political traveling roadshow that only Trump has been able to pull off.

The crowds and venues are getting smaller. Trump, constitutionally barred from a third term, must step down in January 2029.

“I’m nervous for the future,” admitted retiree Patty Laronde, who was seeing Trump for the first time.

“Who’s going to take his place?” she said. “I’m hopeful with JD Vance,” the vice president widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Turning politics into ‘entertainment’

Even if another such master of ceremonies emerges in American politics, David, a self-employed 51-year-old, vocalized what many attendees were likely thinking: “the copy is never as good as the original.”

“He is an anomaly,” added Troy, 59, a manager who also did not give his last name. “There’s... never been a president like him,” he added, “and I don’t know there ever will be again.”

Researchers contacted by AFP tended to agree.

By “turning political rallies into entertainment,” Trump “takes alleged negative emotions such as resentment, grievance and disappointment and transforms them into excitement, pride and positive anticipation,” explained Yagmur Karakaya, a sociology professor at Yale University.

He relies on improvised comedy and culture-war jabs, sports metaphors, the ever-present “winning” philosophy, and business jargon, weaving it into a unique style.

“Can others do this? I am not so sure,” Karakaya said.

That is the million-dollar question, said speech communication professor Jacob Justice of the University of Mississippi, who likened a Trump rally’s atmosphere to that of “a Grateful Dead concert (or) a college football tailgate.”

If anyone could inspire something similar, he or she “might come from the world of social media influencing or podcasting,” Justice said.

Should that person be JD Vance, rallygoer Bart said, “he would bring half of these people.” — AFP

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法新社的一篇文章重点介绍了唐纳德·特朗普在11月中期选举前夕于美国各地开展竞选活动时，其独特的政治集会方式。

尽管集会规模和场地都在减少，但他的集会仍然吸引着众多忠实的拥护者，这些集会以煽动性的言论和表演为特点。

观察人士和与会者都对是否有人能够复制特朗普独特的风格表示怀疑，尽管像 JD Vance 这样的潜在继任者正在被考虑之中。

研究人员指出，特朗普将政治事件转化为精彩纷呈的表演的能力，可能会为未来的政治人物树立一个具有挑战性的先例。

格林维尔，10 月 22 日——无论是首次参加政治集会的年轻学生，还是自 2015 年以来一直支持特朗普的长期支持者，亦或是好奇地观看总统竞选活动的旁观者，他们都一致认为：随着唐纳德·特朗普进行他最后的竞选活动，没有人能够取代他的竞选集会。

“这里充满了美国风情。这里有很多快乐的人，”一位名叫巴特的特朗普支持者在周二晚上于北卡罗来纳州格林维尔举行的户外竞选活动中说道。

在11月3日中期选举前夕，特朗普一直在美国多个州进行密集竞选活动，而他的政党面临着失去国会多数席位的严重风险。

巴特说，在美国东部这个偏远的乡村地区，“我们很少遇到这样的事情”，他和妻子考特尼以及他们10岁和12岁的两个孩子一起参加了活动。

巴特拒绝透露自己的姓氏，他走过一个“MAGA”纪念品摊位和一排排红、白、蓝三色彩旗，然后在举行集会的机场停机坪上找到了自己的座位。

这种感觉很熟悉。他第一次参加特朗普竞选活动是在2015年。

从那时起，数百万美国人亲身经历了这一仪式——一位已年过八旬的总统，将挑衅性的言语攻击、精湛的表演技巧和不知疲倦的热情完美融合在一起。

低空飞行的空军一号

对于身着共和党红色服装的 18 岁女孩杰西·布拉德来说，参加集会是理所当然的事。

“当我听说他要来格林维尔时，我就知道我必须来，”这位在附近大学就读的护理系学生说道。

“这真是纯粹的快乐，我感觉自己像个过圣诞节的小孩。”

经过数小时的等待，一架飞机低空飞过：特朗普到了。他伴着《上帝保佑美国》的旋律走上舞台，这首歌已成为他政治活动中不可或缺的一部分。

总统对他的对手发起猛烈攻击——有时还带有种族主义色彩——无视所有证据声称自己赢得了 2020 年大选，并在将舞台让给当地共和党参议员候选人之前，反复讲着一些老掉牙的笑话。

他在格林维尔那场冗长而重复的演讲持续了111分钟。和往常一样，他伴着乡村乐队的《YMCA》离开了舞台。

但这些被“让美国再次伟大”的忠实拥趸们所庆祝的时刻，是日渐式微的政治巡回演出的残余，而这种演出只有特朗普才能成功举办。

人群和场地规模都在缩小。根据宪法规定，特朗普不得连任第三届总统，他必须在2029年1月卸任。

“我对未来感到紧张，”退休人士帕蒂·拉隆德坦言，这是她第一次见到特朗普。

“谁会接替他的位置？”她问道。“我对副总统JD·万斯抱有希望，”万斯被广泛认为是2028年总统候选人的潜在人选。

将政治变成“娱乐”

即使美国政坛再出现一位这样的司仪，51 岁的自由职业者大卫也道出了许多与会者可能都在想的话：“复制品永远不如原版好。”

“他是个异类，”59岁的经理特洛伊补充道，他也不愿透露自己的姓氏。“从来没有过像他这样的总裁，”他补充说，“而且我不知道以后是否还会出现。”

法新社联系到的研究人员大多同意这一观点。

耶鲁大学社会学教授亚穆尔·卡拉卡亚解释说，特朗普“将政治集会变成娱乐”，从而“将所谓的怨恨、不满和失望等负面情绪转化为兴奋、自豪和积极的期待”。

他运用即兴喜剧和文化战争的讽刺、体育比喻、无处不在的“必胜”理念和商业术语，将它们融合在一起，形成了一种独特的风格。

“其他人能做到吗？我不太确定，”卡拉卡亚说。

密西西比大学的演讲传播学教授雅各布·贾斯蒂斯说，这是一个价值百万美元的问题。他将特朗普集会的气氛比作“感恩而死乐队的演唱会（或）大学橄榄球赛前的聚会”。

贾斯蒂斯说，如果有人能启发类似的事情，他或她“可能来自社交媒体影响者或播客领域”。

集会参与者巴特说，如果那个人是JD·万斯，“他能带来这些人中的一半。”——法新社

西藏发生7.0级地震，至少16人死亡，32人受伤

特朗普称马斯克已恢复乌克兰对“星盾”军事通信系统的访问权限。

尽管官司缠身，特朗普在华盛顿建造的250英尺高的凯旋门项目仍有可能继续推进。

一万个傻瓜和权宜政治——邱英辉

据称，一名13岁少年在卡诺维特公共厕所用刀刺伤了一名69岁男子。

安华誓言马来西亚支持泰国南部的和平与稳定。