Does Anyone Actually Listen to What Trump Says?

What I think is the most interesting and unique aspect of Trump’s behavior is how he doesn’t seem to worry about whether anything he says is true or has been previously said by him in a completely contrary way.

In fact, I get the distinct impression that he is convinced, and maybe he’s correct, that people (and voters) will like him no matter what he says, or whether they even bother to listen to him when he speaks.

I went to one of his early rallies in 2016 with a modest-size crowd at a fairground outside of Worcester, MA. Given that Massachusetts is the bluest of all blue states, I was actually surprised that anyone turned out at all, nevertheless I found myself standing in the middle of a decent-sized crowd.

The show began with a brief welcome from some GOP member of the State Senate — they actually found a real, live GOP incumbent to show up. Then there were a couple of rock songs from some local group which tried strenuously to be heard because the sound system broke in the middle of their second song.

Then someone fixed the PA system, screamed Trump’s name and out he came.

Trump talked about 30 minutes, basically said that he was running to make America great again, a statement he repeated three or four times, at which point, ten minutes into his remarks…