The Point: George Will's startling assessment of Donald Trump

View this email in your browser July 15, 2019  | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski George Will's startling assessment of Donald Trump In an interview with The New York Times Book Review podcast, longtime conservative commentator George Will offered a stirring and stark assessment of what Donald Trump's presidency will mean for our politics and our culture. Here's the key bit: "I believe that what this president has done to our culture, to our civic discourse ... you cannot unring these bells and you cannot unsay what he has said, and you cannot change that he has now in a very short time made it seem normal for schoolboy taunts and obvious lies to be spun out in a constant stream. I think this will do more lasting damage than Richard Nixon's surreptitious burglaries did." That's George Will, folks. Not Rachel Maddow. And it's George Will saying that what Trump is doing, has done and will do to -- and with -- the presidency is more destructive than the actions of a president who was forced to resign in order to keep from being impeached. Sit with all of that for a minute. Will's broader argument is that Nixon's coordinated burglaries at the Democratic National Committee were secret and, once revealed, broadly condemned by the public and the two political parties. What Trump is doing is happening right in front of our faces -- and with the tacit assent of the Republican Party that Will left in 2016. "What Donald Trump's revolutionary effect has been [is] to make things acceptable that were unthinkable until recently," Will said on the Times podcast, asking host Pamela Paul if she could even conceive of past presidents like John Kennedy or Dwight Eisenhower uttering any of the many things Trump has said in office. The words of Will that run truest to me were these: "You cannot unring these bells." I think he is 100% right on that. The idea that once Trump leaves the White House -- whether involuntarily in January 2021 or voluntarily-ish in January 2025 -- the impacts and reverberations of what he has done to the presidency (and to the way in which the presidency is covered) will disappear is a fallacy. Politics is a copycat game. Always has been. What Trump has taught politicians is that telling the truth isn't all that important -- especially if you have your own bullhorn (in Trump's case Twitter + Fox News) to make your own "alternative facts." And that presidential norms and the idea of "being presidential" is a meaningless construct. And a lot more "lessons" that will be destructive to the way in which people run for president and act once they get elected. The Point: What Will knows is that Trump has already changed the presidency -- and our culture -- in profound ways that will not simply "snap back" once he leaves office. His imprint on the office is deep and wide.   -- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "Don't take the bait." -- Rep. Ayanna Pressley, telling people to not be distracted by Donald Trump's "xenophobic and bigoted" remarks in a press conference at the Capitol. THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME When the lights went out in parts of New York City over the weekend, people were trapped in elevators, Times Square went dark, and, in the confusion, the city looked to its mayor for answers.  But the mayor, Bill de Blasio, was a thousand miles away -- in Waterloo, Iowa, talking to Democrats on the campaign trail as he runs for president. De Blasio's presidential ambitions have been criticized by some New Yorkers, who say he already has a full-time job. There is notoriously bad blood between de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Even though De Blasio flew back to New York late Saturday, Cuomo didn't mince words, saying, "Mayors are important and situations like this come up. And you have to be on site." Presidential candidates take pains to be in the right place at the right time -- so much so that some even move their primary residences to telegraph to would-be supporters that they're putting these voters first. 🎧 Lauren has more on the politics of presidential campaign travel in today's The Point podcast. CHRIS' GOOD READS Nineteen words. Three mistruths by President Trump. Nancy Cook on how deeply involved the President's family is in his 2020 reelection bid How Donald Trump chose Mike Pence, via Tim Alberta There's going to be huge turnout in 2020. Nate Cohn tried to figure out which side benefits.  Is it OK to laugh at Florida Man? (Answer: Yes.) Related: Crab attack. Glass-blowing: So hot right now MUSICAL INTERLUDE Tracks from the new Bon Iver record keep dribbling out. This one is called "Faith." Fundraising deadline Consider it a campaign posting its receipts.  The Federal Election Commission, or FEC, has deadlines for candidates for federal office to file their disclosure reports, showing who donated to the campaign over a certain period of time -- and how the campaign spent its money.  Monday (July 15) is the second quarter deadline, where campaigns are required to disclose all of the money that came in and out of the campaign from the beginning of April to the end of June.  A strong fundraising report, showing a lot of money coming in, or a lot of money in the bank, is good news for a candidate. It shows they have enough money to continue on through the marathon campaign season. Look for campaigns to highlight small-dollar donations and "grassroots support" as a sign of strength, too. A weak fundraising report -- or underwhelming by not bringing in enough money to support a healthy campaign -- can spell trouble for a candidate.  Follow today's fundraising totals as they post on CNN.com.  LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST Pete Buttigieg: Is on a hiring spree after his campaign raked in more money than any other this quarter. Joe Biden: Reiterated his support for Obamacare, saying Democrats have not been straightforward about "Medicare for All."  Bernie Sanders: Fired back at Biden, saying he's spreading "misinformation" on "Medicare for All."  Kamala Harris: Defended Nancy Pelosi, saying "I've known her to be very respectful of women of color." YOUR DAILY GIF From Brenna: "Being the center of attention at a briefing has to be super stressful. Not only do you have to try to answer well, but you have to figure out who to pick on, like Treasury Secretary Mnuchin here. Share The Point with someone who'd like questions submitted in writing!" We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. Follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter. Subscribe to The Point unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  Copyright © 2019 Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved., All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Our mailing address is: Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303 Add us to your address book Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters.​