Should Donald Trump Tone It Down?

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has been criticized by politicians and citizens alike for his controversial comments.

Just on Monday, dozens of black pastors rallied at his midtown Manhattan high-rise to raise concerns about his blunt language and what some describe as racially charged rhetoric. Indeed, on Nov. 20, Trump’s wife Melania told Barbara Walters in an interview that she thinks her husband could stand to dial it down a notch.

Is Melania right – should Donald Trump tone it down?

Let’s take a look…

Should Donald Trump Tone It Down? Survey Says…

A new Quinnipiac University survey released this morning indicates Trump is the first choice of 27% of Republican primary voters nationally. It’s his best poll performance since August, and a three-point increase from last month.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what he says or who he offends, whether the facts are contested or the ‘political correctness’ is challenged, Donald Trump seems to be wearing Kevlar,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, according to Business Insider today.

Malloy couldn’t have put it better. Trump does seem impenetrable in the wake of his own rhetorical fallacies. He even has a routine for it, The Washington Post pointed out earlier today. “[He] says something controversial or incorrect, reporters ask him about it, and instead of reconsidering his choice of words or tone, he doubles down.”

Only two instances of late might suggest Trump is trying to tone it down, noted the WSJ:

• First, after a major media backlash that compared his ideas to Nazism, Trump reconsidered his proposal for a “Muslims in America” identification database.
• Second, during a rally in Sarasota, Fla., this past weekend, the billionaire kept his cool while security guards escorted a protester from the gathering. In fact, Trump quietly asked security to be nice to “the person” and to please “not hurt the person” before eventually remarking, “You see how diplomatic I’ve become?”

Indeed, if we are about to see a “more diplomatic” Trump in the coming months, we’ll want to keep an eye on his ratings…

A cooler, calmer Trump may not settle well with his support base, because right now his surge in polls reflects voters prefer the fired-up, bombastic version.

Let us know what you think: Should Donald Trump tone it down? Find us on Twitter @moneymorning and on Facebook.

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Related Articles:

• The Washington Post: Is the Media Starting to Get to Donald Trump – Just a Little?
• Business Insider: Ben Carson Just Plunged in a New Poll, and Donald Trump Is Soaring Again

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