At Last Debate, Trump Rose to the Status of the Presidency

If all of the anti-Trump criticism were to be boiled down into one singular intangible, it would be that many voters have a hard time envisioning the billionaire as the actual president of the United States. No matter where you look – his appearance, his history, his mannerisms, his attitude, his remarks – you see someone who looks nothing like anyone who ever occupied the White House. That’s a stumbling block for many voters. When Hillary Clinton – who is very obviously unlike any president we’ve ever had in one glaring way – appears more “presidential” than Trump, it becomes clear how far off the reservation the Republican nominee really is.

On Tuesday night, in the last debate, Trump overcame that significant hurdle. In the third and final showdown, Donald Trump fully inhabited the gravitas of the presidency. He didn’t suddenly become another phony politician. He didn’t become Mr. Rehearsed. He didn’t come bearing a bunch of poll-tested phrases. It was nothing that specific.

And yet, it was far more important.

In his final debate performance, Trump…was comfortable. That’s the key. The bluster and hype that has defined his candidacy has finally given way to true confidence, and it radiated off the billionaire for 90 straight minutes. Strangely, this confidence seems to have surfaced when Trump’s actual chances of winning the election appear smaller than ever.

But maybe it’s not that strange. Many religious readers know that there is tremendous power in the concept of acceptance. When you look at your life situation and accept what is, peace comes rushing in – peace that arises from another spiritual dimension. It’s not uncommon for these instances of holy peace to arise after a period of intense suffering.

No one can deny that Trump has suffered greatly for the last couple of weeks. The 2005 tape, followed by a rash of accusations, was not the way the Trump campaign wanted to finish out the election. But perhaps that suffering has brought about acceptance and, paradoxically, immense true confidence in Donald Trump.

Whatever the reason, there was a palpably different Trump on the stage this week. The press doesn’t want to talk about it, so they’re squawking about the “rigged election” stuff to get people to forget what they saw with their eyes and – more importantly – felt in a deeper place.

Regardless of any specific answers, undecided voters who watched the third debate will have an unspoken reason to choose Trump in three weeks.

If they realize it…