The heart of the event unfolded as Former US President Donald Trump, took an odd turn in his political rally on Saturday in Georgia’s Perry. His speech was punctuated with a myriad of topics, ranging from foreign policy to media biases. However, the most intriguing aspect was perhaps his fixation on the famed golf legend, Arnold Palmer.
Trump’s remarks on Palmer appeared seemingly out of the blue. Extolling the golfing great, Mr. Trump used Palmer’s remarkable ‘manliness’ as a vantage point to hold forth his support for scientific achievements that ensure traditional equipment continues to function as per intended design. Trump used this premise to go on a tangent about his preoccupation with water showers and the pressure they produce. Remarkably, he linked these two disparate factors to project a conceptual worldview which, while found to be offbeat by some, resonated with his broader audience.
In his speech, the former President characterized Arnold Palmer as an embodiment of ‘all man,’ praising his skills, courage, and charisma, qualities he saw inherent in the golfing superstar. Trump cast Palmer in an idolatrous light, another testament to the embodiment of old-school values and inherent manliness that he believes America should revere. Arnold’s image served as a symbolic anchor for Trump’s detour into uncharted topics that included discussions around household showers, of all things.
Recalling his presidency days, Mr. Trump delved into an infamously peculiar incident when he had openly complained about the low pressure in modern showers. It’s interesting to note he broached this subject once again during the rally. According to him, his strong frustrations about low-flow showers and toilets even led him to roll back some of Obama-era water efficiency standards. The former President reiterated his disdain for low-water flow and showerheads that limit water output to a rationed 2.5 gallons per minute according to federal regulations.
Trump’s verbal tangent from Palmer to water pressure indicates his deeply entrenched belief in prioritizing practicality over environmental regulations. His reminiscence of the shower’s water pressure showed a profound concern towards the changes in traditional values felt by his supporters, which he feels are threatened by the ever-increasing tide of modern regulations. His reference to Arnold Palmer further exemplified this point, using the golfing giant’s image as a symbol of quintessential American greatness which he feels has been diluted over recent years.
While some might dismiss Trump’s harping on to water pressure as a non-critical issue, it becomes worthwhile when examined in greater depth. Trump’s thoughts on the matter frankly serve as a metaphorical representation of his political ideology. His ardent belief in preserving traditional values and mechanics, even if it’s something as trivial as a shower’s flow rate or as great as a legendary figure like Arnold Palmer, reflects his inclination towards a more conservative and possibly nostalgia-driven viewpoint.
If anything, Trump’s speech at the Perry rally underscored his method of reaching out to the American populace – through the use of shared cultural references and an appeal to ‘simpler times’. And while aspects of his monologue might attract jest or cheer, it nonetheless paints a vivid picture of a form of political ideology that is vehement about preserving certain norms and ideals it perceives to be innately ‘American.’ Indeed, whether venting frustration at shower regulations or idolizing the great Arnold Palmer, Trump’s speech was an expressive projection of his political identity.
Unorthodox though it might seem, Trump’s intentional dip back into his presidential frustrations provided him the chance to reiterate his alignment with old values while critiquing the changing norms and regulations. His fixation on Arnold Palmer’s ‘manly’ image and his own fight against the water-saving measures rally his supporters to resist the tides of change and reflect on the ‘good old days’, carving out in simple strokes his political landscape for his followers to see. It showcases the defining trait of Trumpian rhetoric: an appeal to normalcy, practicality, and nostalgia for times when things were simpler, less regulated, and seemingly more ‘American.’
Despite its seemingly eccentric trajectory, Trump’s Georgia rally, in essence, was a reaffirmation of his core political ideology of upholding traditional American values and old-fashioned practicality. From Arnold Palmer to shower water pressure, Trump managed to thread seemingly unrelated elements into a coherent narrative that rallied and resonated with his fervent followers.