MEDIA/RALLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Donald Trump had the crowd hanging on every word, every pause, every gesture. The thousands who gathered here had come to see what the president might serve up next. But they weren’t all that interested in hearing his latest policy pronouncements — they wanted to see Trump’s stand-up shtick. And on Thursday [10-18-18] night, Trump’s newest bit was a tribute to the Montana congressman who gained nationwide attention last year for body slamming a reporter…Outside the Missoula International Airport, Trump’s remarks met, predictably, with widespread outrage. The White House Correspondents’ Association said Americans should ‘recoil from the president’s praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job.’ But few people gathered in the hangar where Trump spoke were recoiling…Trump’s brand of humor — cutting, insulting and sometimes even downright mean — has long offended and shocked the president’s critics. But for his supporters and allies, Trump’s irreverent jokes, which have become a central part of his increasingly frequent rallies across the country, are a feature, not a bug.”
–Andrew Restuccia and Ben Schreckinger, “In MAGA world, Trump’s jokes always land,” Politico, October 19, 2018 4:06 pm