US Election Extra: Trump vs Harris Town Halls - Narcissist vs Servant Leader

"Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are not taking the same exam. He gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless. That's what's unfair."

Hello Team

🎦 00:00-03:18⏩
Jonathan welcomes viewers to an extra video about the US election and notes how stark the differences are between the two sides. Jonathan is unconvinced that the election is as close as people are claiming and points to the success of the Democrats in early voting in Pennsylvania as well as the low turnout of low-information voters. He cites a poll he ran on his own channel which suggested 4 times as many Republicans intended to vote Democrat than vice-versa. He intends to explore these differences in more detail in this video.

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Democratic Enthusiasm vs Republican Apathy

🎦 03:18-06:15⏩
Jonathan shows footage from recent Harris rallies which feature large, enthusiastic crowds. In comparison to Republican rallies, which haven't attracted crowds of a similar size or demonstrated a similar level of enthusiasm, Jonathan believes there is a clear enthusiasm gap between the two sides.

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Harris' Strategy to Attract Middle Ground and Republican Voters

🎦 06:15-10:28⏩
Jonathan praises Harris' strategy of appealing to middle ground and Republican voters by giving them a permission structure to vote Democrat. This includes sharing a stage with prominent Republicans who have endorsed her and publicly stating she will include Republicans in her cabinet. He contrasts this with Trump, who has alienated many traditional Republican voters.

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"Whisper campaign" to Encourage Women to Vote Democrat

🎦 10:28-12:36⏩
Jonathan plays a news clip about an unusual whisper campaign involving the placing of post-it notes in women's bathrooms which encourage them to vote Democrat by reminding them that nobody knows who they vote for. He also cites Liz Cheney (a pro-life Republican) who used similar rhetoric recently at a town hall event.

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Trump's Incoherence, Slip-Ups and Lack of Clarity

🎦 12:36-15:28⏩
Jonathan plays several clips of Trump speaking which demonstrate his lack of coherence, multiple slip-ups (e.g. calling Biden, Obama) and inability to string a sentence together. He questions how Trump supporters explain these gaffes away whilst simultaneously holding Biden and Harris to a higher standard.

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Trump as a Malignant Narcissist vs Harris as Servant Leader

🎦 15:28-22:17⏩
Jonathan moves on to the main thrust of the video by stating that it's important to ask why someone has said something, rather than what they have said. He believes Trump is a malignant narcissist who constantly seeks validation, gratification and adulation from others. Jonathan argues that this means Trump is incapable of being a true servant leader, someone who uses their power to serve others. He suggests Harris is a servant leader and asks viewers to decide for themselves who would make a better President based on their track records.

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Trump's Narcissism: Evidence From His Behaviour

🎦 22:17-29:13⏩
Jonathan presents further evidence of Trump's narcissism by playing a clip of him admiring his own reflection on a large screen behind him during a speech, and by showing a photograph posted by Adam Kinzinger of Trump's mobile phone screensaver which is an image of himself. He also plays a clip of Trump calling in to a JD Vance Town Hall event to ask Vance how brilliant he (Trump) is. Jonathan notes that this bizarre behaviour makes Vance look weak and demonstrates Trump's need for loyalty and fealty above all else.

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Trump's Town Hall Answers: A Case Study In How Not To Answer Questions

🎦 29:13-40:47⏩
Jonathan plays a clip from a Trump town hall event where a retired union worker on a fixed income asks Trump what he will do to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits. After a brief "yes" in response to the question, Trump immediately goes off on a tangent, forgets the question, makes irrelevant comments about the questioner's physique, and only vaguely mentions tax breaks on Social Security benefits in passing. Jonathan notes how chaotic and lacking in clarity Trump's answer is, particularly when compared with how much policy detail other candidates manage to pack into their town hall answers.

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Trump's Town Hall Answers: Continued

🎦 40:47-46:07⏩
Jonathan plays a second clip from the same Trump Town Hall event where a woman asks him what he plans to do about artificial food and promoting access to healthy food. After praising RFK Jr for his stance on artificial foods and pesticides, Trump offers no concrete details about his own policies other than stating there will be no artificial food and that "we will get it taken care of". Jonathan points out that Trump hasn't actually answered the question or offered anything concrete. He believes Trump does not understand the subject matter and has not been sufficiently briefed by his aides.

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Trump's Town Hall Answers: Continued

🎦 46:07-49:28⏩
Jonathan plays a third clip, this time from a Trump barbershop interview, in which a man asks what he will do to improve the school system in the Bronx. Trump responds by saying he will move the Department of Education back to New York before going on a bizarre rant about teaching kids "reading, writing and arithmetic", getting rid of "transgender", and implying children are being forced to undergo gender reassignment surgery at school. Once again, Jonathan believes Trump is incapable of answering a question clearly and pivots to the culture wars instead of staying on topic.

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Tucker Carlson's "Vigorous Spanking" Rant

🎦 49:28-52:53⏩
Jonathan shows a clip from a recent Tucker Carlson speech in which he advocates for "vigorous spankings" of girls. He notes how bizarre this is in the context of a political campaign rally and how far removed it is from actual policy.

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Harris' Town Hall Answers: Empathy, Lived Experience and Policy

🎦 52:53-01:04:49⏩
In contrast to Trump, Jonathan now shows a clip from a Kamala Harris town hall event. A woman asks Harris a detailed question about how she would make childcare and eldercare more affordable whilst simultaneously improving working conditions and pay for carers. Harris responds by firstly acknowledging the woman's difficult situation and offering empathy. She then goes on to explain how she understands the situation from personal experience (caring for her own mother), before outlining her policy to restructure Medicaid to cover the cost of in-home health care. Jonathan believes Harris' answer demonstrates a clear understanding of the issue, of the woman's lived experience, and of the economic, cultural, and social impact of her policy.

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Harris' Town Hall Answers: Continued

🎦 01:04:49-01:07:40⏩
Jonathan continues to play the Kamala Harris clip. Harris goes on to explain the importance of supporting women's healthcare, particularly in light of the Dobbs decision, and stresses the need to ensure that medical professionals feel able to provide reproductive healthcare without fear of judgement. Jonathan notes how Harris is always cognizant of the impact of policies and how she draws on her own lived experience (in this case, her mother was a breast cancer researcher). He also observes how Harris has done research and spoken to experts to help inform her views on a range of policy areas.

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Double Standards in the Media: Grading Harris on a Curve

🎦 01:07:40-01:12:58⏩
Jonathan plays a clip from CNN's post-match analysis of the Kamala Harris town hall event. Jake Tapper argues that the media is holding Harris to a different standard than Trump, critiquing her answers and suggesting how she could have done better, whilst glossing over Trump's gaffes and incoherent rants. Van Jones agrees, pointing out that whilst Harris is being assessed as a normal politician, Trump is essentially lawless. Jonathan agrees with Tapper and Jones, stating that this double-standard approach is unfair.

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Trump's Ignorance on Tariffs

🎦 01:12:58-01:14:47⏩
Jonathan plays a clip of Trump stating that tariffs are paid for by other countries and do not result in higher prices for US consumers. Jonathan points out that this is incorrect. He reiterates that tariffs are essentially a sales tax which ultimately results in higher prices for US consumers. He believes Trump does not understand how tariffs work and is unwilling to rely on experts to advise him.

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Wrap up

🎦 01:14:47-01:15:54⏩
Jonathan concludes by contrasting the two candidates. He believes Harris has demonstrated a solid understanding of policy and is in touch with the lived experience of ordinary Americans, making her better qualified to be President. In contrast, he argues that Trump is a narcissist who is primarily interested in self-aggrandisement and does not have a sufficient grasp of policy to offer anything other than incoherent ramblings. He apologises for the length of the video, but hopes his point has been made.

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