“ ‘It is a classic example of Trump’s, at times, gut-level political savvy. This kind of thing is why he’s president.’ ”

That’s how the editor of conservative magazine National Review described Donald Trump’s call to fire the NFL sons of bitches protesting the national anthem.

So, how does it work, exactly?

“He takes a commonly held sentiment — most people don’t like the NFL protests — and states it in an inflammatory way guaranteed to get everyone’s attention and generate outrage among his critics,” he says. “When those critics lash back at him, Trump is put in the position of getting attacked for a fairly commonsensical view.”

Not that NFL owners would actually fire their players, of course, but that’s pretty much exactly Lowry’s point.

“This is where ‘seriously, not literally’ comes in,” he explains. “Since everyone knows that owners aren’t going to do this, Trump’s statement registers for his supporters merely as forceful opposition to the protests, not as a specific plan of action.”

Lowry pointed out that Trump’s support a Mexico-funded border wall and for the Muslim ban played out in a similar fashion.

”When Trump is criticized and doesn’t back down it is taken by his supporters as a sign of strength,” he said. “If a political consultant came up with this strategy, he’d deserve a huge raise. But it’s just Trump himself operating on instinct.”

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