I commented on the main /r/politics thread about this, but last night was the biggest tipping point moment in the election since the headliner debate. It'll take even longer than that to disseminate broadly, but now Kamala and the Dems have the prefect framing mechanism to position every single talking point against for the remaining 3 weeks of the election. 

Trump's entire shitck for 8 years been a common populist form of machismo bravado, mixed with a professional entertainer's comedic timing. This unique combination is the source of his incredible public image resiliency. In short, he's both (1) the strong man, and (2) the trickster god. He's Thor. **Only I can protect you.** He's Loki. **The smirk. The eyeroll. The rascal who is one step ahead of his enemies**. It's why framing him as a scary dictator never worked, because it feed into that same image of a tough guy who will hurt the right people. It's why the criminal framing has never worked, because people expect him to bend the rules. It's also why the garbled nonsense he usually spews has never hurt him. Not when he plays it off as an act, a performance to hide in plain sight, a secret only his biggest fans are in. 

The reason why the "weird" framing over the summer and the bizarre event from last night both actually hurt him is simple. Being pitied, being cringe, being uncool, weak, non-dominant, blank faced confused undercuts *both* of his strengths. A strongman doesn't look like that. A strong man is always in command. A trickster god doesn't do that. A trickster god may appear like a clown, but he's always in control. Last night left him naked, exposed, swaying for thirty straight minutes on stage in front of his biggest supporters, with no one able to stop him. 

And you can tell it's driving him insane per last nights tweets and today's interview, and his own supporters are on the offensive. The old maxim in politics is when you're explaining, you're losing. And every time they have to explain away the fact Trump is spiraling into full out dementia on live TV they are on the back foot of a narrative that will break the dam in Kamala's favor.