Howard Schweitzer, managing partner of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, appeared on the radio show “Haus Rules” with Michael Hausman, shedding light on his impressions of the RNC in Cleveland. Howard noted that the people present at the convention were excited about Trump, but the absence of elected officials and corporations typically in attendance is obvious, rendering this a very different type of convention. He then notes “think about the word 'convention,' right there you are talking about something that is conventional. Donald Trump is the most unconventional candidate I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, and I think that holds true for almost everybody. By definition…he doesn’t really fit with the staged, orchestrated, very planned way a convention normally goes.”

Howard also discussed Trump’s abilities as both a candidate and potentially as the President, saying that “Trump is an entertainer … whether you love or hate him, you have to admire where he has gotten,” which “is very admirable from a performance perspective.” But he adds, “running and governing are two very different things, and he is still not preparing to run the United States government.” Howard notes, “I believe that if he were to prepare to be president, he would in an organic way appear to be more presidential because he would have command of the issues.” Then referencing his own first-hand experience in government as COO of TARP, Howard notes that despite the authority and resources the agency had access to, functioning successfully in government is a very difficult endeavor. “That’s what government is. It’s hard – it’s a cruise ship; not a speed boat, and Trump needs to get realistic about what that means.”

Listen to the full interview here.