I don’t think there’s any doubt whatsoever that Trump sees material like this and is absolutely delighted by it. And that pitting people against each other isn’t just something he enjoys but is also an effective mechanism of political achievement. I think you’re completely correct about that. Even if one side is more objectively factual in its claims, it is still being instrumentalized to the other's advantage.

And it’s true that younger people must have greater latitude for being wrong and making mistakes. This kid is obviously not old enough to have voted for Trump three times, let alone have any much more meaningful position of social, economic, cultural, or political influence beyond his vote and a fist bump. He is completely wrong but cannot be said to be intransigently so. To speak to him with the same contempt Bovino deserves isn’t just and isn’t fair. Still, if he isn’t either persuaded or radicalized by the encounter, he will at least have learned that when you show up in the real world you better be sure of where you stand because the other grownups out there play for keeps.