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This was published 4 years ago
Trump keeps re-election hopes alive with remarkable convention
Washington: Even in the fourth year of his presidency, Donald Trump retains the ability to shock. Trump's speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention capped off what has been an extraordinary, brazen and politically effective week for his party.
Democrats ended the week infuriated, and Republicans newly optimistic they can pull off another upset victory on November 3.
President Donald Trump speaks from the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention in Washington. Credit: AP
Never before in US history has the White House been used as the setting for such a party-political event. Under the guise of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump turned the presidential residence into a political broadcasting centre. During the four-day convention he pardoned a former bank robber and hosted a live citizenship ceremony. He delivered fireworks, literally. A display spelling out "Trump 2020" exploded in the skyline of the US capital after his acceptance speech.
The spectacle drove Democrats to distraction: not only was the convention norm-shattering, they said, but parts of it were illegal. The Hatch Act prevents government employees from participating in political activities on federal property, a rule Republicans seemed to flout several times during the event with no expectation of punishment.
Viewers tuning in were treated to an alternative reality show in which the pandemic barely exists. Trump delivered his speech in front of a crowd of almost 1500 people, all sitting close together and with few wearing masks. He mentioned the virus only in passing, optimistically vowing that a vaccine could be ready in months. He made no effort to empathise with those who have lost loved ones or been forced into unemployment.
Fireworks light up the sky around the Washington Monument after President Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech at the White House to the 2020 Republican National Convention.Credit: AP
Trump did mention rioting and violence in American cities, but it was as if the unrest was taking place in a different country — one in which he wasn't President. There was, predictably, a barrage of falsehoods and exaggerations, like when Trump "very modestly" claimed he had done more for African Americans than any president since Abraham Lincoln.
As with the Democrats last week, the Republican convention was not flawless. The program was overstuffed with Trump family members, including a comically over-excited Kimberly Guilfoyle (Donald Trump jnr's girlfriend). Trump's speech, at 70-plus minutes, was over-long. By delivering it in front of a packed crowd, he risked reinforcing perceptions that he doesn't take COVID-19 seriously.
The videos were designed to tap into viewers' visceral emotions: patriotism, fear and anger.
But Republicans ended the week in a better place than they started. Unlike Trump's off-the-cuff press conferences, the convention was a disciplined and strategic prime-time production. Trump appeared only in highly-choreographed segments with ordinary voters and to deliver his scripted acceptance speech.
Republicans put in an all-out effort to soften Trump's image in order to make him more palatable to suburban white women and African American men. A widow whose police officer husband was killed during a Black Lives Matter protest appeared in a video praising Trump. So did Alice Johnson, a drug smuggler Trump pardoned from a life sentence, and the parents of a hostage killed by Islamic State when Barack Obama was president.
The videos were designed to tap into viewers' visceral emotions: patriotism, fear and anger.
"Given the themes these guys are hammering tonight, I am here to tell you that I think this unstable sociopath and his mafia has a really decent shot at being re-elected," said Tom Nichols, a lifelong Republican who now serves as an adviser at the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.
Timing matters in politics and Republicans got lucky with the scenes of violence unfolding in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This allowed them to rail against anarchy in "Democrat-run cities" — a topic they'd much rather discuss than COVID-19. As Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said: "The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who’s best on public safety and law and order."
Republicans also effectively used their opportunity to attack Democratic nominee Joe Biden, an opponent they have found difficult to demonise until now. Trump was smart to portray Biden as a failed creature of the Washington establishment. In particular, it was clever to hit Biden as soft-on-China given how hawkish Americans have become towards the rising superpower.
From left, Donald Trump jnr, Tiffany Trump, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump stand on stage on the South Lawn of the White House after watching opera singer Christopher Macchio at the closing of the Republican National Convention.Credit: AP
As the fireworks fizzed and crackled over the Lincoln Memorial, the Trump family watched as a tenor belted out Nessun dorma. The aria's final lyrics: "Fade, you stars. At dawn, I will win. I will win! I will win!"
Two-thirds of Americans believe their country is on the wrong track, and the coronavirus continues to claim more than 1000 American lives a day. Trump remains an underdog, but after a successful convention he is still very much in the game with two months left until election day.