After all this preparation, Donald Trump was almost expected to walk on water to triumph on stage.
But on Thursday night, the Republican presidential candidate simply stepped forward, in front of a set of Las Vegas-style gold letters screaming “TRUMP,” and stood in front of a columned White House.
The Republican National Convention then ended with a rambling 92-minute speech that followed a night of testimony: about Trump’s record in office, his golf game, his music, his dance moves and one of many other Trumpian triumphs.
All of this didn’t test credulity, but it also tested the audience’s physical ability to stay awake.
Times columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria had it all figured out before rushing to catch their flight back to California, the position haters describe as a stinking hell. They left those minds on the fourth and final night of the convention:
Barabak: This is the 20th national political conference I have covered. I looked at others and looked back at old images.
It’s the strangest, most accommodating, and worst acceptance speech I’ve ever heard. What do you think?
Chabria: Very boring. . . and a wasted opportunity. Trump had so much goodwill and faced a stage full of loyalists with wide eyes. But he just couldn’t handle his complaints and ego, despite adding a touch of unity to the mix.
In the end, I felt that even he got bored. After improvising for too long, he returned to his prepared text, which inexplicably became a deep dive into the Revolutionary War.
But for me there are two issues.
First, it is the performance of a strong man. Trump just repeated over and over again that any and all problems, real or perceived, are within his power to solve (main points not given). Immigration, inflation, even cancer. He promised to make all of this magically disappear, while he builds an “iron dome” around the United States to protect it from missile attacks.
He even boasted that when he was president, he “could prevent wars with one undeniable phone call. “
He thought he was stupid at some point.
My conclusion is that bread and circuses – the Roman expression for entertaining the people with shows – were in full force. We had Kid Rock, Dana White (head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Hulk Hogan.
What did you think of this composition?
Barabak: In the annals of political history, there will be a place for Hogan, who has shown (if we want to remind him) that the line between politics and entertainment has blurred to the point of becoming invisible.
This is new. Hell, we had a real TV star in the White House, and he may be back in November for 4 more seasons.
But has he ever in the history of this wonderful republic ripped off his shirt at a national political conference to reveal, beneath his still-rippling muscles, a red sleeveless T-shirt supporting the presidential candidacy?
No.
“In my career, I’ve been in the ring with some of the biggest [and] baddest guys on the planet,” Hogan, 70, said, his voice grumpy in front of leveled villains. “Donald Trump is the toughest of them. ” They all threw everything at Donald Trump. All the investigations, the accusations, the trials, and he’s kicking their ass.
But enough is enough, said Hogan, whose true calling is Terry Bollea, before “real Americans” extremely happy about their primary calling. After the attack on Trump, Hogan suggested to them: “Run wild, brother! Let Trumpmania reign again. ” !
It’s a lot of fun, if you’re into swagger and professional wrestling. Fiserv Full Testosterone Forum.
But there’s a trail of risk when Hogan asked, possibly to unreal Americans, “What are you going to do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpmaniacs attack you, bro?
We tell what happened on January 6.
From his dressing room, Trump blew Hogan a kiss.
But let’s take a step back. The big question is what Trump’s tone would be. He said he had disappointed his planned speech after last Saturday’s assassination attempt and rewrote his remarks to deliver a less bellicose, more harmonious and unifying message. Do you think he kept his promises?
Chabria: It had its moments, but they were few.
He began with an account of the assassination attempt that was as discreet as it was authentic.
Then the right one arrived.
He claimed that undocumented immigration was “killing thousands of people every year” (it was unclear what he meant) and that immigrants were spreading “misery, crime, poverty, disease, and destruction in communities across our country. “»
There is also a “Chinese virus” and some electoral conspiracies, to which is added a disturbing vision of the 2020 defeat: “The result of the elections, we will never allow that again. “»
At some point, with all the hate, loops, and non-sequences, it’s hard to pay attention to it.
Have you gotten to the end of his speech, Mark?
Barabak: I did it, it wasn’t easy.
The lack of substance was not surprising. Trump has been someone who treads carefully when it comes to politics.
I mean, let’s face it: the former president is as much, if not more, an artist than a politician. That’s a big component of his appeal. And the other people who attend his political rallies for entertainment are used to the kind of discursive, self-conscious speech he gave Thursday night.
This is not the case for most of those – probably most – who heard Trump speak at length for the first time since he left the White House three and a half years ago.
He piled tangent upon tangent and piled ad lib upon ad lib (about Hannibal Lecter, Venezuela as a conference venue and the amount of crowds singer Kid Rock draws to his concerts, among other strange digressions) that took his comments so far. beyond the attention span of some of his unwavering followers. They may simply be noticed leaving the room before he, in spite of everything, thankfully finished more than an hour after the expected conclusion.
This long and weak representation, to say the least, was a missed political opportunity. For those who stuck it out until the end, it was painful.
Chabria: But I also think what he didn’t say is remarkable.
The word “abortion” has not been uttered even once this week. Republicans have literally tried to triumph over one of their biggest political disadvantages. We must not forget that Vance of Senator J. D. Ohio, vice presidential candidate, said: “I would like to see a national ban.
Trump opted for the “states’ rights” response, but also named the conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. You can easily create a national ban on abortion drugs through executive action, the Comstock Act, a 19th century law that prohibits the mailing of any item that could be used to end a pregnancy.
Not talking about this factor was, therefore, a cowardly game to get votes. We deserve not to.
Is there anything else that catches your attention?
Barabak: Efforts to humanize Trump and soften his jagged edges are in full swing and it’s embarrassing to watch.
Several of those who stood up to Trump — business associates, other people who manage his properties, a member of his army of lawyers, a golf pro at a Palm Beach hotel — took the level to offer several testimonies that were absolutely stupid when they didn’t. t. fall flat.
Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling leader who served as head of Trump’s Small Business Administration, told of an assembly in which one of her grandchildren climbed onto her lap and ruffled her hair.
And Trump TOTALLY FINE with that!
Trump’s lawyer in his election interference and secret money trial, Alina Habba, spoke at length about the injustice of his felony conviction before recounting a moment from the trial while she was outside the courtroom, speaking to Trump on a cell phone. A close Habba supporter shouted, Trump heard the voice and asked to speak to his fan. And he did it!
The amazement in Habba’s voice that the loquacious former president had just turned water into wine on the streets of Manhattan.
John Nieporte, manager of Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, praises him as a “great boss and a great golfer,” and praises Trump’s game from tee to green.
“Donald Trump: 21 championships. Joe Biden, zero,” Nieporte said, as if that had solved the election on the spot.
It’s as emotional as a cardboard box, as if a group of fellow renters were jogging on the same level after being told: if there’s something good you want to say, choose as mundane as possible.
Sad.
Chabria: ItArray, as you say, is like watching a brother roast himself: just one servile testimony after another. I must admit that some of my favorite shots were the cuts of Melania Trump and Usha Vance; Its language Marco says so.
Mrs. Trump’s face at the Kid Rock show was one of natural resistance. And Mrs. Vance seemed to question every possible life choice that had led her to that moment.
These two women, both intelligent, were my favorite component of the convention.
Mark, what is your political stance on this event?
Barabak: I would say that to a large extent it is a success; it would have been much more successful if Trump had not brought it to such a resounding conclusion.
He had four nights, part of which were prime-time, to highlight his presidency and criticize Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He brought his new running mate and mini-me, J. D. Vance. He mobilized his MAGA troops. He showed that, at least physically, the attack on his life had no destructive consequences.
(We’ll see how long Trump will continue to wear this bandage. )
That said, it’s unclear what kind of bounce, if any, Trump will get.
Nothing is capable of replacing the foundations of this discouraging presidential race, nor of moving public opinion.
Had Trump stopped after the gripping account of last Saturday’s attack and walked away with a few words of reconciliation and healing, he would have been in a much better place. You may still get a great recovery. Perhaps he underestimates voters’ appetite for endless inconsistencies.
But ultimately, what happened this week on the shores of Lake Michigan doesn’t matter much, given Trump’s stable lead in the polls and Biden’s dire situation.
However, it is not necessarily a matter of time. The people of Milwaukee were extraordinarily cool and there were piles of beer, sausage and pretzels. Thank you readers who joined us this week.
Now let’s go to our Golden State.
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