After all this preparation, Donald Trump was almost expected to walk on water to succeed 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.
Then the Republican National Convention ended with a rambling 92-minute speech that followed a night of testimony: about Trump’s record in office, his golf game, his musical tastes, his dance moves and one of his many triumphs. Trumpians.
All of this did not test credulity, but also tested the audience’s physical ability to stay awake.
Times columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria had everything figured out before rushing to catch their flight back to California, the position that 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’ve covered. I looked at others and looked at old images again.
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 good will and faced a stage full of wide-eyed loyalists. But he just couldn’t handle her complaints and his ego, despite adding a touch of unity to the mix.
In the end, I felt that even he was bored. After improvising for too long, he returned to his prepared text, which inexplicably turned into a deep dive into the Revolutionary War.
But for me there are two issues.
First, it is the performance of a strong man. Trump has just repeated over and over again that each and every problem, real or perceived, is within his strength to solve them (the main points have not been given). Immigration, inflation, even cancer. He promised to make all this disappear as if by magic, while building an “iron dome” around the United States to protect it from missile attacks.
He even boasted that, when he was president, he “could avoid wars with an undeniable phone call. “
He thought he was a fool at some point.
What I want to point out now is that bread and circuses, the Roman expression for entertaining the population with spectacle, were in full force. We had Kid Rock, Dana White (in charge 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 not new. Hell, we had a real TV star in the White House and he’ll be back in November for 4 more seasons.
But has she ever in the history of this wonderful republic ripped off her blouse at a national political conference to reveal, beneath her still-billowing muscles, a red tank top supporting the presidential candidacy?
No.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been in the ring with some of the biggest [and] baddest guys on the planet,” said Hogan, 70, in the growling voice he uses when facing bad guys in the ring. scenery. “Donald Trump is the toughest of all. They threw everything at Donald Trump. All the investigations, the accusations, the trials, and he’s still around and kicking their asses.
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 arrogance and professional wrestling are your thing. Fiserv forum full of testosterone.
But there is a trace of threat when Hogan asked, possibly to unreal Americans, “What are you going to do when Donald Trump and all the Trump-maniacs 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 interrupted 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, they were few.
It 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 “kills thousands of people a year” — without it being clear what he means — and that immigrants spread “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.
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 the type to be light-hearted 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 its appeal. And other people who attend his political rallies for entertainment are accustomed to the kind of discursive, conscious speech he delivered Thursday night.
This is not the case for most of those who – probably most – 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 even some of his unwavering followers. They may simply be noticed leaving the room before he, regardless, thankfully, finished more than an hour after the scheduled conclusion.
This long and slow functionality, to say the least, is a wasted 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” was not spoken of once this week. Republicans literally sought to triumph over one of their greatest political liabilities. We shouldn’t forget that Sen. J. D. Vance of Ohio, a vice presidential candidate, has said he’d like to see a nationwide ban.
Trump opted for the “state rights” answer, but he also appointed the conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. It 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.
So not talking about this factor was 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 cash trial, Alina Habba, spoke at length about the injustice of his felony conviction before recounting a moment from the outdoor trial in the House of Representatives. Justice, speaking with Trump on a mobile phone. When 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, director 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 club championships. Joe Biden, zero,” Nieporte said, as if that would resolve the election right then and there.
It’s as mobile as a cardboard box, as if a group of rentmates were jogging at the same level after being told: If there’s something nice you want to say, go for it. as banal as possible.
Sad.
Chabria: ItArray, as you say, is like watching a brother roast, just one obsequious testimony after another. I have to admit that some of my favorite shots were the cuts of Melania Trump and Usha Vance; His framework language is revealing.
Mrs. Trump’s face at the Kid Rock performance was one of natural resistance. And Mrs. Vance seemed to question all the possible life choices 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 it’s largely a success, it would have been much more successful if Trump hadn’t brought it to such a resounding end.
He had 4 nights, some of them in prime time, to show off his presidency and denigrate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He introduced his new running mate and mini-me, J. D. Vance. I mobilized his MAGA troops. I showed that, at least physically, the attempt on his life had 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.
If Trump had stopped after last Saturday’s gripping account of the attack and walked away with a few words of reconciliation and healing, he would have been in a much better place. He may still make a big recovery. Perhaps you underestimate 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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